Friday, January 13, 2017
By RICARDO WELLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
POLICE are unable to confirm whether an American woman alleging “kidnapping and rape” at the hands of a local parasailing boat operator 20 years ago has filed a report in the Bahamas.
Sources within the Royal Bahamas Police Force said on Friday they were working to determine if Alicia Conte-Blackwood had filed her report as claimed earlier this week.
Officials told The Tribune that information connected to the case was being reviewed as the status of the ordeal was still being verified as presented to officers.
Mrs Conte-Blackwood, when contacted by The Tribune on Thursday, insisted that she had filed a status report on the matter at Central Police Station in New Providence, claiming further that her case was now being investigated by a "Detective 3071 Rolle".
The Tribune was unsuccessful in verifying if the officer identified by Mrs Conte-Blackwood exists, with police personnel refusing to comment.
Details of Mrs Conte-Blackwood's story were first reported on Thursday in The Tribune. She claimed that, in the late 1990s, she was transported to a secluded island by her alleged attacker via a boat she said was chartered by her family the day before.
The California native in several posts and videos uploaded to Facebook this week outlined her journey back to the Bahamas with the sole intent of breaking her silence and speaking to local authorities on the matter.
In her main post, which has been shared more than 1,200 times, Mrs Conte-Blackwood claimed she had long contemplated making her alleged abuse public but was scared off, adding that now her “fear judgement” could no longer outweigh her need to “warn” persons visiting Paradise Island.
The post has since gone viral and sparked intense debate over whether her claims should be considered given the time that has elapsed between the alleged attack and her decision to speak on it.
In some instances, Bahamians using Facebook have criticised Mrs Conte-Blackwood for changes made to her original post and strong claims made about the state of crime in the Bahamas.
Mrs Conte-Blackwood, in her series of posts to Facebook this week, said she was shocked during her return visit to the Athol Island beach she was allegedly taken to 20 years ago after being taken from the beach in front of Atlantis. She noted that the Paradise Island resort exhibited the same “lack of security and safety for Americans” as when the alleged incident occurred.
She also claimed the US Embassy in the Bahamas was working with her to find her alleged abuser; however, officials there declined to comment.
The US Embassy has on several occasions warned Americans in the Bahamas of patronising water sports operators, stressing that the industry has been unregulated for some time.
The warnings came after a number of incidents where tourists where reportedly assaulted by operators. Several alleged attacks occurred last year.
Comments
goodbyebahamas says...
Mrs. Blackwood if your reading this take my advise, don't even bother. If a billionaire who has filed for a criminal investigation against his neighbor's murder plot hasn't gone any where, what makes you think that you who is not rich is going to get any further than he has? The police are in the pockets of the PLP mafia, you will accomplish nothing, use your money for a shrink to help you with the rape trauma instead.
Posted 13 January 2017, 10:12 p.m. Suggest removal
DillyTree says...
Why wait 20 years to try and file a rape charge?
Posted 13 January 2017, 11:38 p.m. Suggest removal
goodbyebahamas says...
Your right Dilly Tree, she's opening up old wounds that will never heal in the PLP mafia's world. Use your money for psychological rape trauma Mrs. Blackwood, RBPF are laughing at us already, don't add to the joke.
Posted 14 January 2017, 12:21 a.m. Suggest removal
Tarzan says...
The lady's report is probably filed in the same hole in the ground as are the serial complaints and associated exhibits filed by Save the Bays personnel about threats to their lives and an ongoing murder for hire conspiracy.
Posted 14 January 2017, 8:01 a.m. Suggest removal
bogart says...
Rape is rape and should not be trivialized and it does not matter whether its done 1 or 100 years ago. We are not yet one of those African countries where people have their limbs chopped off and are expected to go on as though nothing has happened. The woman's body is her own and only she has the right to choose who she has sex with. This one sided anti women crusade must stop and women should be treated with the same rights as men. All of our ma's were woman deserving no less in justice as this woman.
Posted 14 January 2017, 10:14 a.m. Suggest removal
goodbyebahamas says...
I agree with you 100% Bogart, but with old women abusing dinosaurs like that big mouth MF-er woman slapper Leslie Miller in Parliament, women in the Bahamas will be slave for another 100 years.
Posted 14 January 2017, 1:27 p.m. Suggest removal
MassExodus says...
This is a joke, and by that I mean not her accusation, but the way in which it will be handled by our corrupt system. She will wish she never attempted to pursue this in a few days. It will go nowhere and she will only get enraged by the way in which our country handles this. Very sad.
Posted 14 January 2017, 10:35 a.m. Suggest removal
Clamshell says...
Somebody expects to find a 20-year-old police report? Haahahahahaha ... you can file for any permit for any activity in Nassau, and the first 3 times they'll tell you, "Sorry, we've lost your paperwork, fill out a new application." And that's just this year, let alone 20 years ago.
Posted 14 January 2017, 1:25 p.m. Suggest removal
stoner says...
I heard the news that a young woman from Quebec was charged with having sex with a minor
and under sixteen in the Bahamas. Miss good luck to you. You are white and will be charged in someway.However, if they had to arrest and charge locals with rape or having sex with a minor,the Courts and jails would be full 24/7.However, this is not the case and it is never
reported.Most of the men in Nassau consider it normal to have sex with young men and girls
under the age of 15. and even twelve. It has been going on for many years. I remember one member of the House got up and said that it is nothing wrong with having sex with someone under 15. Good luck to the lady from Quebec and no justice will be done.
Posted 16 January 2017, 4:36 a.m. Suggest removal
cx says...
What a load of sh*t. Please don't generalize the men of The Bahamas.
Posted 16 January 2017, 10:48 a.m. Suggest removal
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