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Prison terms to run concurrently; court also imposes $9,000 financial penalty following High Court proceedings

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, September 9, 2026 — TIMES CARIBBEAN COURT NEWS | Medical practitioner and former St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party candidate Dr. Vance Gilbert has been sentenced to 12½ years’ imprisonment for rape and five years for indecent assault, with the two custodial sentences ordered to run concurrently, according to information emerging from the High Court in Basseterre on Wednesday.

A further $9,000 financial penalty was also imposed in connection with the case. Times Caribbean has not yet seen the court’s written sentencing decision confirming the specific count to which the financial penalty attaches.

Because the prison sentences are concurrent rather than consecutive, the five-year term will be served at the same time as the longer sentence. The effective custodial sentence is therefore 12½ years, subject to the precise terms contained in the formal sentencing order and any directions made by the court concerning time previously spent in custody.

The sentencing marks a major development in Director of Public Prosecutions v. Vance Gilbert, High Court case SKBHCR2024/0031.

Official Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court records identify the criminal proceedings as involving rape, attempted rape and indecent assault, with the offences recorded as arising from an incident dated January 3, 2020. The court records also identify attorney Jason Hamilton as counsel for Gilbert.

COURT CASE SPANNED YEARS

The case moved through the judicial system over an extended period before reaching trial.

A January 2025 High Court cause list formally recorded Gilbert as the accused in case SKBHCR2024/0031 and listed the three alleged offences of rape, attempted rape and indecent assault. At that stage, he was recorded as being on bail.

By March 9, 2026, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court listed the matter for trial before Justice Patrick Thompson Jr., with Gilbert then recorded as being in custody.

The case remained before Justice Thompson during subsequent proceedings. A May 5 court list again identified the same three charges and showed the trial continuing before the High Court.

Following the jury proceedings later in May, Gilbert was found guilty. His medical practice, New Life Healthcare Centre, subsequently issued a public statement acknowledging that its founder had been found guilty of a criminal offence.

In that May 31 statement, the healthcare centre said Gilbert continued to maintain his innocence, while adding that the organisation respected the judicial process and the ruling of the court. The facility also assured patients that its medical services would continue.

Wednesday’s sentencing brings the trial-level proceedings to a significant stage, although Gilbert retains whatever rights of appeal are available to him under the laws and appellate procedures of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

FORMER LABOUR CANDIDATE

The case has attracted considerable public attention because Gilbert was previously a prominent figure in national politics as well as a practising physician.

Gilbert entered frontline politics with the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, becoming its candidate for St. Christopher Constituency No. 7. Contemporary reporting from 2013 documented his introduction to the Labour political platform and his declaration that he was prepared to represent the constituency.

The Labour Party’s official 2015 general-election manifesto also featured Gilbert among its slate of candidates, describing him at the time as a practising medical doctor who had served in the medical field and with the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force.

He subsequently contested Constituency No. 7 in the February 2015 general election, where he was defeated by Dr. Timothy Harris, who went on to become Prime Minister following the election.

Gilbert later continued his medical career and established New Life Healthcare Centre.

SENTENCING ENDS ONE PHASE OF CASE

Wednesday’s decision is significant because sentencing determines the punishment following conviction; it is separate from the jury’s earlier determination of guilt.

The distinction between concurrent and consecutive sentences is also important. Concurrent sentences are served simultaneously. Therefore, the five-year sentence for indecent assault does not create a combined prison term of 17½ years. On the sentencing information presently available, the controlling custodial term is 12½ years.

Times Caribbean will update this report once the formal sentencing order or written reasons of Justice Patrick Thompson Jr. become publicly available, particularly regarding any credit for time already spent in custody, the precise application of the $9,000 financial penalty and any other orders made by the court.

The conviction remains the decision of the High Court unless it is altered through the appellate process.

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