Manhunt for alleged serial rapist ends

After being on the run for days, the most wanted man is now in police custody. Twenty-two year old Leroy Gomez, who has been accused in six cases of rape and attempted rape, handed himself to police this morning. Police were in hot pursuit of Gomez for the past few days and his home was raided twice yesterday. The sex crimes had occurred between August twenty-fourth and September nineteenth in the Lake Independence and Collet areas of Belize City and interestingly enough, Gomez resides in the same neighbourhood on Oleander Street. Because of the nature and the distinct ways in which the crimes were committed, Gomez was dubbed as a serial rapist. Officer Commanding the C.I.B. branch, Sergeant Julio Valdez, told News Five that it was Gomez’s family who assisted in bringing the manhunt to an end.

Sgt. Julio Valdez, Officer Commanding, C.I.B.
“He came in this morning with his mother. His mother called us and said that she was going to bring him and she brought him this morning. She called us and she brought him this morning.”

Marion Ali
“So he wasn’t really hanging out in one specific location? Was that the reason why you took some time to find him?”

Sgt. Julio Valdez
“Yes, he was apparently was in hiding because we couldn’t find him. The amount ah wi were looking all over the place and when we keep checking where he was, he was not located. But from what we gathered, I understand he was not within the city and apparently his mother got to know the whereabouts and she decided to bring him in.”

Marion Ali
“This is a fairly young man. He is only nineteen, twenty?”

Sgt. Julio Valdez
“He was born 1986, he’s twenty-two years now.”

Marion Ali
“Does he have a history of this kind of an offense?”

Sgt. Julio Valdez
“No, not really. He just have two convictions up to now; one for robbery and one for possession of a controlled drug what you heard his mother say yesterday so that’s the only conviction he has right now.”

Marion Ali
“He, according to the ladies, has committed a sexual offense against them. How airtight are the cases against him?”

Sgt. Julio Valdez
“At this point in time I think we have sufficient evidence to charge him, take him to court.”

Marion Ali
“And succeed, get a conviction?”

Sgt. Julio Valdez
“I believe so, yes.”

Marion Ali
“On four different counts?”

Sgt. Julio Valdez
“Well, we hope so but it all depends on the victims whether they will continue to go to court with the matter. But at this time yes, we can say we have sufficient evidence at this time. A person who is alleged needs to be proven and those who make the allegation needs to come and testify against the person. It’s up to them but we’re asking them, we hope that they pursue this matter to the fullest because this is a concern to anyone, not only to you, to the public out there at large. As a matter of fact, this is a concern.”

Marion Ali
“But aside from their word against his, do you have any circumstantial evidence that you could link him to the crime?”

Sgt. Julio Valdez
“We do have.”

Gomez will appear in Magistrates’ Court tomorrow to face four charges of rape.