Teacher Convicted of Sex Assault Awaits September Appeal Hearing

A High Court hearing has been scheduled for September 25 in the appeal of Dangriga teacher Alex Jason Noralez, who is serving an eighteen-month prison sentence following his conviction on two counts of sexual assault involving students. 47-year-old Noralez appeared through attorney Leeroy Banner before Justice Candace Nanton yesterday. Banner substituted for his lead attorney, Richard “Dickie” Bradley, who was unable to attend. The appeal could not proceed and was adjourned to allow both sides to complete the required filings.  Noralez must file submissions outlining his grounds of appeal by August 14, while the respondent has until August 28 to submit a reply. He remains at the Belize Central Prison pending the hearing.  On January 21, Noralez was convicted of two of three sexual-assault charges involving students at a San Pedro high school. The two convictions concerned second-form students, while he was acquitted of the charge involving a first-form student.  During his trial, Noralez denied sexually assaulting the students. He acknowledged hugging them but maintained that the contact was innocent. He received two eighteen-month sentences, which were ordered to run concurrently, resulting in an effective term of eighteen months. Noralez was represented at trial by attorney Ronell Gonzalez. His attorneys subsequently sought a stay of execution and bail pending the appeal, arguing that the convictions had strong prospects of being overturned. That application was denied on February 27, and Noralez has remained in custody while the appeal progresses.  The convictions and sentence remain in effect unless they are overturned or otherwise varied by the High Court.