A computer engineer who offered a woman a ride home and then raped her has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

A jury more than a week ago convicted 39-year-old Michael Reid, of a St Andrew address of the rape charge.

Supreme Court Judge Ingrid Mangatal had put off sentencing until Thursday.

In July 2007, Reid was convicted by a Home Circuit Court jury and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for rape. The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial last year because no character evidence was given at his trial.

The Crown represented by Crown Counsel Sharon Millwood-Moore led evidence at the trial in the Home Circuit Court that Reid and the complainant knew each other before the incident.

Had to stop

On January 27, 2006, Reid agreed to give the complainant a ride home. However, while they were on their way, Reid said he had to stop at his apartment to check on the lights. The complainant went with Reid into his apartment where he raped her.

Reid in his unsworn statement, said he did not rape the complainant.

In July 2007, Reid was convicted by a jury and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for raping the woman.

But he appealed against his conviction and sentence and filed several grounds of appeal. One of the grounds was that his lawyer did not inform him of his right to call character evidence as part of his defence during his trial.