Corrective Rape challenges continue

In what has been surmised as a rape and robbery ring by a group of some three men in St Catherine has had some challenges for the police and citizens in residential areas such as Ensom City, Monticello, Avon Park and Eltham Acres/Meadows including the upscale Y.P. Seaton housing schemes and others as far west as Old Harbour heights within the last four to five months. A series of broad daylight robberies also is of concern as smartphones especially taken from teens, jewelry from women, cash and handbags grabbed are the items of choice by the miscreants; the citizen’s associations or what is left of some of them have banded together encouraging residents during the days when most persons are at work of school to be on the lookout and proceed with caution.

Early morning joggers and fitness gurus have had to curtail their schedules even as daylight comes way earlier than before as the summer months roll in as the bicycle riding scoundrels have targeted them as well where several phones and iPods etc have been taken. One same gender loving sister who resides in an upscale part of the Seaton development and who used to walk at five am said she re-engaged her old gym although removed from its original address just to be on the safe side although the early morning walks were refreshing especially nearing the river where the wind is cooler and fresh.

There seems to be a link to a series of robberies, sexual assaults and rapes of school girls in the May Pen and Old Harbour areas as well as the rumoured cases all have similar victim profiles and smartphones, tablets, cash and other what are considered lesser value items are demanded or taken at gunpoint, which now has some thinking the gun(s) used in the crimes maybe empty but used as an intimidating tool against victims as none has been reported shot.

Women overall have been targeted although a man also was relieved of his tablet as he sat on an avenue making use of the free wi-fi signal that sometimes emit from the nearby LIME/FLOW exchange building nearing an irrigation water canal in April. The unsuspecting character described as having partially bleached skin rode passed once then returned brandishing a gun to carry out the dastardly deed. The one man band has since increased to three as a set of women who live in the Eltham community house were paid an unexpected visit by them in broad daylight and at gunpoint robbed them of a quantity of cash as one of them was washing a car by the sidewalk. Both matters were not reported to the police when last I checked. The most recent case in June was that of a St Jago male student who was relieved of his S4 phone as he walked passed the popular LIME tower exchange building as well which sometimes emit wi-fi signals or persons residing nearby with password free wireless internet which persons gladly latch on to.

The corrective rape element however came into effect as in May of this year as a bisexual woman whilst sitting in the back of her house under a mango tree escaping the daytime heating with her young son who had gone inside was surprised by the same bicycle riding culprit mentioned above. The victim was on her smartphone also making use of the wi-fi services from the nearby LIME cell tower was pounced upon by the man as he scaled her fence gun in hand, he then ordered her to hand over her phone and to remain quiet so as not to alert the other occupants of the house including an elderly lady who has since died due to the pressure from the incident it is surmised, she was said to have been the grandmother of the victim and did not take the news of the ordeal very well, high blood pressure is said to be the cause of death.

The victim was forced at gunpoint to open the rear gate of the yard she was sitting in and taken to nearby bushes in broad daylight where she was raped repeatedly while he held the gun at her throat threatening her if she screamed. According to the victim she tried to make a run for it as he turned his back after the first go round in the near two hour ordeal but she held in her urge for her safety, it was then he scrolled through her phone and found photos of the victim and her old friend in friendly positions which prompted the man to continue harming her while uttering phrases suggesting she deserves it as she wants women instead of men.

Sadly the mentioned housing schemes where the ordeals are reported to have occurred are lonely spots during the days as most residents are at work, household helper technicians are on the inside or at the rear of the employers’ premises, the once bad roadways are now smoothly paved so escape or freedom of movement via bicycle as this crew uses is way easier and the police patrols had since slowed during the public sector worker negotiations hence less overall vigilance.

The rapist made his escape with the phone afterwards not before telling her to shut her mouth about the ordeal and the young lady managed to crawl her way back to the house in pain and shock and managed to yell for the occupants just outside the gate who came to her aid; they too were in shock as they were wondering where she had gone as her son was crying upon not seeing her under the mango tree where she was taken. The police were summoned and a subsequent report was made at the CISOCA office in Spanish Town. Neighbours were surprisingly sensitive to the matter (devoid of the corrective element) given the quietness on the avenue and a prayer vigil also was had alongside home visits to the remaining family members who still reside at the premises. The victim has since relocated for comfort and safety reasons. Other cases have popped up as well but as usual they are hard to confirm as persons hold in their ordeal which is understandable and the sexual orientation of the victims is also not known but clearly the suggestion is a rape ring is in operation in the geographical zone spanning some three parishes, St Catherine, Manchester and Southern St Ann.

It was only some days ago the police expressed some concerns via a press conference and subsequent radio spots about the numbers of sexual assault cases numbering some 200 plus since January this year of teens and women in the named parishes and further with gunplay as part of the cases. The cops sound resolute in smashing the scourge; I hope they do as they did back in 2010 onwards after the rape cases of now public Angeline Jackson whose case I carried on this blog (without naming her then of course for privacy reasons at the time) the cops had taken down the leader of a ring who hailed from May Pen who also assaulted Miss Jackson and her friend by luring them from a then lgbt site with a fake profile pretending to be a lesbian. The cases also slowed in court as our systems creak as per usual but Miss Jackson has emerged stronger than before. The accused was sentenced eventually for a total of 29 years.

Be vigilant be safe.

also see:
Serial rapist gets 29 years in rape ring


Peace and tolerance

H