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PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Court of Appeal sentenced a woman, R.S.D.M., on October 20, to 30 months in prison for sexually abusing a minor girl and for complicity in the rape of two other girls by her then-husband, B.E.M.S.
The case arose from the wider Pandora investigation into sexual abuse of minors, which also resulted in convictions against B.E.M.S. and a female friend of the household, J.W. The Prosecutor’s Office and KPSM previously reported that a victim’s disclosure to a trusted adult had led to action in the case.
The offences for which R.S.D.M. was convicted occurred between 2006 and 2020. The case concerned repeated sexual abuse of girls entrusted to the adults’ care, with the youngest only four years old at the start of the period established by the Court.
The Court of First Instance had found one charge proven and sentenced R.S.D.M. to six months’ imprisonment, suspended, and 200 hours of community service. The prosecution appealed, seeking convictions on additional charges and a sentence of eight years and two months. The Court of Appeal set aside the first-instance judgment and reached a different decision on several charges.
The Court found that R.S.D.M. repeatedly sexually abused a girl who had been entrusted to her care. It also found her complicit in B.E.M.S.’s rape of two other girls who stayed in their home. The Court concluded that she knew about the abuse and intentionally provided the opportunity for it to continue by failing to intervene or stop him.
The Court acquitted R.S.D.M. of two other charges concerning two girls. These included an allegation of complicity in sexual abuse committed by B.E.M.S. and J.W. The Court found insufficient evidence that the abuse concerned had occurred within R.S.D.M.’s home and sphere of influence.
The Court said a 36-month prison term would otherwise have been appropriate. It reduced the sentence by six months because the reasonable time for proceedings had been exceeded in both first instance and appeal. It also considered R.S.D.M.’s dependent position at the time in relation to her then-husband and her personal circumstances. Time she spent in police custody is to be deducted from her sentence.
The Court awarded Cg 20,000 in compensation to each of two victims. R.S.D.M. is jointly liable with B.E.M.S. for one of those awards.
In related Pandora proceedings, the Court of Appeal sentenced B.E.M.S. to 13 years and six months in March 2026, reducing his original 17-year sentence. J.W.’s sentence was reduced from 13 years to eight years on appeal in February 2024.
