Extradited policeman arrives in SVG from US

The police officer who fled this country in 2013 after investigations began into the alleged sexual assault of his daughter returned to St Vincent and the Grenadines last night.

A usually reliable source told SEARCHLIGHT that the man, a former police corporal was scheduled to arrive from Trinidad on a Liat flight at about 9:20 last night.{{more}}

Earlier this month, Judge Daniel Stewart of the United States District Court-Northern District of New York ruled that the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) had met the requirements for the former Special Services Unit (SSU) officer to be extradited.

The man, who was working as a school bus driver in the US when he was detained, rose to notoriety back in February 2013, when he fled this jurisdiction after investigations began into the alleged sexual assault of his daughter.

During the last week of January 2013, the man’s eight-year-old daughter was admitted to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH), complaining of abdominal pains.

After being examined by doctors, tests performed on the child indicated that she had been infected with gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection. According to a source, when questioned, the girl told medical personnel that her father was the person who had abused her. The police were immediately contacted by a social worker at the MCMH, but no action was taken to bring the officer in for questioning until the first week in February, by which time, the man, who has two other daughters, had left the state.

In his absence, the man, whose name cannot be mentioned because of the nature of the offence, was charged with incest for actions allegedly committed against his young daughter between January 1, 2007 and January 21, 2013. He was also charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13, allegedly committed between January 1, 2007 and January 21, 2013 and indecent assault allegedly committed on January 21, 2013.

Karim Nelson, prosecutor in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, told SEARCHLIGHT recently that the process to have the accused extradited took three years, because there were some issues which they had to resolve.

The prosecutor explained that the Court made an order showing that there is sufficient evidence and that he should be extradited.

The matter is expected to be heard by the Family Court.