Girl,12, accuses schoolmates of indecent assault

The mother of a 12-year-old girl is calling for justice in the alleged indecent sexual assault of her daughter by four of the girl’s male teenage schoolmates.

 She is urging the police to act swiftly and for the boys to be arrested so that they do not get the opportunity to leave the state before being brought to justice.

In a call to Hot 97.1 FM yesterday, the distraught woman said she learned about the assault on Monday when she received a call from her daughter’s school, asking her to come to the principal’s office as something had happened to her daughter.

 She said school officials told her they learned of the incident that same day, Monday, but the police had not been called in as they wanted to notify the parents first.  According to the woman, it was her daughter’s father who called the police.

 A police source confirmed to SEARCHLIGHT yesterday that the matter had been reported.

Videos allegedly made during the assault have been circulating on social media.

 The mother said she has been advised not to look at the videos, but her daughter told her what happened and the girl’s description coincides with what she has been told is portrayed in the videos.

SEARCHLIGHT was shown one of the videos allegedly recorded during the assault. The one-minute 41-second video shows a girl, dressed in school uniform, sitting on the floor of a building performing oral sex on a male, also dressed in school uniform. The girl’s face is clearly visible, and the face of the male on whom the act is being performed is briefly shown. One other male, also dressed in school uniform, appears to be an onlooker. Throughout the video, the girl does not appear to be a willing or enthusiastic participant.

 According to the mother, her daughter was walking home from school when one of the boys held her hand and pulled her to where the assault allegedly took place. She said the other three boys followed behind.

 It is alleged that the girl was forced to perform oral sex on all four boys who range in age from 15 to 17 years old. Two of the boys are said to be brothers.

 “My child is 12 years old, she cannot fight off four big boys. Even if she is thinking of screaming, you do not know what is going on in her head,” the woman said on radio.

 She called for justice to be done, which to her, is for the boys involved to spend some years in jail. “A good amount of years… I know it is not going to take the complete pain off my child what they have done, but I know that they would be behind bars sitting down so that they wouldn’t have to do somebody else’s daughter like that.”

 The mother said the incident is being investigated by the Sexual Offences Unit of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, who explained to her the steps to be followed in the investigation. These steps include taking a statement from her daughter, visiting the scene of the crime along with the victim and questioning the boys individually.

 The woman said she was advised that after these steps have been taken, the file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions who will determine what will happen from there.

 The offences of indecent sexual assault and gross indecency have different penalties. A legal expert told SEARCHLIGHT that a person who is charged with indecent assault and found guilty is liable to imprisonment for a maximum of five years if the assault is on a child under the age of 15 years. Or, if a person is found guilty of an act of gross indecency with or towards a child under the age of 14; or if the person is found guilty of inciting a child under that age to commit such an act with him or another, the person is liable to imprisonment for one year.