By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
A CANADIAN woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a Jet Ski operator near Paradise Island yesterday afternoon, according to police.
The incident took place shortly after 1.30pm on a cay near Cabbage Beach.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said the victim alleged that a male Jet Ski operator took her on a ride from Cabbage Beach to a cay off Paradise Island where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
An employee of the Atlantis resort who was on the beach shortly after the alleged incident told The Tribune he saw the woman, who appeared to be in her late 20s crying and shaking in the sand.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said the woman could barely speak when he saw her on Cabbage Beach.
“I work on the beach and I saw the lady earlier—she was walking on the beach around 11am and then she went with this guy on the Jet Ski. About an hour or so later, she came back and there was a crowd of people around her, she was crying real loud and shaking,” he said.
“I went over there and she was saying she was raped. She thought I was the security and she told me that he (a Jet Ski driver) raped her,” the hotel employee claimed. “She said she told him she didn’t have any money and he said the ride was free so she went with him. She claimed he took her to either Rose Island or Sandy Cay and raped her. She even said he left the condom right there on the beach and then he brought her back and took off. This guy doesn’t normally work around here, he comes once in a while but the normal operators don’t like him because he has a bad reputation. He has been accused before of groping a woman on the beach. Something happened to her, she was shaking and crying. It’s a shame these men who don’t work over here are giving the Jet Ski operators who normally work here a bad reputation.”
Last year, amid allegations of rape against those in the water sports industry, The Cove at Atlantis warned its guests against renting Jet Skis on Cabbage Beach, adding that doing so is “at your own risk.”
A copy of a letter to guests of The Cove - one of the Atlantis resort’s hotel brands – noted: “We are also concerned about your safety and security and are therefore obligated to bring to your attention a matter related to the use of the beach.”
The letter told guests that water sports operators are not associated with the hotel and their industry is “minimally regulated.”
In March this year, the US Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) cautioned US citizens travelling to the Bahamas for spring break to “avoid Jet Ski operators” because these individuals “continue to commit sexual assaults and other crimes against tourists, including US citizens.”
The OSAC also cautioned US Embassy personnel not to use Jet Ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Island, including Cabbage Beach and Cable Beach. The department also “strongly” recommended they “avoid patronising Jet Ski rental operations.”
Last year, a 29-year-old Jet Ski operator was remanded to prison without bail after being charged with the sexual assault of a 24-year-old woman on Athol Island sometime on Saturday, January 2, 2016.
As a result of that incident, the US Embassy in Nassau also “prohibited” its employees from using Jet Ski rentals in Nassau.
In December 2015, police arrested a Jet Ski operator in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a female visitor. That incident allegedly took place at Cabbage Beach.
In 2014, an American woman claimed she had developed post-traumatic stress disorder following an encounter near Paradise Island with Jet Ski operators who allegedly tried to sexually assault her.
Comments
DDK 7 years, 4 months ago
So the reason these jet ski operators are not permanently shut down is???????? Who patrols the beaches?
DillyTree 7 years, 4 months ago
Something isn't adding up. You're telling me that a woman was taken to a cay off Paradise Island, raped, then got back on the jet ski with the operator to go back to Cabbage Beach? Why in hell would she ever get back on a jet ski with this man? How did she know he would even take her back to Cabbage Beach and not drown her somewhere?
Personally, I'd like to see the whole jet ski industry shut down. They've made it clear they are not capable of operating safely and professionally. And the last time government got involved, it was no more than lip service to appease the US Embassy. Time to shut them down before someone gets killed. .
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
Three bad apples should not stop 300 from making a reasonable living ....... that is the reality in every workplace
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 4 months ago
I suppose the choice between being stranded on a cay in the middle of the ocean not knowing when you'd see another human being and....if she didn't come back who would have missed her?
Points of failure -tourist arrived in Nassau -tourist arrived at hotel -tourist accepted a free service -The jet ski operators saw a guy with a bad reputation show up -they saw said guy offload a jet ski -Jet ski operators saw said guy talking to a tourist
Can't think of any other point where this could have been prevented. The "good" jet ski operators almost have to regulate themselves and work with the authorities.
