PM Anthony.

PRESS RELEASE – Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, has expressed outrage over reports that a 97-year-old woman of Mon Repos, Micoud was raped earlier this week.

According to the Prime Minister, this is a despicable act that not only violates an elderly citizen, but the entire community and country. Dr. Anthony said,

“It is unbelievable that someone would even think of committing such an act. This is a heinous and outrageous act. It is inconceivable that a human being would do this.

“I wish to express my sorrow to the family and the community as they grieve over this wicked and despicable act.

“I commend the community of Mon Repos for its decision to host prayer vigil to share their collective outrage, and to send a message to the perpetrator or perpetrators that this behavior will not be tolerated.”

Dr. Anthony says the increased reports of rape across the island is a worrying trend. According to the Prime Minister, there must be a collective effort between the Police and the public to deal with this problem. He emphasized that these incidents are not just a security issue. It goes deeper. According to the Prime Minister,

“For too long we have been silent about sexual violence in our homes and our communities. In many instances, we know there are fathers, uncles, stepfathers and others who commit deviant sexual acts in homes and communities and nothing is said or done. Quite often the perpetrators are protected. These unreported cases lead to an even greater problem in our society, where these men grow to believe that this is acceptable behaviour. We need to tackle the problems at the root”.

In response to an increase in reports of rape earlier this year, Dr. Anthony says he had recommended to Acting Commissioner, Errol Alexander, that a special unit be established within the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force to investigate rape cases and to also build a database that stores DNA evidence to determine whether some of these cases are being committed by repeat offenders. “We have serial rapists at large,” he says.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that the intended reopening of the Forensic Laboratory, under new management would better assist police in conducting investigations and testing DNA samples.

He stressed, however, that the first, most important response is that people report known sex offenders.

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Crime Chief Milton Desir at a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015.

Police said they have one person assisting with investigations into the alleged rape this week of a 97-year-old woman in Mon Repos, Micoud.

Crime Chief Milton Desir made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015.

No further details were provided on this incident, but Desir said the police are going to pursue the perpetrators of the recent rape incidents “relentlessly”, leaving no stones “unturned”.

The elderly woman, who lives alone, was reportedly treated at hospital and discharged.

A reliable police source said the woman’s house was burglarised and several items are missing.

She was discovered after relatives paid a routine visit to her home.

In a press release on Thursday, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony expressed outrage over the alleged rape of the elderly woman.

He said this “despicable act” not only violates an elderly citizen, but the entire community and country.

“It is unbelievable that someone would even think of committing such an act. This is a heinous and outrageous act. It is inconceivable that a human being would do this,” the prime minister said. “I wish to express my sorrow to the family and the community as they grieve over this wicked and despicable act.”

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Reduit Beach

A Jamaican security guard has been formally charged for rape in connection with an incident which occurred on the Reduit beach, Rodney Bay on the night of Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015.

Crime Chief Milton Desir told reporters on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015 that the man has been charged with one count of rape and one count of unlawful connection.

Reports are that the accused, who was based at a popular resort in the north, raped a young girl on the beach and physically harassed another female who was in her company.

Desir said all perpetrators of rape will be pursued relentlessly.

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Shot dead: Altheus Duplessis aka Sixty.

Two persons have been arrested for the fatal shooting of a young man in Coolie Town, Marigot on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 at about 10 p.m.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Crime Chief Milton Desir said the suspects are likely to be charged soon.

Police said the victim, 18-year-old Altheus Duplessis aka ‘Sixty’, who is reportedly from Morne Ciseaux, Jacmel, was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at Victoria Hospital.

A source from the community said the teen was gambling when he was shot in the back of the head and other parts of the body.

Though the motive for the victim’s murder is not yet clear to the media, residents from Morne Ciseaux, as well as relatives, said the deceased’s death was imminent.

He was allegedly a known serial thief and was always embroiled in disputes and altercations with family members and gang rivals.

Police sources say Duplessis was accused of stealing a motorcycle, while relatives said just before his death he allegedly chopped his grandfather in a family dispute.

Duplessis was reportedly stabbed in the back, and hit in the face with a bottle during past altercations.

However, several sources in the community told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that they believe Duplessis’s death may be linked to a shooting that occurred in Jacmel in late August 2015.

“The person who was shot in August was shot in his abdomen. He didn’t die. His boss slapped Sixty and two days later somebody shot his boys so he said it was Sixty and his friends who did it,” the source said.

They also pointed out that Duplessis’s father was shot in the wee hours of Saturday morning, the day before the fatal shooting – information that was confirmed by the police.

