Manhunt for 3 gang rapists
A pregnant woman was robbed and then gang raped while a nine-year-old schoolgirl escaped a man she believed was about to abduct her on Tuesday evening. The schoolgirl was forced to jump through the window of a moving red-band maxi-taxi on Tuesday after the driver left the route in Mt Lambert.
The Standard Three student told police she ended up being the only passenger in the maxi-taxi at one stage as it was heading west from the east shortly before 4 pm. The girl said she became frightened when she realised the driver had turned the maxi onto a “strange” road.
She said she told the driver he was going the wrong way but he kept on driving. She then asked him to stop but again he ignored her and continued on. She told police she then began desperately pleading with him to stop but he still refused.
Fearing she would be harmed, the little schoolgirl said she managed to open one of the windows and jumped out. Although she fell very hard on the ground and rolled to the side of the road, she said she managed to get up and run for her life.
The girl told police the driver stopped and turned around the maxi taxi in and attempt to pursue her but she said she hid in an abandoned container on a piece of land. The girl was later found screaming and crying uncontrollably by two passers-by who took her to the St Joseph Police Station.
She was then taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Mount Hope, where she was treated for injuries, mostly cuts and bruises, sustained during her escape. The girl was said to be severely traumatised and is expected to receive professional counseling.
In the aftermath of the incident, the school’s principal reportedly had a talk with pupils at the school yesterday during assembly, where she warned them of the dangers that existed and advised that they should take extra precautionary measures while travelling to and from school.
Police are continuing investigations and a report has been filed with the Ministry of Education. Contacted yesterday for comment, president of the Route Two Maxi Taxi Association, Linus Phillip, said he was stunned but said he hoped the police investigated it thoroughly.
He said while there was no foolproof plan to ensure incidents like that were not repeated, the travelling public, adults and children alike, should exercise extreme caution when travelling on maxis.
“From the time you stop a maxi, take its name and/or number plate. When you enter take a good look at the driver, look around to see if there are any specific posters, paintings, or specialised upholstery so that a proper description can be given in the event that something happens and it reaches to the police.
“It will be good that all these things are done when one is in a composed state so it can be remembered when needed,” he said.
Asked if more stringent measures could be taken to stamp out drivers with criminal intent, Phillip said: “Well, it is already in place. In order for anyone to earn a badge a certificate of good character must be presented.”
Also contacted yesterday, Association of Maxi Taxis president Eon Hewitt said in the coming months security would be beefed up in all maxis, including PTSC buses, where surveillance cameras would be installed. He said for the past two days they had been in talks with Minister of Transport Fitzgerald Hinds on traffic alleviation and security measures.
In the other unrelated incident, police have launched a manhunt for three men who robbed and sexually assaulted a pregnant Chaguanas woman.
According to a police report, the 24-year-old woman boarded a black Nissan Almera, PCJ 4282, at Roopsingh Road, Couva, around 8.30 pm on Tuesday. Including the driver, there were two other male passengers in the car.
Police said the woman asked to be dropped in Chagauanas but instead was taken to Cunupia where the driver and the other men sexually assaulted her. The woman was also robbed of $1,000 in cash and her cellphone.
A report was made to the Cunupia Police Station. She was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility where she was medically examined.
Wickedness at its best!!
Jah know star
Those Ashy Bastards