Thursday, July 2, 2009

Seven Years Later, man gets 12 years for 2002 rape of a tourist

A man who pleaded guilty to the 2002 rape of a visitor to the Cayman Islands has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Christopher Omar Samuels, who is 33 years old, appeared before the court on Friday, 26 June for sentencing.

Mr Samuels was charged by Detectives in January 2009, nearly seven years after the offence was committed, after DNA evidence linked him to the historic case.

The attack took place in the rest rooms of the Westin Casuarinas resort.

“This was a terrible attack which had a huge impact on the victim,” said Head of CID, Acting Chief Superintendent Marlon Bodden. “We hope that this sentence will help bring some closure to the victim and demonstrate our commitment to thoroughly investigating such heinous crimes.”

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) is committed to bringing offenders before the court and will continue to examine old cases and utilise all available new technologies to assist in solving crimes, said an RCIPS press release.