Tourists witness abuse, say
police let suspect drive away
PHILIPSBURG--Dr. Lesley Horn and her daughter, after witnessing what they said was the horrific abuse of a woman that likely involved rape, said they were even more appalled at the apparent disregard for the serious nature of the matter by four police officers who arrived on the scene in Simpson Bay around 8:30pm Tuesday.
The doctor said she and her 26-year-old daughter had been walking towards The Boathouse restaurant when they heard a scream nearby. They looked over and saw that a man was restraining a young woman, who was crying. The man appeared to be beating the woman. Concerned that the victim could be in serious danger, they ran into the restaurant and alerted the employees.
However, according to Horn, this was in vain, as some said they knew the man who was abusing the woman, and did nothing. Others simply said, If she wants help she would ask for it.
Not satisfied that this was the way things should go and remembering several billboards about domestic abuse, Horn was insistent and was told the police station was a minute away. She managed to have someone to call the police and they arrived nearly 30 minutes later.
Horn said she and her daughter had walked over to the edge of the road during that wait, near where the man in the green car (licence plate number provided) had thrown the girl on the ground and was beating her.
My daughter called out to him telling him to stop and he came towards us with his fist boxed up, but we urged him to come, figuring we would give the girl time to run away, said Horn. She said that when the man kept coming towards them she told him that they had called police. He then grabbed the girl, put her in his car and sped away.
After some time four officers arrived and Horn spoke to them. While she was telling them what she had seen the man in the green car returned, spoke to police briefly and was allowed to leave. He did not have the girl with him and they let him go, said Horn. She said she was only concerned that the girl was in terrible danger.
She said another tourist had also reported that she had witnessed earlier in the evening what she felt certain was that same man in the green car raping the woman. When she called out to him to stop, the man tried to approach her, but she ran away.
Horn, who is on her first stay on the island, said she found it unbelievable that the police made no effort to verify the condition of the woman or to detain the man. I hope you can find out what happened to that poor girl. I just want to make sure she is all right and I will call whatever board that deals with domestic abuse for them to force the police to take these matters seriously if I have to, said Horn.
The Daily Herald contacted police for a comment on the matter, but up to press time, the police could give no official report about the incident.
St Maarten Apartment for vacation rental
