Tobago police are investigating the rape of a 58-year-old guest of the Star Fish Hotel in Black Rock.
According to police reports, the woman, a UK national and retired engineer, was attacked while walking on the beach a stone’s throw away from the hotel, near the Black Rock Heritage Park around 2 am yesterday.
A male suspect in his forties from the Pleasant Prospect area was held in connection with the incident a short while later and is assisting police in their investigations.
Contacted for on the incident yesterday, Star Fish Hotel manager Leslie Amedee refused to comment on the matter, saying that the guest wanted total privacy. However, he revealed that the incident did not occur on the hotel’s compound
“It did not happen on the hotel grounds or in the hotel, because we have security patrolling the beach with dogs and everything, so there’s no way to access the premises,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a statement on the attack, Tobago Hosue of Assembly Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles said he said saddened to learn of the unfortunate event.
“As the THA, we continue to work closely with the TTPS, Tobago Division, to keep crime and criminal activity at a low in our beautiful island,” Charles said.
“Unfortunately, we are not exempt from the unsavoury activities of a few but I am also confident that if we truly band together as an island and people, our brightness and goodwill can overshadow any negativity. I still have faith in the majority of people in Tobago and believe that they mean well for our visitors and would like to see them enjoy all that Tobago has to offer when they visit.”
Shirvan Road Police Station are continuing investigations.
This is not the first time tourists have been targeted on the island this year.
On February 3, Roderick Mac Mullin, 63, and his 65-year-old wife Neena, of New Brunswick, Canada, were sunbathing on Grafton Beach when they were beaten and robbed of a small quantity of cash, a cellphone and two credit cards. Two men were held for that attack.
Three days later, Mark Petherick, 66 and his wife Rosemary were robbed at gunpoint of TT$101, US $60 and a camera while walking on a beach in Arnos Vale. No one was held in connection with that crime.
On March 11, two female British tourists, aged 33 and 35, were at Grafton Beach when they were attacked, sexually assaulted and robbed. A 34-year-old man from Canaan was charged for that offence.
At that time, the British and Canadian governments issued travel advisories alerting visitors to exercise caution when travelling and operating in Tobago.