By Breaking Belize News Staff: Former police officer Brigilio Ack remains hopeful that he will avoid further jail time after the High Court on Tuesday heard submissions on his resentencing for a sexual assault conviction that was upheld on appeal.
Ack’s original eight-month prison sentence was quashed by the High Court, although his conviction for sexually assaulting a female colleague at the Rocky Road Police Booth remains in place.
At Tuesday’s resentencing hearing before Justice Nigel Pilgrim, Ack’s attorney, Rachel Montejo, urged the court to impose a suspended sentence with conditions, arguing that her client has already suffered significant consequences.
Montejo told the court that Ack has already served five and a half months of the original sentence before being granted bail pending appeal, and has since been dismissed from the Belize Police Department, losing more than 20 years of service and placing his retirement plans in jeopardy.
She also submitted that Ack’s family has been providing him with financial support and asked the court to “temper justice with mercy.”
The attorney further argued that, as a former police officer, Ack faces heightened anxiety and danger while incarcerated because of potential hostility from inmates, including anti-police offenders and gang members.
In her submissions on sentencing guidelines, Montejo described the offense as falling within Category 2 harm, noting that the complainant was an adult woman and not a minor, and contended that the unlawful touching was described during trial as having occurred in a “playful way,” though without consent.
For the Crown, Crown Counsel Kirk Brown argued that under the Sentencing Guidelines for Sexual Offences – Practice Direction No. 14 of 2025, the proper starting point is two and a half years imprisonment, given the prevalence of such crimes in Belize.
Brown told the court that the victim’s testimony showed the serious emotional impact of the assault, stating that she was left humiliated, trembling, and depressed after the incident, which occurred around 12:10 a.m. while the two officers were on duty.
He further submitted that Ack’s culpability should be classified at Level A, the highest level, emphasizing the abuse of trust involved in the offense.
Brown echoed the words used by the trial magistrate when Ack was first convicted in August 2025:
“As a police officer, you are entrusted with upholding the law and safeguard the rights and well-being of the citizens you serve… By your actions, you have violated that trust and abused the authority vested in you.”
Ack was originally convicted at the conclusion of a trial in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court in August 2025, where he was unrepresented and denied the allegations made by his co-worker.
While Justice Pilgrim upheld the conviction on March 12, 2026, he set aside the original sentence and ordered a fresh sentencing hearing, sending Ack back to the Belize Central Prison pending the outcome.
Justice Pilgrim has now deferred his decision on the new sentence until May 16, 2026. Ack had previously been granted $12,000 bail on November 11, 2025, before being remanded again for resentencing.
The post Former cop convicted for groping and kissing coworker without consent awaits re-sentencing as lawyer asks for ‘justice with mercy’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Former police officer Brigilio Ack remains hopeful that he will avoid further jail time after the High Court on Tuesday heard submissions on his resentencing for a sexual assault conviction that was upheld on appeal. Ack’s original eight-month prison sentence was quashed by the High Court, although his conviction for
The post Former cop convicted for groping and kissing coworker without consent awaits re-sentencing as lawyer asks for ‘justice with mercy’ appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
