By Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

#TurksandCaicos, May 15, 2022 – A man, posing as a jitney driver, has sexually assaulted a school girl and now warnings are issued and police are on the hunt for the pedophile.

The information from the Royal TCI Police has been a double shocker; firstly because a letter was leaked exposing that officials were aware of the situation but there had not been more urgent notice the public and because the suspect is among us and is still at large.

The leaked communication was dated May 12, 2022.  It came from woman police, Irene Butterfield, Assistant Superintendent of the Royal TCI Police and was issued to Edgar Howell, the Director of Education for the Ministry of Education.

On Friday, that notice was shared with parents in English, Creole and Spanish.  It was leaked the day prior.

From the Police issued WARNING:  “The Safeguarding and Public Protection Unit is actively investigating a report of an unknown male who is operating what appears to be an illegal jitney.  H e picked up a school girl and subjected her to a sexual attack.  The victim is now safe and being cared for.  We are seeking the assistance of families and communities in disseminating this information that is of vital importance to both government and private schools to put measures in place for the safety of children after school.  Parents and guardians are asked to be aware and take precautions and make provisions for their children to be collected safely from schools by someone who is trusted and to desist from allowing their child / children to ride home in illegal jitneys.”

The original letter said the “Safeguarding and Public Protection Unit is actively investigating a report of an unknown male, ‘pedophile’ who is operating what can be an illegal jitney and frequents schools, picking up children and committing sexual acts.”

The Police was asking the Education Department to disseminate the information to all public and private schools so that parents were put on the alert.

While the letter is dated May 12, which was on Thursday, what  the public does not know is how long ago this investigation was opened; how many children would have been sexually assaulted and how intrusive were those attacks.

On Friday, the Royal TCI Police issued a statement and its contents lent more insight, but were extremely disturbing as the public now has official notice that a girl was sexually assaulted and it seems the attack was enormously traumatizing.

The victim is now safe and cared for says the Safeguarding unit and the male is unknown and was operating a jitney when the unsuspecting child climbed into the vehicle for what now can only be called a ride from hell.

“Se les pide a los padres y tutores que sean conscientes y tomen precauciones y hagan provisiones para que sus hijos sean recogidos de manera segura de las escuelas por alguien de confianza y que desistan de permitir que sus hijos viajen a casa en taxi colectivo ilegales. También se les pide a los padres y tutores que escuchen a sus hijos y les enseñen a no guardar secretos inseguros.”

This is the warning in Spanish and it also asks parents to ensure their children are not keeping secrets about what may have happened to them.

Make sure whoever is around your child, says the release, is a trusted person and to desist from allowing your children from riding in illegal jitneys.  You get in the tone of the statement, it is simply not worth the heartache and damage which can be done.  Specially trained officers are on standby to deal with these cases, when they present themselves and this includes confidentiality.

Sadly, in the absence of proper or sufficient legal public transportation, illegal jitneys, which are manned by unregistered and unknown individuals are a customary go to for thousands of residents who need to get around the island.  These jitneys are an illegal mode of public transport, but they operate unencumbered.  Legal community cabs are now in service, but the sector is slow growing, unable to meet the current transportation demands.

“Nou mande paran ak ak moun ki responsab yo tou pou koute pitit ou yo epi anseye yo pou yo pa kenbe sekrè ki pa an sekirite. Pifò abizè kiltive relasyon solid ak timoun yo anvan yo pwogrese pa yon ofans seksyèl. Souvan, yo kòmanse teste limit yon timoun lè yo aji nan yon fason ki pa apwopriye avèk yo tankou achte kado pou yo, ba yo lajan epi fè yo santi yo espesyal. Paran ak moun ki responsab yo ta dwe fè atansyon ak siy sa yo epi avèti lapolis. Inite Sovgad RTCIPF la gen ofisye ki resevwa fòmasyon espesyal ki pral trete nenpòt rapò avèk anpil konfyans. Yo pral koute w epi sipòte moun ki pi vilnerab yo.”

The largest portion of the expatriate community in Turks and Caicos is of Haitian origin; the warning in Creole calls for better stewardship of children even as parents try to get them to school and while there was no information provided on the perpetrator, there were numbers provided to contact the Unit.

Contact 232-6696 or 338-4013. 

“Parents and guardians are also asked to listen to your children and teach them not to keep unsafe secrets. Most abusers cultivate strong relationships with children before progressing to sexual offences. Often, they start by testing a child’s boundaries by being inappropriate in other ways such as buying them gifts, giving them money and making them feel special. Parents and guardians should look out for these signs and alert the police. The RTCIPF Safeguarding Unit has specially trained officers who will deal with any reports in strict confidence. They will listen to you and support those most vulnerable.”

Schools have now posted and issued the warnings to parents.