Donell Williams, a 34-year-old resident of Café, St. George’s was taken to court on Thursday by police to face charges of 36 allegations of rape involving a 17-year-old victim.
The alleged offences, which reportedly date back to when the victim was just 13 years old, have once again raised serious concerns about the rising incidence of sexual offences in Grenada.
Represented by Attorney Jerry Edwin, Williams appeared before Magistrate Tahira Gellineau at the St. George’s No.2 Magistrate’s Court.
The attorney did make a request for bail to be granted to his client but it was turned down.
Edwin has indicated plans to renew his bail application on the occasion of Williams’ next court appearance on March 20.
The attorney noted that the case, which is likely to attract significant public attention, highlights troubling trends in sexual offence cases within a jurisdiction that despite its small population, accounts for a disproportionately high number of such allegations.
Edwin expressed deep dismay over what he described as a structural and societal problem.
“It saddens me that we continue to see a fluctuation in these cases, to the point where Grenada now seems to be a hotspot for sexual offence allegations within the Caribbean,” he said.
The attorney pointed out that while “Jamaica has a population of 3.2 million, Trinidad 1.5 million, Barbados 650,000, and Guyana 725,000, Grenada accounts for less than one percent of these populations but astonishingly, 80% of our cases are sexual offences.”
Edwin compared these statistics to New York City’s figures from a few years ago, noting that Grenada exceeds many larger jurisdictions in terms of sexual offences per capita.
“In New York City, a few years ago, the statistics was 134 cases a year of sexual offences per capita. Our lovely peaceful Grenada exceeds all these countries in terms of sexual offenses,” he remarked.
The attorney stressed that the issue demands a multi-faceted response, including early intervention through public education starting in kindergarten, rather than relying solely on reporting these crimes.
“Simply reporting these offences is not sufficient. The intervention has to come from somewhere,” he declared.
Discussing the bail process, Edwin outlined the four conditions that guide such a decision – the seriousness of the offence, the risk of flight, potential interference with witnesses, and the court’s discretion.
“Today, the magistrate exercised her discretion based on the limited information available at this early stage. On March 20, we intend to file a bail application for Mr. Williams. However, given the nature of these allegations, he will not be allowed to live near the victim’s home if released,” he said.
