Outrage! ... Grange upset after coach charged with rape

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, has expressed disgust at an allegation that a high school coach has raped one of his athletes.

Last week Monday, members of CISOCA (Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse) turned up on the compound of the St Catherine based school and arrested the coach of the female track and field team for allegedly raping one of his female student athletes.

“I am extremely disturbed by these allegations. This underscores the urgency of our current work in the ministry to develop the policy and regulatory framework for safeguarding our children in sport,” Grange said.

LEFT DUMFOUNDED

The principal of the school said that he was left dumfounded when members of CISOCA swooped down on the school premises last week and apprehended the coach as he carried out a training session.

“This kind of thing is difficult to prevent,” the principal told STAR Sports. “You put all the systems in place, you do all the background checks and out of the blue something like this pops up in your face. It is hard to prevent.”

According to the Corporate Communications Unit of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, about 2 p.m., on December 13, 2017, the female student, after completing track and field training, was offered a ride by her coach to the bus stop. The accused reportedly drove past the bus stop and on to a dirt track off the Spanish Town bypass, close to the El Prado Housing Scheme in St Catherine, where he sexually assaulted her.

The student-athlete told her mother that she was raped by her coach in early December last year. The matter was reported to CISOCA and after some investigation the arrest was made.

“I haven’t spoken to the police yet so I don’t know the details of what allegedly happened,” the principal said.

The principal of the school said that the manager of the team has met with the team after the incident to discuss the way forward.
“I am supposed to meet with them today (yesterday) because I was out for several days last week,” the principal added.

“The girls are still preparing for Girls Champs so I am going to meet with the male coach today to ask him to oversee the preparation, and then we will see what happens going into next season.”

The coach has been charged with abduction, indecent assault and rape.
The motor vehicle in which the incident allegedly happened was also seized by the police.

He is scheduled to appear before the St Catherine Parish Court on January 30, 2018.