His father was in stable condition.

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Major Crime Unit Superintendent George Nicolas

Increases in recorded sexual offenses demonstrate that the public have more confidence in the police, a senior police official has said.

Major Crime Unit Superintendent George Nicolas of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) said more people are coming forward to report such crimes.

Superintendent Nicolas was responding to questions posed to him by the local media today, Thursday (Nov.12) with regards to the increase in sexual offenses over the past few weeks.

Police said almost 60 cases of rape have been reported since the start of the year.

“We have had specific departments dealing primarily with those cases and those persons are dedicated and well trained officers. They have demonstrated their ability to deal with those matters, so I suppose that translates to people having more confidence in our ability to deal with them, so they come forward more often to report,” Superintendent Nicolas said.

Asked whether the police plans to reinforce its loitering policy so as to protect school children from becoming the next group of victims of rape, Nicolas said the police will approach the issue holistically and will not target one specific group, emphasizing that it has become a national issue that concerns every group.

“So while we will take into consideration the school children, we have other vulnerable groups we have to be mindful of and everybody could be a potential victim,” the senior police official added.

Superintendent Nicolas said the issue also requires other agencies, organisations and communities across the island to come together with the police to help solve these crimes.

He said, “I don’t think anybody has raised their child to become a rapist or criminal. But you know it starts from the home, to the church, the groups and the clubs. We all have to come together to have a solid grip on this problem.”

It was also noted that all the reported cases of rape are being actively pursued, but the police has urged members of the public who have any information with regards to these cases, to come forward with it.

In response to concerns about whether there are programmes to help rehabilitate perpetrators of sex crimes, the police said the Bordelais Correctional Facility has programmes in place to assist in that regard.

The matter of creating a sex offenders registry was also brought to the fore, but the police said that has to be a policy decision before any such system is put in place.

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Scores of citizens have expressed outrage at the increased number of sex crimes being reported, particularly the number of rapes that have occurred in recent times.

Many of these persons feel that every time crime spirals out of control, politicians and other public figures denounce these acts but nothing is done to address the core issue.

This was highlighted during News Maker Live on DBS Television on Wednesday evening.

Several callers to that programme could not help but emphasize that there is need for “less talk and more action,” stating that serious interventions must be taken to address this issue.

One caller said it has now become routine for persons to speak out about these heinous crimes only when there is an increase in cases, but nothing else is done to actively pursue these issues.

“I think our society has tolerated the sexual harassment of women for too long,” she said.

Another caller said she believes that government should invest more in the Royal St. Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) providing the police with the necessary tools to fight these crimes.

The caller said, “We have to start somewhere to address these issues, so we can feel safe again in our homes.”

Citizens also drew attention to the Saint Lucia Forensic Laboratory which was shut down several months ago due to shortage of material to conduct forensic tests.

They argued that the closure will most likely reduce the chances of providing tangible evidence for these cases, something the police have also openly admitted.

The idea of creating a Sexual Offenders List also resurfaced during these discussions and there were suggestions that there should be a national conversation on this issue.

Persons also called for changes to be made to local laws, to allow this to take effect and to create stiffer penalties for perpetrators of these crimes.

A march is planned for November 25 starting at 2:00 p.m. to call on policy makers to provide the necessary training, equipment, personnel and facilities to achieve a reduction of sex crimes.

The march will coincide with International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

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The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) said it plans to increase the police ground patrol, reduce criminal activity and educate the public on safety tips during the holiday season.

Crime Chief Milton Desir made this disclosure at a media conference today (Nov.12) stating that this will be done through a Crime Fighting Strategy, which is expected to be implemented very soon.

Desir said the police ground patrol will not only include uniformed officers, but it will also entail plain clothes police, who will be on the grounds and among the people to help seek out potential robbers.

The public can also expect to receive regular crime tips even as the police move to engage stakeholders and continue outreach activities with various communities across the island.

Meanwhile, attention will also be given to the peak tourist season, where more foreigners are more likely to travel here for vacation. The police will be on the alert for pickpockets and other criminals.

A number of cruise ship passengers and other tourists were robbed in the past during the busy Christmas season. This period usually has a high influx of both visitors and shoppers especially in the city.

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Michael Henry, a three-year veteran of the police force, was off duty when he was attacked.

Three males, believed to be from the Grass Street area, have been arrested in connection with the stabbing of an off-duty police officer in Castries this week.

According to a police release, on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, at about 3:45 p.m., Police Constable 856, Michael Henry of Pavee, Castries sustained a stab wound to the left shoulder by two men.

