Checks needed on workers as a/c man charged with sex crime

Cayman Islands courts

(CNS):  A local criminal defence attorney has called on the authorities to implement more stringent rules for local maintenance and service company workers who are going into people’s homes. Following the court appearance yesterday of an air-conditioning engineer charged with the sexual assault of a child, Peter Polack said this was by no means the first time that workers have been accused of using their access to homes to commit sex and other crimes.

“This is the second air-conditioning company employee in the last few years to be charged in a sexual assault while doing work at a home,” the attorney said, as he called on government to compel public disclosure of service company employees who are convicted of crimes and for their bosses to conduct security checks on all staff going into homes, as well as spot inspections.

In the most recent case, reported by Carol Winker in The Cayman Compass yesterday, a 25-year-old air-conditioner repairman was charged with two counts of gross indecency involving a 5-year-old girl. The man was remanded in custody after the court heard he was working in the child’s home last week when the alleged offenses occurred. The little girl was home with her mother and a nanny but went to a room to change where the serviceman was working on an a/c unit. The crown’s case is that he assaulted the child but when the nanny approached the room, the girl immediately said what happened and the police were called.

There are also rising concerns in the community that service and utility workers are a source of information for home invasions, robberies and break-ins and not enough attention is being paid by employers to background checks and the honesty of workers.

Polack said things need to be tightened up and suggested this type of initiative should be driven by police management and the commissioner in particular.

“But he is off island so frequently local matters command little attention from him,” the lawyer said. “Perhaps he should join the transparency train and tell the public without the necessity of an FOI request how much time he has been spending off island in the last few years.”