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Taken for a three-hour ‘ride’ by PH driver…
Girl, 10, escapes abductor
Published: 8 Feb 2010
Lorna Penco recounts the abduction of her granddaughter, Reneca Ghent, at her Diego Martin home, yesterday. PHOTO: AKILE SIMON
A ten-year-old Diego Martin schoolgirl was subjected to three hours of terror, after she was abducted and taken for a “joyride” before being released by a man posing as a ‘PH’ driver on Saturday afternoon. The incident caused much panic among the relatives of Reneca Ghent, who feared the worst, as they hoped and prayed for the girl’s safe release. According to relatives, the abduction took place mere metres from Ghent’s Vespree Lane home, as she was about to disembark a PH taxi, in which she and her grandmother, Lorna Penco, were passengers. Relatives have since issued a warning to members of the public to be on the lookout for the suspect, who they believe may be a sex predator, lurking for unsuspected children. The man, relatives believed, took Reneca to Fort George and threatened to throw her off a cliff if she raised an alarm, but if she behaved, he would take her home. Reneca remembered seeing a school in St James, moments before the vehicle proceeded up a hill, her aunt Erica St Louis said, during an interview at her Diego Martin home yesterday.
During the ordeal, the girl was ordered to lie on the back seat of the vehicle and told not to move. “This man is a predator and I believe he did this before and would do it again...The next person he targets may not be as lucky as we were,” St Louis said. “He could probably be involved in some of the missing girls’ cases because there are too many girls missing now. “If you know you neighbour has a dark blue Wing Road (motor car), report it to the police, just as a matter of precaution. “Don’t take it as an offence, because you would be assisting in getting this dangerous man off the streets.” She said the man promised Reneca money and he would check her by her school. “I find it was very brazen of him to do this,” St Louis said. She also called on anyone who may have assisted the suspect in getting his car out of a hole to come forward.
“Reneca said the car got stuck in a hole while coming down the hill and he put the car seat on top of her and told her to be very quiet,” she said. “Somebody assisted him in getting out the hole.” Penco said she and Reneca boarded the car on Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain, and asked to be taken to Gopaul Avenue. Penco said the vehicle stopped near Gopaul Avenue and she came out of the front passenger seat, but Reneca could not get out from the back seat because the door would not open. She said she told the driver to pull onto the curb, so Reneca could use the other door to exit, which was much safer. “The man just drive off and gone with the child,” Penco said. She said she called her cellphone which was in Reneca’s possession and asked the child where she was. “She said, ‘Granny I don’t know,’” Penco said. According to the 65-year-old woman, she spoke with the driver over the phone, who said he needed to get a code to open the car door.
“I ask him where he was and he said he didn’t know,” she said. “I then told him that I just came from the police station and I gave the police his car number, colour and a description of him. “The man said, ‘What you gone by the police for? I bringing the child now.’” She said the phone was later switched off. Penco said the child’s godmother saw the vehicle drive by, and the driver “pushing down a child’s head, but she didn’t known it was Reneca. He later dropped her off at the Rich Plain gas station. “She (Reneca) said, ‘Granny I was so frighten so I decided to run home,’” Penco said. “I believe she was saved when I told him that I had given his information to the police.” “Never me again...I not even going to travel in an ‘H’ taxi after what happened to me and my granddaughter,” Penco said.
Enforce the law PH drivers
Enforce the law
PH drivers operate illegally. Why don't the police enforce the law? Have all registered taxi drivers get a police certificate of character before being approved for this line of work. Law enforcement will change a lot of things in this country.
Exactly onlooker, These PH
Exactly onlooker, These PH drivers are buddy buddy with the local police, I have seen it, Corruption Index?
The vehicle's license number
The vehicle's license number is invaluable information.
If in fact a police report was made (unclear if the granny used this as a distraction or if it really happened), please consider verifying and obtaining the license number.
Relating the story is important, but identifying the vehicle raises this from 'talk' to public awareness.
One assumes that the licence
One assumes that the licence plate was not a false plate, as often the case with criminal activities.
(Re why would someone leave
(Re why would someone leave a 10yr old in their care in the back seat)Oh come, are you actually trying to blame the victim, this is the most ridiculous comment I have ever heard.
An angel was with this
An angel was with this child, both when the car got stuck (he covered her) and when he later let her go ...what a pity, I know how hard it is for people to get transportation in Trinidad and I am happy that she is okay, however, as a poster mentioned "why was the grandmother up front and the child in the back" ...it provided the opportunity for him to drive away, not to mention I am sure the door thing was/is just a ruse ..he knew what he was doing ...as the grandmother mentioned ..please report what your nieghbour drives if it is a similar vehicle....
It is possible that the
It is possible that the driver had the child-proof door lock engaged so it could not be opened from the inside; or the locking mechanism was defective. Who knows? Obviously he had criminal intentions in his sick mind. Fortunaley, the child had a lucky escape from whatever fate might have been awaiting her. Let's hope the police can track down this criminal. He might be able to asist them in solving other crimes and preventing more.
Not just the neighbour
Not just the neighbour
..please report what your nieghbour drives if it is a similar vehicle..
This applies to parents, brothers, sisters, even the (grown) children of someone who drives a similar vehicle.
