Cops investigate false child rape allegation

| 18/08/2019 | 31 Comments
Cayman News Service
(L-R) Head of CID Pete Lansdown, Police Commissioner Derek Byrne and Head of Family Support Unit Kevin Ashworth

(CNS): The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has said there is no evidence to support allegations that an 11-year-old child was the victim of rape last month. Police have opened an inquiry into how a local man was named and accused on social media of sexually assaulting a boy based on what is now believed to be an entirely false allegation. Officers have been unable to substantiate accusations that the child at the heart of the rumours was sexually or physically assaulted in any way.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Police Commissioner Derek Byrne, Head of CID Pete Lansdown and Head of the family support unit within the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Kevin Ashworth confirmed that investigations following a referral from the Cayman Islands Hospital and inquiries in the United States, where the boy is being treated for an undisclosed condition, have found no evidence of a rape, sexual assault or any other kind of physical trauma.

“We have now verified that the allegations never occurred,” the police commissioner said. “The misinformation that has been published on social media is causing significant problems for the child and his mother… We are very, very worried about the graphic misinformation surrounding the case.”

They confirmed that the family had made no complaint of a sexual attack and are extremely distraught by the entire affair.

Ashworth confirmed that the hospital made a referral to his unit about a child safety issue, which was not related to any physical injury or a potential sexual assault. While both he and the commissioner refused to be drawn on the details of that referral, as they said it was strictly confidential, Ashworth explained there are many reasons why doctors may make a referral to MASH.

He said that reports of neglect, emotional distress and other safeguarding issues associated with children are often made to his unit, even when there is no evidence of physical or sexual abuse.

Given the serious repercussions for the family and the man falsely accused of rape, the police are now investigating where the allegation came from and why a specific person, who has now made a formal complaint about it, was accused of being the rapist in the false allegation.

Answering questions about how such a false accusation could have been published and circulated so widely, the police were emphatic that there is no evidence that the child was raped or hurt physically in any way.

Stressing the child’s right to privacy, as well as that of his close family, regarding the reason he was taken to hospital, the police refused to reveal anything about the boy’s state of health. But they were also very concerned that this lie had snowballed and escalated to such a serious level once it hit social media pages, such as Facebook and the popular WhatsApp messaging service.

Although the police made no mention of local social media blog Cayman Marl Road, which is where the allegations first appeared, they emphasised their concern about the serious nature of this false allegation, not least because of the genuine cause for alarm the graphic details in the original report caused.

The police believe this was compounded by the false allegations that a child had been raped and the RCIPS was accused of doing nothing about it, which the officers said was completely wrong.

The commissioner stated that no report of rape was ever made by the family or the hospital. But the referral was made to MASH more than two weeks before the rumour emerged on social media, and the normal actions relating to any child safety issue took place.

Given that the case is not one of public safety or interest, the police communications officer also explained that it was a private medical matter and under no circumstances would information like that be released to the media or the wider public.

The allegations that first appeared on CMR suggested that a child had been raped and physically injured as a result. They were accompanied by an allegation that the victim’s family had been offered cash by a serving MLA to keep quiet. Allegations subsequently emerged on socail media that it was a Bodden Town representative. Message exchanges were also published on social media that identified the man who had been accused of committing a rape that the police now state categorically did not happen.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Tags: , , , ,

Category: Crime, Police

Comments (31)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    I’m a little confused. XXX

    CNS: Sorry but you have made some erroneous assumptions. The important facts are: the police have investigated and there was no rape; there is no cover up; the rest is none of anyone’s business other than the people directly involved; and it’s time to leave them alone.

    14
    2
    • Anonymous says:

      Allow me to disagree. The important thing is the welfare of the child. It is not clear that that has been served.

      CNS: I 100% agree that the welfare of the child is the most important factor here. However, in this case the child in question will be harmed by any more publicity.

      7
      4
      • Anonymous says:

        How is it not clear if the welfare of the child has been served or not?

        “…confirmed that investigations following a referral from the Cayman Islands Hospital and inquiries in the United States, where the boy is being treated for an undisclosed condition, have found no evidence of a rape, sexual assault or any other kind of physical trauma.”

        “Ashworth confirmed that the hospital made a referral to his unit about a child safety issue, which was not related to any physical injury or a potential sexual assault.”

        Seems to me like his welfare is currently being looked after. Leave them in peace now..

        9
        4
  2. TCB says:

    Cayman marl road exposes cayman and their people as a bunch of over reacting idiots, the few people who follow them only encourage this madness. Posting pics and telling lies and exaggerated stories and you only have to read the comments to feel sick inside, it needs to be closed down and this person needs prosecuting once and for all.

