Police have revealed a troubling increase in sexual offences across the St Catherine North Division, with 35 cases reported so far this year compared to the same period in 2024. The disclosure comes in the wake of last week’s brutal rape of a seven-year-old girl, which has left the Bermaddy Primary School community traumatised. While murders and shootings have declined, police say sexual crimes are climbing, though they note a 90 per cent clear-up rate due to focused investigations.

Community rallies after 7-y-o student raped while heading home

Jamaica Gleaner/30 Sep 2025/Ruddy Mathison/gleaner Writer ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com

THE BRUTAL rape of a seven-year-old girl last Thursday has sparked outrage and mobilised a strong response from parents, residents, and national stakeholders, who have rallied to comfort a student population at Bermaddy Primary School left traumatised and fearful.

According to police reports, the child was attacked last Thursday by a 31-year-old man, who allegedly dragged her into a bus while she was walking home from school and sexually assaulted her. The suspect reportedly left her for dead, but the child managed to alert her grandparent, who then raised the alarm.

Acting on the description provided by the child, angry residents intercepted the alleged perpetrator as he attempted to flee in a taxi. He was handed over to police and has since been charged with forcible abduction, rape, and other serious offences.

On Monday, a special devotional exercise was held at the school to help students process the trauma. Among those who visited the school community to offer support were St Catherine North Western Member of Parliament Damion Crawford; Senior Superintendent Hopeton Nicholson, head of the St Catherine North police; and representatives from the Office of the Children’s Advocate.

Pointing out that the alleged perpetrator is not from the community, Crawford said there must be a strategy to prevent such persons from infiltrating local spaces.

“In my capacity as a member of parliament, I will [be] pushing for the Sex Offender Registry to be made public, so that it is known to the communities when they are hiring individuals, when they are inviting individuals, and sometimes even when they are facilitating strangers in the area,” Crawford said.

He also linked the crime to infrastructural neglect, explaining that the dire condition of the road leading to the school had caused taxi operators to abandon the route, forcing children to walk home.

ROAD REPAIR PROGRAMME

To address this, Crawford said he will be advocating for a rural school road repair programme, similar to the farm road maintenance initiative, specifically for roads leading to educational institutions.

“This is particularly important for rural schools which don’t have the numbers for them to be [a] priority in the decisions for which roads are to be fixed,” he said.

Crawford noted that because of the long history of bad roads and the reluctance of taxi operators to ply the route, he has written to the Ministry of Education requesting funding for walking wardens to accompany students until the community recovers from the trauma. He added that his office will also meet with taxi operators to work out a programme of vehicle front-end maintenance, to ensure the route is served in the interim.

Meanwhile, Nicholson disclosed that the suspect has been charged with forcible abduction, rape, and several other offences.

He also revealed a troubling trend in the division.

“While shootings and murders are down, sexual offence crimes are on the increase, with some 35 reported this year in comparison to the corresponding period last year,” he said, noting that the rise includes matters committed last year but only reported recently due to the absence of a statute of limitations.

Nicholson commended investigators for their diligence, stating that the St Catherine North Division has a 90 per cent clear-up rate for sexual offences because of the special attention paid to such crimes.

Principal Melbourne Thompson reported that school attendance plummeted to 60 per cent on Friday as fear gripped parents and students. Though attendance rebounded on Monday, he admitted that the atmosphere remains tense.

Thompson added that he has remained in contact with the victim, who is out of hospital and recuperating at home.

“She sounded upbeat, but according to her parents her nights are most traumatic,” thompson told The Gleaner.

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