An Antigua and Barbuda High Court judge has jailed a bus driver for 18 months after he was convicted of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old passenger.

Kenroy Graham received the sentence from Justice Ann Marie Smith on Thursday, months after a jury found him guilty at trial.

Evidence presented in court showed that the incident took place in April 2022 after the child travelled alone on Graham’s bus. Prosecutors said the driver later diverted from his usual route and made inappropriate advances toward the girl while the two were alone in the vehicle.

The child reported the matter to a relative shortly after returning home, and police launched an investigation the same day.

Graham denied the allegations during the trial and suggested the complaint was part of an attempt by another bus operator to remove him from the route. However, jurors convicted him of the offence in February.

Indecent assault carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.