Police said the assailants attempted to grab his gold chain at the intersection of Coral and High-Street, Castries.

Henry was transported to the Victoria Hospital where he was treated and discharged.

Eyewitnesses say Henry was attacked by a gang of about six knife-wielding young men shortly after getting off a Pavee  bus.

Henry, 22, was reportedly able to find a piece of wood to defend himself, knocking one of the attackers, who was later apprehended by police, and subsequently two others.

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Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony said the increased reports of rape across the island is a worrying trend, but pointed out that this issue runs deeper than a security issue.

He said for too long “we have been silent about sexual violence in our homes and our communities”. He said in many instances, persons know there are fathers, uncles, stepfathers and others who commit deviant sexual acts in homes and communities and nothing is said or done.

“Quite often the perpetrators are protected. These unreported cases lead to an even greater problem in our society, where these men grow to believe that this is acceptable behaviour. We need to tackle the problems at the root,” he said in a press release.

In response to an increase in reports of rape earlier this year, Dr. Anthony says he had recommended to Acting Commissioner, Errol Alexander, that a special unit be established within the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force to investigate rape cases and to also build a database that stores DNA evidence to determine whether some of these cases are being committed by repeat offenders.

“We have serial rapists at large,” he says.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that the intended reopening of the Forensic Laboratory, under new management would better assist police in conducting investigations and testing DNA samples.

He stressed, however, that the first, most important response is that people report known sex offenders.

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A 12-year-old girl from La Ressource, Vieux-Fort who was reported missing since Wednesday, has been found.

Britney Sobers, a student of Plain View Combined School in La Ressource, Vieux-Fort, was found in Shanty Town, Vieux-Fort, less than two hours after a report was published on St. Lucia News Online (SNO).

No further details were disclosed.

“I wanna say a big thank you to all those who shared the pic of the missing cousin, we found her,” a relative declared on her Facebook profile page.

Britney had been last seen on Wednesday afternoon, November 11, 2015. She reportedly returned home from school then left.

Sources say this was not the first time Britney had gone missing, but this was the first time she had been missing for so long.

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The French Embassy in Saint Lucia on Monday, Nov. 16, 2015 observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of terrorist attacks in Paris, France last Friday night that left at least 128 people dead.

French Ambassador to St. Lucia Eric de La Moussaye said this “tragedy that struck France to her heart is the violence of a war”

He added: “And perhaps even worse because the victims were defenseless civilians cowardly murdered on Friday night. It took humanity in its entirety that is concerned by this tragedy, which is quite clear as we witnessed the extraordinary momentum of solidarity shown to our country since Friday.

“By this attitude we maintain that we will never give in to violence and that we will remain committed to our values of humanity, freedom and respect of human rights. I also wish to take this opportunity to extend my proper gratitude to all those who were there for the relatives since Friday, thank you especially to you for being with us this morning.”

A condolence book was also signed at the brief ceremony.

Opposition Leader Dr. Gale Rigobert, United Workers Party Leader Allen Chastanet and former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell were also in attendance.

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A local catholic priest has blamed easy access to pornography for the increase in rape on the island.

Priest Linus Clovis said this problem may be prevalent among young boys who are now developing their sexuality.

Clovis said he questioned himself why men of such young age are committing these crimes, but said it may be that they can’t distinguish between an “imaginary woman and the real woman.”

The religious leader said the impression created by pornography is that “women enjoy it”, so men feel they can do this to any woman, and if they do it to a stranger, they are not doing it to a real person.

“The person who is being raped is like one of those images on the internet,” Clovis remarked.

Perpetrators, he said, do not realize that they are dealing with real humans who feels and can be hurt.

Social workers and other specialist groups have said that pornography is a simulation for any person who intends to engage in sexual activity and watching pornography is some form of preparation for predators.

Some research has shown that pornography has potential influences on sexual function, sexual dysfunction, sexual relationships, domestic violence, rape and child sexual abuse.

While other researches have shown that legalizing pornography could lead to lower rates of sex crimes.

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PRESS RELEASE – The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is mourning the loss of one of its own. Senior Police Officer, Constable 356 Alvin Edmund passed away at the St. Jude Hospital on Wednesday, November 11, 2015. He was 49 years old.

At the time of his passing, PC Edmund had already given almost half his life in service to the RSLPF and by extension St. Lucia, having amassed 24 years of policing experience from 1991 when he was enlisted to his time of passing.  He was last posted at the Laborie Police Station.