    51
    12
  3. Anonymous says:

    It begs to wonder why the so called regulator “Of Reg” hasn’t shut down or even fined this scandal rag..How does she continue to malign and disgrace good people’s names and get away with it with no consequences? If any other news outlet had done what she is doing they probably would have stepped in a long time ago…I’m so happy to hear the Commissioner of Police say they will be investigating her..It’s about time!!!

    54
    6
  4. Anonymous says:

    The parties involved and Law enforcement need to make an example out of Sandra Hill that is for sure

    That woman is and always has been a public menace

    Not religious, but thank God she never got anywhere close to public office

    We would be up shit creek without a paddle and sinking fast

    60
    4
  5. Anonymous says:

    Any women that would use an innocent child like that as a weapon of malice with no regard to the damage done to that child by such disgusting allegations should go to prison for a very long time.

    43
    4
  6. Anonymous says:

    How long is Sandra going to be allowed to get away with stunts like this?

    85
    9
  7. The Law for the people says:

    CMR, with your plethora or Infestation of lies, stress and humiliation you have caused, or occurred upon three families in the district of Bodden Town will be dealt with to the fullest extent of law and you will definitely be held accountable for your actions!

    Your rhetorical ploys and hyperbolic statements not only in the Cayman Islands, but on social media has been heard around the world. This implies more serious allegations for you have intentionally hurted many families, especially, this boy’s family who has been defamed by your slanderous statements and which may have caused them sustainable amount of damages.

    CMR, It is well known that your site has already have a bad reputation in hurting families, businesses and characteristics, your site is based on false news and untrue malicious statements, and you will be criminally prosecuted and held responsible, for your site acted recklessly in disregard for the truth and with the intent of destroying people’s lives.

    The Cayman Island’s government, you all know of this woman’s false reputation which she have always imposed false news on her site. The time is now to ‘STOP’ her from reframing in damaging more people’s reputations. Lives has been shattered and destroyed because of her, and she willfully does it because of her greed for ratings, and the amount of money she makes from her site.
    We are asking for the removal of her site to be taken down, for her site harms professional reputations, check her history and the many lawsuits in her past that was brought forward against her. In closing, the law will deal with her and I will advice these families to proceed with a ligation to prosecute her as justice will be served.

    74
    7
  8. Anonymous says:

    Not the first time that CMR has spread this type of story without waiting for the truth.

    107
    9
    • Anonymous says:

      Sandra boasted that she was the first to break the “news”—that now turns out to be false.

      The problem is that Sandra is not only not a trained journalist but she also has not tried to bring her practices in line with the minimally accepted standards. She thrives on community gossip and that is deadly for journalism.

      Sadly, when CNS picked up the story they checked portions but did not contact the source—the mother—and the CNS story unfortunately appeared to corroborate the CMR story that the child had been raped.

      Now we have an innocent child having to cope with more speculation by some people about a “cover up” that actually flies in the face of the police investigation.

      Very sad for this already distressed family, not to mention the adults that were falsely implicated.

      As someone who had untrue and hurtful gossip about my son who literally lay dying in a Miami hospital, it is beyond upsetting—and by so-called godly people.

      I say to this mother hold your head high. Encourage your son to do the same and work to build his self esteem and confidence through exposure to wholesome activities and positive environments.

      May God bless you both and guide you through these trying times.

      56
      4
  9. Anonymous says:

    Still doesn’t make any sense:

    XXXXXX

    CNS: All the questions that you have concern private and confidential information about a child.

    18
    11
  10. Anonymous says:

    Cayman Marl Road is terrible on many levels. This shows how dangerous it can be. If you disagree, imagine how you’d feel and be treated by your friends and family if you were ‘outed’ incorrectly as a paedo.

    Disgraceful.

    131
    9
    • Anonymous says:

      CNS? Hello. xxxx

      CNS: There is no cover-up. The information that you want is private and confidential about a child and not in the public interest.

      14
      10
  11. Speaking out says:

    If Sandra Hill is responsinle for starting this rumor, I hope they jail her this time.

    142
    8
    • Anonymous says:

      While CMR / Sandra do bring a certain level of policing to the community, she needs to be taken to task and reprimanded for her recent actions/publications.

      As the various cases over the years have pointed out: Sandra

      – has no regard for the rule of law – blatantly refuses to follow court rulings
      – has no regard for the rights of the people that she reports on.
      – is quite happy to ruin the reputations of individuals and make publications based on Cayman’s hearsay/rumour mill rather than establishing the facts first and then making the report.

