Two brothers who had denied raping a teenage girl have been given 12-year prison sentences for their historic crimes.
Kiley Alexander Michel and Jason Anthony Michel were found guilty by Guernsey’s Royal Court after a trial earlier this year.
They were sentenced yesterday for the rapes, which took place over a number of years, starting more than 25 years ago.
In an impact statement read out during the sentencing hearing the victim described herself as a ‘survivor’.
She was 13-years-old when she was first raped by the older of the two brothers, Kiley Alexander Michel, who was 30-years-old at the time.
The court found that he had employed coercive control as a means of keeping her from telling anyone. He raped her a further ten times.
The younger of the two brothers, Jason Anthony Michel, was 28 when he first forced himself on the girl when she was 15.
He too went on to rape her 10 more times before the survivor had turned 16.
Speaking in their defence, the Michel brothers’ advocates spoke of them being “family men” who are “hard working”, and of being “previously in good character”.
Each supplied a number of personal references to the court.
The defence advocates pointed out the emotional and financial impact their imprisonment would have on their families.
Summing up, Judge Catherine Fooks said “good character was a limited defence”, and that “references from close family carried little weight”.
She said “the fact the offending was historic does not make it any less serious” and she described their crimes as “disgraceful” and “despicable”.
The brothers were both sentenced to 12 years in prison each.
Each of the four charges the brothers faced resulted in a 12 year sentence, but they will be served concurrently.
They will be subject to notification requirements for a decade after they are released, and they will be on an extended licence for three years.