If Reneca were your daughter, younger sibling, cousin, you may be hoping that someone who was in a position to help bring this person infront of a judge, he/she would step up to the plate.
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffett
Very unfortunate
Very unfortunate
I hope Reneca is not too traumatised by this experience.
Would it be possible for the journalist (the Guardian) or other media to consult with some with the police/security experts to provide tips on how to travel safely please, bearing in mind people read the press to inform themselves.
Ideally, I would have liked to have seen this proactively included at the bottom of the article. Never mind. A followup article would be appreciated.
Naturally, I have my own views/ideas (^_~), but I would rather see some generally suggestions being made by those who have studied (I hope) and are paid for their services. I hope these experts will consider it 'community service' for providing the advice.
One question. Is it not possible to track someone via their cellphone when it is on? With all the high tech planes, (oops, helicopters), ships etc, that will be gracing our waters and skies soon, do we have this technology... to track cellphones?
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffett
Yes La Diva, the technology
Yes La Diva, the technology exists in the United Kingdom to track the signal from any cell phone or mobile or marine phone to obtain the co-ordinates. This info is stored on the cell phone company servers and there are protocols in the UK that this info is released if there are suspicions or a crime. I did write about this before but the Govt is too lazy to implement this technology.
Another one in trials is that if we the public sees a crime we use our home computer to report it to a main security location, this the poilce may get help from real-live sources, but the infrastructure to record analyse and act is high.
AND another thing dont tell me that the Coast Guard radar and electronic interceptions cannot pick up the radar signals from boats coming in to Las Cuevas re the leading article this am? And these sigtnals are like fingerprints.
As usual La Diva, you've
As usual La Diva, you've raised some very valid points. I hope the Guardian will take these under consideration.
As for the cellphone tracing, short of the local carriers having something quickly available to the police, this may not be yet available. There is a process in place to protect privacy, but it really needs a provision for fast response where time literally could mean the difference between life and death.
I'm sure that this will eventually come around, but it really needs a lot of thought to prevent abuse. In the meantime, there are applications that can be installed on some phones that can facilitate some level of tracing.
To Reneca and family - you have survived this traumatic event. Reneca will need some care and attention for some time if she is to heal completely. I pray that there is some good that can come out of this and that Reneca knows that she is a SURVIVOR, and that no-one can break her spirit unless she gives them that power. She is already a stronger human than the coward who abducted her. I hope that this weak man is found and taken off the streets.
trinigirl__oo
trinigirl__oo
As usual La Diva, you've raised some very valid points. Thanks. (^_^)
There is a process in place to protect privacy, ...I'm sure that this will eventually come around, but it really needs a lot of thought to prevent abuse.
Yes, as I was typing about the cellphone tracing, it was at the forefront about the prospect of any tracing/tracking system being subject to abuse. As we have sadly seen, the security forces are not immune from their own domestic problems, or 'intrigue'.
It is one thing not to be able to contact someone via their cell due to signal or other totally 'plausible' explanations. It is anothing thing for someone to say they are/will be in Port-of-Spain, but the tracing system is indicating the cellphone is in Arima!
There is also the response time of the local carriers forwarding and the police acting upon the information.
However, by at least putting the thoughts out there, someone may know of, or have heard of something that is EFFECTIVE and not too costly to implement.
La Diva
The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. For to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body. Warren Buffett
Althouugh it is dangerous
Althouugh it is dangerous travelling in any car, people seem too take risks travelling in these Ph cars. I see theses passengers ignoring H taxi cars and aiming for the ph.
In areas where H cars are in abundance people risk themselves. I am not blaming the granddmother, but she should have seated herself where her grandaughter was, that is another oddity about travellers in this country they bolt for the front seat, (the most dangerous place for a passenger who will not put a seat belt on.) I hope that the person who helped him does come forward,and show some spine, as people in this country only see when the police do wrong and have no interest in helping the police with wrong doers
Girl, 10, escapes
Girl, 10, escapes abductor...this is the headline to the story, but where in this article does it describe the girl's 'escape'? In fact, the opening paragraph states that the child was released, so how did this headline emerge? Anyway, all's well that end's well.
She was not even traveling
She was not even traveling alone and the man was brave enough to attempt what he did. i shudder to imagine her fate if the grandmother had not seen him. today it is extremely dangerous travelling in PH taxis unless you are familiar with the drivers. however those of us in most rural areas have no choice since registered taxis are almost a thing of the past. This growing trend of fake 'ph' drivers targeting women and children is quite alarming, since not everyone is afforded the luxury of private transport. Is there a solution? God help us!
Why would one leave a 10 yr
Why would one leave a 10 yr old in your care in the back by herself while one sit in front - I cant see myself doing this.
Beware! sickos masquerading
Beware! sickos masquerading as normal people.
Chilling! Brings back memories of reports of the Central girls who were killed. Can't remember their names, but one was killed by her stepfather who killed himself and the other is in jail awaiting trial. Lots of sickos out there looking like normal people.
Glad to know that Reneca is safe and sound. Ma'am, don't let your child take taxi on her own now. You'll have to arrange some secure 'special' transport to and from school.
trikkeepatbjung