Police constable accused of rape
The Belize Police Department had to arrest yet another member of its ranks this weekend after a young woman reported being raped. Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid says it received a report that three couples had been partying in Hattieville on Friday night and checked into a Ladyville hotel early Saturday morning. But things went terribly wrong for one of the young ladies, who says she refused to have sex with her escort and he raped her in one of the rooms.
G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
“First of all, the incident surrounded this young man, Crispin Jeffries Jr., who is a police officer. It must be made clear he was not acting in his capacity as a police officer; he was off-duty and acting in the capacity as a disk jockey. He was deejaying for a club in Hattieville.
“Well, it is a very serious allegation, certainly when it comes to rape, the police takes immediate action, which they did. He was immediately detained and subsequently arrested and charged for the crime of rape. The subsequent action, we understand, is that there were two young men along with Mr. Jeffries who went to the house of the victim, and I don’t know exactly what transpired, they are alleging that there were threats made. The police again takes this very seriously and those two gentleman have been arrested and detained.”
“She is a very courageous lady and she feels, as she rightly does, that she has the right to go ahead and press charges. As a woman you know, Karla, it’s no easy thing for a woman. It’s a traumatic experience obviously, and the police encourage anyone who is a victim of such a crime to make reports. And at no point was she discouraged, and at no point did the police take it lightly.”
According to Reid, Acting Commissioner of Police Maureen Leslie has assured the victim and her family that the investigation will be conducted in a transparent and expedient manner and the department will not condone the wrongdoing of any of its officers.
