U.S. Tourist Becomes Victim of Attempted Rape, Suspect is Released
A female tourist was robbed and sexually assaulted while in the Village of Seine Bight in Southern Belize. Reports are that the tourist was jogging when she came under attack by a young man. Her attacker reportedly dragged her into the bushes and attempted to rape her. Fortunately, she managed to fight off her attacker who got away with her cell phone. The traumatized tourist left the country without much delay. She did provide police with a statement while she was waiting on her flight. The accused, however, was released and this raised eyebrows because he is related to the Commissioner of Police Chester Williams. According to Williams, the decision to release the suspect was not one he made. Williams says that there was an issue of identification. Here is how he explained it.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“From what I was briefed, the lady, the tourist did complained that she was jogging along with this young man and something occurred where he dragged her into the bushes and she fought him off. She managed to escape from him. She had to leave the country the same day and so she was not able to give a statement to police in Placencia. When it was reported to me I had said to them ensure that you get the police in Ladyville to go to the airport to record the statement from her in the presence of a Justice of the Peace. That from what I was briefed was done except that according to the police, they could not have find a JP so the statement was not recorded in the presence of the JP. It goes on that in the statement given by the tourist she did not know the assailant by name so it would have required that they do an identification parade. The fact that she was about to leave the country at that time, they could not have done the ID parade and so there is an identification issue. Yes I am also told that the young man when he was apprehended may have been found with some items which the police…”
Reporter
“It was her cell phone.”
Chester Williams
“Yes, believed to belong to the tourist. But again for us to be able to proceed, she would have had to give police a further statement identifying the cell phone as being hers and again because she had left the documentary that could not have been done. So Ms. Bodden had consulted me and because of the fact that there was some relationship issue as you have said, I had directed that they consult the D.P.P. on the matter because if anything then it would require the intervention of the D.P.P. office. I believe that what she said that they are putting together the file and they will also be getting a statement from the immigration officers from the airport to put in the file to show her that the lady had left the country and they will send it to the D.P.P. for her advice. So as soon as that has been done we will be moving forward based on the D.P.P.’s instruction in respect to that matter.”