PC Edmund will be accorded the honor of a Parade and Military Funeral Service on Friday, November 20, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.  The funeral ceremony will take place at the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Laborie.

The body will be exposed for public viewing and paying of respects at the Laborie Police Station from 11:00 a.m.  The parade will march from the Laborie Police Station at 1 p.m. along High Road to the Catholic Church where the parade will come to a halt. Mourners are advised to immediately fall out of the parade at this point.

The body will be interred at the Michael O’ Brian cemetery and will be marked by a 21 – gun salute.

PC Edmund is fondly remembered as a loving family man, a committed police officer, and well known avid cricketer and the life of the party.

The Executive and other ranks of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force extend sincere condolences to the family members, colleagues and friends of Police Constable Alvin Edmund.

Motorists are asked to note that there will be some traffic controls in effect, to accommodate Friday’s funeral service in Laborie.

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La Corbiniere. Photo credit: www.govt.lc.

The sudden closure of the forensic lab at Tapion has been met with several criticisms, but government is currently working to have it re-opened under new management soon.

Minister of National Security Victor Lacobiniere has said Cabinet has taken some decisions with regards to the forensic lab, one of which is to allow an independent entity to run the operations.

“We are working towards starting a fairly detailed approach to operationalising the forensic lab within the next month,” Lacobiniere disclosed on Tuesday, November 17.

While this is happening, the minister said that the police are sending DNA and other samples for testing overseas. According to him, one batch of about 40 cases were dispatched early this week.

The closure of the forensic lab has however affected the ability of the Police Force to move forward with a number of serious crimes, according to senior police officials.

The lab was reportedly short on material to conduct forensic tests, which initially caused operations to slow down at the facility. It was later shut down and remains closed for the past six months.

The government had initially said that the closure would last for one week. Nothing has ever been said about the closure, except reports of plans to conduct an audit of the facility.

It currently has six units – a Chemistry Unit, Toxicology Unit, Biology Unit, Trace Evidence Unit, DNA Testing Unit and Crime Scene Support & Training.

The facility which cost government $6 million to build has been plagued by controversy since its opening in 2009.

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Photo: cocaine in plastic wraps normally placed in the sex parts of traffickers

NEWS SOURCE GUYANA – Two St. Lucian women who travelled to Guyana last week for a vacation will remain in the country as guests of the Customs Anti Narotics Unit. They were arrested after being busted with a quantity of cocaine stashed in their vaginas.

The women, ages 38 and 43, were arrested by agents of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit this afternoon (November 18, 2015) while heading through security at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. They were about to board a Caribbean Airlines flight to their homeland.

The bust took place during a pat down of the two women.

Head of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit, James Singh confirmed the arrests to News Source. He did not release their names as the investigations are ongoing. However, they are expected to be charged for drug trafficking before the end of the week.

The cocaine was reportedly concealed in plastic wraps measuring eight inches long and inserted into the women’s vaginas. The weight of the cocaine has not been determined up to the filing of this report.

Investigators are looking at looking at the places where the women stayed and the people they met during their Guyana vacation.

The Customs Anti Narcotics Unit has been stepping up its monitoring at the two international airports and other ports of entry. For this year already, CANU has made several busts which have netted more than 500 pounds of cocaine.

Earliet this week, CANU agents busted two men in an East Coast Demerara hotel with a quantity of cocaine pellets. One of the men was caught swallowing the pellets. They have both been charged for conspiracy to traffic cocaine and have been refused bail.

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A Soufriere man is nursing injuries to several parts of his body after three of his close relatives grouped up and beat him over a family issue that has been festering for some time now.

Gaston Attie, 32, of Morne La Croix, Soufriere was taken to the hospital and treated for injuries to his head, face and mouth. Reports are that he had to undergo several tests.

Attie’s sister Lea told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) today (Nov.19) that the incident took place this morning at about 9 a.m. in the presence of other relatives and neighbours.

She claims that the issue began when her youngest sister participated in a deliverance service at a local church and started calling out their aunt’s name for allegedly trying to harm her children.

Someone apparently filmed it and placed it on the internet and those who were mentioned got to find out. The statements infuriated the aunt and her children who allegedly decided to confront her.

According to Lea, the aunt accused the woman’s brother of coaching her to say the things she did and the aunt’s children – two males – both confronted her brother and threatened him.

Lea said the police was brought in to settle the matter, but the aunt and her children were not prepared to give up and even went on to allegedly threaten to burn their house down.

The issue continued on the streets, because even when they came into contact with each other, they would have verbal exchanges, which in some cases led to fights.

