Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Intercourse With Minor, Sentencing Pending

A plea agreement has been entered in the case of 25-year-old Nelson Canul, who pleaded guilty today to three counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse (USI) with a minor. The incident involves a girl who was 14 at the time of the offense.  Canul, a resident of San Pedro Ambergris Caye, was 22 when he and the then-14-year-old minor began a romantic relationship, which later included sexual activity. The law protects the minor, classifying the activity as unlawful sexual intercourse. The charges relate to three occasions: September 10, 11, and 19, 2022.  Represented by attorney Leslie Hamilton, Canul entered a plea agreement with the Crown, represented by Crown Counsel Shanelle Fernandez-Peyrefitte. As part of the agreement, Canul pleaded guilty to all three counts.  The Crown informed the court that a key reason for entering into the plea agreement was the objective of “keeping the family unit together.”  Both the Crown and defense have agreed on a sentencing recommendation for Canul, specifically, three years’ probation and community service to be completed during the three-year probationary period.  Justice Nigel Pilgrim accepted Canul’s guilty plea to the USI charges after Canul was re-indicted this morning.  However, Justice Pilgrim made it clear to both the parties and the convict that he is not obliged to accept the Crown’s sentencing recommendation. He acknowledged that he accepted the agreed facts and the agreement entered into by both sides.  Justice Pilgrim has deferred sentencing to Monday.