St Catherine Police have taken a taxi operator into custody following allegations that he raped a 13-year-old girl on Sunday. While his name has not yet been disclosed, authorities shared that he is a 48-year-old driver operating along the route from Spanish Town to Angels.
According to reports, it was around 10:45 a.m. when the teenager entered the taxi in Spanish Town. Multiple other passengers were also aboard when the driver began the trip to Angels. During the ride, the driver reportedly dropped off the other passengers at their desired stops, causing the minor to be the only one left in the vehicle.
Authorities, citing the complaints of the teen, said the driver veered off course into the Angels Grove Housing Scheme. It is alleged that the suspect held the girl against her will by locking her inside the vehicle, and then he proceeded to rape her.
After the minor was released, the matter was reported to the police and the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) was alerted. The victim underwent a medical examination, and police launched a formal investigation. Not long after, the JCF’s Fugitive Apprehension Team intercepted the taxi operator’s vehicle, leading to his arrest.
This case comes just a week after a separate sexual assault incident in St Catherine turned deadly. Police say a 25-year-old man identified as Javori Dunbar, otherwise called “Jeff”, was killed by residents in the Bermaddy area after he allegedly attempted to rape a woman. Dunbar, who was a resident of Barewood District, Montego Bay, St James, was killed on February 28, the day after he reportedly attacked the woman.
At the time of the attack, on February 27, the victim escaped and raised an alarm. By the time police arrived, the suspect was gone. The next day, he returned to the community, and residents attacked him with makeshift weapons. Police were called to the scene, and he was transported to the Linstead Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.