      One need only ask Marco Archer how he felt when reading the article that was published on him. While Sandra was made to bow down, the issue with these types of publications is that once you are accused, in the eyes of many you will always be guilty – regardless of the public apologies and articles being taken down after the fact.

      – Maximus

      43
      5
  12. Anonymous says:

    Hopefully, the unadulterated truth will come regardless of which side it may fall on.

    60
    5
  13. Anonymous says:

    This is an awful awful story! It is imperative that you all stop saying social media and name the monster by name, CMR and the scandal bag cronies dem with that woman. The police chief has got to find a way to stop this woman. File for an immediate blanket ban of CMR or any derivatives in the future with the courts including linked social media pages. Then prosecute them all for the added pain and suffering caused to everyone. People were threatened, they lived in fear and anguish because that woman at CMR believes she is above the law, I am told. It is not the first time they have caused mental angst for so many that are unable to defend themselves. You cannot make this element fester in the CI. Your judiciary is there for a reason folks, use it. In my years here, I believe this is the worst thing for the Cayman Islanders to allow to go unchecked. It is irresponsible and downright harmful for everyone on island. Responsible media, blogging and social media is required for a reason. They cannot and should not be allowed to humiliate, shame and scandal people in this fashion and downplay or dress it down as caymenian culture by naming it marl road. That has no bearing on the reality that you all are dealing with real lives in the CI. Me hope say that millionaire man carry home her very computer. This is not normal or right and no one is stopping her! They are a dirty dirty scandal bag, as we say in Jamaica, who, in my opinion, cares very little for her own Caymenians. it is nightmare for the Cayman Islands and all who live here. What is it going to take, someone taking revenge for the pain they have directly suffered by that woman and her CMR scandal bag? Do something NOW.

    89
    13
  14. Anon says:

    To Sandra Hill and her CMR BLOG and all her supporters who shared liked or commented on her post are equally culpable to recklessly accused these innocent men, mother and child

    You are a disgrace to humanity and are in fact criminally responsible. I hope this is the end to your disgusting site and you will be looking at a long time in prison for the misery you have caused
    Now is the time for the RCIP to actually do something and prosecute this women and the ICTA to actually act and close down her site

    Is there any reason why she isn’t custody at this time ?
    Her site is completely obsolete of facts and truth she is reckless and dangerous.
    And causes insurmountable misery for dozens of innocent people
    I understand it’s her birthday today so happy birthday Sandra and hoping the next few will Be behind bars at Fairbanks !!

    98
    13
  15. Concerned Citizen says:

    Sandra, I don’t know how you are going to get yourself out of this one. Don’t look good. Were you setup? What will you say now?

    70
    6
  16. Anonymous says:

    Oh boy. This is either the biggest cover up in history, or CMR got it wildly wrong. Whilst everyone has to hope that the child was not raped, if that is the case CMR is going to be in a world of trouble that will make their latest run in over the illegal firearm allegation look like a walk in the park. Given they retracted the Archer story, and have half retracted the gun story, the odds are nt looking good. Guess that what happens when you publish allegations without fact checking, and take any denial as evidence of a conspiracy rather than potentially being the truth.

    88
    5
  17. Anonymous says:

    I hope he sues the sh*t out of everyone who defamed him. Criminal charges should be brought against those who made the false allegations. These sorts of allegations often have no punishment because they are women who are upset/unbalanced for whatever reason who made them – there needs to be swift justice to prevent this from continuing to reoccur.

    65
    7
  18. Anonymous says:

    When will this lying, irresponsible and reckless woman be stopped? Many in BT know this family, and now they will have to live with such a disgusting rumour made so public about them and their child. How could anyone publish such a thing without verifying it? Sandra needs to be in jail.

    88
    6
  19. Anonymous says:

    So this story was made up????

    64
    6
  20. Anonymous says:

    I hope that there will be investigations for criminal defamation. Time to stop that madness which is passing for journalism.

    116
    5
    • Anonymous says:

      Unfortunately criminal defamation is not a crime here. Damages would have to be pursued through the civil courts. I would imagine the barristers are salivating at this case.

      3
      2
      • Anonymous says:

        I refer you to section 64 of the Penal Code. Criminal libel is an offence in Cayman.

        10
        • Anonymous says:

          Section 171

        • Anonymous says:

          The woman is also a public nuisance and this is antisocial behavior. The public requires protection from these types of people, and in turn they need protection from themselves by the legal system. We can only hope that when she is charged a complete evaluation will be done. Look at her recent statements in the papers on the other case. As they say, a little knowledge can be dangerous if misapplied.

          11
          1

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.