However, this morning things got worse when they came back to Lea’s brother, who was on the road, and started to physically assault him with their hands.

But a few seconds of the incident was captured on video, where the younger sister was heard screaming in the background while her brother was being attacked by their family.

Lea said she hopes that her brother was not seriously injured from this incident and would like the police to intervene again, because it could turn into something much worse.

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NEWS SOURCE (GUYANA) – The two St. Lucian women who were busted with cocaine in their vaginas at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Wednesday have pleaded guilty to the drug trafficking charges and will not be heading home for the holidays.

The two women, 43-year-old Andree Willy and 38-year-old Chermisa Wheeler appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court this morning and both entered a guilty plea when the charges were read to them by Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Wheeler has been sentenced to 48 months in jail and fined G$79,200 for her attempt to ferry out just over 3 ounces of cocaine while the other St. Lucian was sentenced to 50 months in jail and fined G$268,200 for her efforts to traffic 10 ounces of cocaine through the Cheddi Jagan Airport.

The two women faced separate charges and became emotional as the charges were read to them and the Magistrate delivered the sentences.

The court was told by the Prosecutor that the women were departing passengers at Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport when agents of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit noticed them behaving in a suspicious manner as they approached the airport security scanner.

The women were searched and the cocaine was found stashed in their vaginas wrapped up in plastic measuring up to eight inches long.

The two arrived in Guyana last week for a vacation. Investigators are still probing other leads in the case with regard to persons that the two may have met during their Guyana vacation.

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Residents of Babonneau claim that a young female who is about 10 to 11-years-old was allegedly sexually molested by a man in his 40’s in the community.

One resident who asked not to be named said the child attempted to hang herself on Tuesday, November 17, and after neighbours realised, the police were called in.

The resident told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) today (Nov.19) that the child is most times left on her own and sent “all over the place” by her mother, who is often times never at home.

According to her, once the police arrived, one of the child’s friends, who lives in the same street, decided to break her silence, and tell her parents about the alleged sexual abuse her friend experienced.

This information was then fed to the police who questioned her, and it was later confirmed that the said child was allegedly forced to perform oral sex on an older male in the community.

The resident said the child was taken from the mother and placed in the care of the Social Services Department. “They took the child from the mother and placed her in a home up North,” she told SNO.

Another resident said: “So many names were mentioned. I am so surprised it’s one person in that abuse saga. I think they tell her what to say and she already knows how to lie.”

The resident also claims that most times when these incidents happen, they are swept under the carpet.

SNO made contact with the Social Service Department, the Vulnerable Persons Team (Castries) and the Babonneau Police Station, but everyone denied receiving any information about this case.

However, it is further alleged the man in question is currently in hiding and police are looking for him.

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A local company is seeking the public’s help in discovering the identity of a male who was caught on camera breaking into their building in the wee hours of Thursday morning, November 19, 2015.

The individual broke the glass door and entered the premises of Chemical Manufacturing Investment Co. Ltd, also known as “Chemico”  in Vieux-Fort, at around 3 a.m.

He stole cleaning products.

It is unknown whether the burglar had an accomplice.

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Police have formally charged two teenage brothers in connection with the rape of two young girls in Rodney Bay, Gros-Islet.

The brothers, aged 16 and 18, appeared in court Thursday morning, Nov. 19 charged with two counts of rape and burglary.

The men were arraigned during an in-camera session which was closed to the public and the media.

The release of the names and images of the two young men are prohibited under local laws, mainly to protect the identity and privacy of the victim/s, local law enforcement sources have told St. Lucia News Online.

This law applies to rape cases and some domestic violence matters, the sources added.

Initially, three males – ages 16, 18 and 23 – from a Castries inner-city were arrested for the incident, however only the teenagers were charged. It is unclear what happened to the third suspect.

The suspects were remanded at Custody Suites pending testing of DNA samples which were reportedly to be done overseas.

According to preliminary police reports,  two females, both 16 years old, were raped by three unknown males after 10 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2 in an apartment in Reduit Orchard, Rodney Bay.

The perpetrators, who concealed their faces with T-shirts, stormed the apartment through the apartment through a closed but unlocked door, police said.

One male was armed with a gun and the females were also robbed of certain items, police said.

“The victims suffered severe lacerations of their vaginas with one being admitted to Victoria Hospital for surgical repair,” one source alleged.

In the Third Quarter Crime Statistics Report 2015 it was revealed that sexual offences and crimes against persons were the only major crime categories which recorded an increased number of accepted cases.

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