Could the jet skis be under the control of an independent authority...they arrive, line up at one ramp, tourists approach the independent controller rather than the jet ski operator. Not sure the logistics of offloading the jet skis.
SP 7 years, 4 months ago
I too have had the unfortunate experience of meeting jet ski operators at Rubis West Bay on several occasions. Those I've met are by far the rudest most untenable individuals I ever wish to interact with.
However, It is totally unfair, unnecessary and just plain stupid-dumb to blame and condemn an entire industry for a few idiots, fools, and criminals!
The Bahamas needs to clean up the industry just as we now move to clean up corruption and stupidity in politics and weed out the bad apples so deserving individuals can make a living. We cannot "shut down" everything we find inadequate.
Although much is to be desired by Jet ski operators, they provide an essential service and activities to the Bahamas as a "fun, sun" resort destination and we need even more such resort excursions if we are to be competitive in the region as a sun, fun resort destination.
We need to address this matter sensibly and move forward, not backward. This particular criminal as any other criminal needs to be found tried and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law!
Alternatively, we can shut down the jet ski industry and any number of tourist related enterprises every time something of this nature happens.
Who wants to shut down Atlantis, Baha Mar etc' because some jackass that has no affiliations with those properties assaulted a guest???
Jetflt 7 years, 4 months ago
So you shut down jet ski operators and you still have a rapist running around. How ass-backwards is that solution?? Find the culprits and lock their asses up for good! What am I missing?? And the honest jetski operators have an obligation to rid their industry of the stink, stigma and rapists, or go out business.
Groidal 7 years, 4 months ago
There ARE no good jetski operators. It is a scum business with thug operators that preys on the tourists that our country depends on.
Get RID of ALL OF THEM!
screwedbahamian 7 years, 4 months ago
Every year the Ministry of Tourism and Bahamas Government spend Millions of Tax payers money to market the Bahamas amongst fierce competition in North America, When crimes take place , in particular crimes like these, news spreads quickly in the countries of the victims. Visitors coming to the Bahamas have to be notified of these events by travel agents, on cruise ships and local media. The government need to take immediate action and show the world that all visitors and guest in the Bahamas will be protected to the fullest. I myself a Bahamian was appalled at what I observed taking place on Atlantis Beach adjoining Cabbage beach( while there with my wife and young daughter ) with a young tourist lady who was being fed and Smoking marijuana provided local men vendors on the beach in the open with hotel guess and their young families all around. I had to relocate on the beach because of the strong smell.
Chucky 7 years, 4 months ago
Government cannot regulate the "a##hole" out of the Bahamian, anymore than they can regulate the hydrogen out of the water. The "a##hole" is the foundation of our people, it's what they're made of!
Notice how the decline continues, the more time passes the further we are from our British leadership the worse we get. We are no longer a decent country or people.
We are getting more like countries in our homeland everyday, soon we'll be as bad as any African nation. The best thing that could happen here would be for us to beg the British to take us back.
Somebody please tell me of a black run country that's any good? And I'm black, so that's not a racist driven comment.
baldbeardedbahamian 7 years, 4 months ago
several years ago I had cause to dive down to free up an anchor for a boat anchored off cabbage beach, when I surfaced I was run over by speeding jetski operator and knocked unconscious but only momentarily which is why I can tell the tale today. Did the jetski operator stop to assist me or check if I was alright? No, not a chance he just sped off full throttle. Close them down, the sooner the better. Untrained, uninsured, bunch of potential rapists. Most of the girls who are assaulted do not ever report it.
DDK 7 years, 4 months ago
With the beaches, sunning, swimming and water sports being such an integral part of what we have to offer our visitors, why are there not competent life guards/beach security guards with some sort of policing authority placed at all major resort beaches? Perhaps junior members of the Defence Force could be trained in this regard and the resorts would be responsible for, say 50% of the salary of the personnel. Hotel taxes could pay for the other 50% as this safeguards our primary industry.
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