Bahamas: 48-year-old sexually assaults ex-girlfriend’s 4 year old, charged

Bahamas: A 48-year-old man has been charged with allegedly sexually abusing his ex-girlfriend’s now four-year-old daughter. The victim was just three years old at the time when the abuse began.

According to the police officials, the suspect had unlawful sexual intercourse with the minor between January 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. Police added that the man is also accused of threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend and assaulting her.

The reports added that because of the nature of the crime, the alleged perpetrator was not required to enter a plea and has, therefore, been denied bail.

He is expected to return to the court on August 1 for the presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment and until that time, he has been housed at the Department of Corrections in the Bahamas.

Meanwhile, local leaders have also expressed their outrage over the alleged sexual abuse of the four-year-old.

Apostle Brenda Pratt, a senior pastor in a local church, outlined, “When these cases take place in our nation, that the perpetrators when they’re caught and convicted, that they need to be prosecuted and to the full extent of the law because this is serious and from a spiritual aspect, we know that the word of the Lord said that our children are precious, precious to the Lord.”

As far as Opposition Senator Michaela Barnett Ellis is concerned, this matter now renews calls for a greater focus on social intervention.

She noted that the parents need to protect their children and they must engage in deliberate parenting so that they can raise their children to be contributing members of society and not adults that violate children and hurt others.

Meanwhile, local women’s rights activist Alicia Wallace says this issue brings back to memory the other incidents involving young girls who were sexually abused. She pointed out the case when an 11-year-old girl was impregnated by her mother’s 45-year-old boyfriend last year.

While calling it an act of violence, she noted that the Bahamas is failing at child protection, and several cases are coming to the front every year.