appearance and personality since returning home to the United States.

The 24-year-old woman still has nightmares after the attack close to the Horizons cottage colony, on South Shore Road, Paget, in 1991.

Yesterday Chief Justice the Hon. Mr. Justice Ward jailed Rodney Wilson for ten years for the rape.

And a probation officer said Wilson needed help for a "Doctor Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde transformation'' brought on by alcohol and drugs.

Wilson, 38, of South Shore Road, Paget, admitted raping the visitor in the early hours of the morning of August 30, 1991.

Crown Counsel Mr. Brian Calhoun said: "The woman was walking along a pathway to the Horizons Hotel where she was vacationing with her parents.

"The defendant accosted her from behind, pulled her down and dragged her into foliage.

"When she began to scream he shoved vegetation into her mouth and forcibly removed her shorts and panties. ...he then raped her.'' The visitor ran towards the hotel leaving her shorts and panties behind her.

Wilson fled.

Mr. Calhoun said Wilson had originally denied being involved in the attack but when DNA evidence established his story was false he admitted he raped the woman.

As a result of the attack the woman had bruises to her right temple, swollen lips, multiple abrasions to her back and limbs and significant psychological scars.

Mr. Calhoun described the victim as joyful, light-hearted, naive and trustful before the attack.

But since she was raped, her life had taken a dramatic turn filled with nightmares of people trying to kill or hurt her in some way.

He said: "She was an attractive woman but she now tries to hide that attractiveness by wearing dark clothes and cutting her hair short. There is a distant look in her eyes.'' Investigating officer Det. Insp. Jonathan Smith read out a long list of previous convictions mainly for drug-related crime. There was one example of an assault on a woman.

Mr. Calhoun said Wilson had told Police he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the assault. He admitted to Police he was a crack addict and had been trying to buy more drugs but was unsuccessful and became "vexed''.

He said he had seen the girl and "took it out on her. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.'' Wilson told Police he thought the girl should "just forget about the rape and get on with her life''. He only began to show remorse when the probation officer described the trauma the woman had suffered.

The probation officer's report said: "He needs help as his Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde transformations will continue to take place as long as he continues to use alcohol and drugs.'' Wilson's lawyer Mr. Philip Perinchief pointed out that the previous assault conviction was not a sexual assault, making it different to the rape.

Mr. Perinchief said: "There is no attempt on my part to minimise this offence. On the other hand there is no need to embellish the circumstances.'' He added there was no weapon involved, no pre-meditated stalking or further sexual indignities and the rape was over in a matter of minutes.

The lawyer warned that extreme caution should be taken over "victim impact statements'' which had the effect of lengthening a sentence.

Mr. Perinchief described his client as an "enigma'', not fitting the usual profile of a rapist. He said his personality had been "grotesquely skewed by substance abuse''.

He also asked the Chief Justice not to take into account the "Florida Syndrome'' where attacks on white visitors by black locals were seen as more serious, and damaging to the economy.

The Chief Justice said: "Anything that is damaging to the tourist industry is harmful to us all. But here we are dealing with a man assaulting a woman in a particular way.'' Wilson told the court that he was very sorry for committing the offence. He was sentenced to ten years in prison with time in custody to be taken into account.