By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Court Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO men abducted and sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in a bush while she walked near Baillou Hill Road early on Sunday.

Police said the girl was walking around 12am when two men in a black Nissan March accosted her.

“After being abducted by the suspects, they reportedly took the victim to the Munnings Drive area where they sexually assaulted her in the bushes,” police said in a statement. “Authorities are still on the hunt for the culprits after  they made good their escape.”

The incident comes as reports of escalating sex crimes have attracted national attention recently.

 There were 55 reports of rape in 2022, up 15 per cent from 2021.

 “The fact that this is another element of criminality that’s on the rise tells us that people are disordered,” National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said last week. “So when you think that you can force yourself on someone be it a man or a woman who is doing it that person’s upbringing couldn’t have inculcated in them that you are to respect people’s privacy if you expect them to respect yours. We continue to make it easier for people to report these offices.”

 “People say their convictions follow them. (Sex crimes convictions) will follow you. That is a conviction that will disentitle you to work around children. That is a conviction that will probably drive people not to hire you, certainly around women. So before people think about that you should think about the weight that it will put on your life going forward.”