Douglas Williams suspected in Hummingbird assault

It probably is one of the longest villages in the entire country, spanning roughly eight miles along the hummingbird highway. These days it is also one of the loneliest, as the region of dense forests and sparse police presence has apparently become a favorite stomping ground for fugitives Winsworth Managar and Douglas Williams. Today News Five’s Patrick Jones and cameraman Wilson Pat paid a visit to the area and while they didn’t find the pair of wanted men, they did find evidence of their frightening presence.

For the residents of Saint Margaret’s Village, life is anything but as relaxing as the surrounding scenery portrays. There is a deep sense of fear here, ever since Belize’s most wanted fugitive Winty Mangar and his companion Douglas Williams were spotted in the village late last year. Fearing for their safety, most of the villagers declined on camera interviews, but say they have had to dramatically alter their lifestyle – going to bed earlier than usual and staying within shouting distance of each other in the event of trouble.

But for the Perez family, the “strength in numbers” mentality that most people have adopted, came only after a close brush with disaster – no less a place than their own home.

Lesbia Perez, Attempted Rape Victim

“When I start to sweep the yard outside, I give my back to the wall of the kitchen. When I was sweeping, I didn’t saw anything. So I was sweeping so happy, I never could imagine what would happen to me.”

Patrick Jones

“According to Perez, this is where here nightmare started last Wednesday morning. She had just finished some chores around the yard and was on her way inside the house to listen to the horoscope on the radio.”

Lesbia Perez

“My little brother was beside me and he went form beside me and went with my mother. My mother was in the kitchen and I was still sweeping. When I get to a certain place, and I finally, I finish, as I turned to spin my back, I feel that they haul my hair and a machete on my neck. I just turn and watch to see who it was.”

And the face she saw wasn’t one she had seen around the village before.

Lesbia Perez

“When I see the man with a big sweater. His head tie and my little brother was in front of me already when my brother was there, my brother just watch at me, and my tears start to drop, and I tell my little brother, call mommy. That’s all I could say and then he closed my mouth and tell me lets go and it tell him, where, I no going no where.”

Perez says her attacker then dragged her along the Creek to a deserted spot behind the family yard where he tried to sexually assault her.

Lesbia Perez

“When he tried to force me and he climbed at me and I push him. Push him the first time, then the second time I push him again and I run when he fall down … he tried to take off my clothes but first he started to play with my breasts, with the machete to my neck, he start to play with my breast … I just recognize him. He was short and had moustache and his head was tied with a rag and a big black sweater.”

According to Perez as she struggled with her attacker, she did hear him mentioned that it wasn’t really her he was after, but her younger sister who was in school. Lesbia says what helped her out too was the fact that she was wearing a lot of clothes.

Lesbia Perez

“When he push me down, he climbed top of me first and then afterwards he put the machete on my neck. When he put the machete on my neck, I just watched him, and then when I pushed him, he dropped kneeling down, then afterwards he hold, with his foot, he put my legs open so he kneeled down between my legs, so then afterwards I come and I push him, when I push him he just drop the sit down, he never drop the lay down, then afterwards he told me mek I no intend to do it again, then he do the machete this way and he push me down back for me to lay down.”

Perez says this was when she made one final successful dash for freedom. This is her first trip home since the incident last week, and it was with more than a bit of apprehension that she undertook the journey.

Patrick Jones

“The entire episode has left the seventeen year old girl terrified. Now she is having serious doubts about her decision to move here to come join her family. From Saint Margaret’s Village, Patrick Jones, for News Five.”

Although Perez did not identify her attacker, several villagers, from descriptions given, believe that it was Douglas Williams. If that was true then Williams, who has tested positive for H.I.V., Could be charged with attempted murder. To make matters worse, the Perez family home, which had been abandoned after the assault, was burglarized last night. Items stolen were male clothing and cooking implements.