By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
A SERIAL rapist who has been targeting young girls in St. James struck again on Tuesday even as the police claim they are pretty close to catching him.
The police yesterday confirmed two new cases of rape which they say are linked to the same perpetrator who has reportedly been operating near schools in the Albion, Glendevon, Salt Spring and Montego Bay communities in the parish.
"The number of rapes committed by this person now stands at 12 since the start of the year," Crime Chief for the parish Deputy Superintendent Derrick Knight told The Gleaner yesterday. "The last two cases occurred just yesterday (Tuesday)," he said.
It is reported that the latest incident occurred near the Albion Junior School.
DSP Knight said that based on intelligence received the man is somewhere in the Salt Spring area. "We are tracking him," the DSP said.
The man, who police said is poorly groomed and who wears dark clothing and has a foul smell, normally goes to schools where he gets the attention of young girls by claiming he has something for the school's principal.
"Then he grabs them and pulls them into bushes where he sexually assaults them," DSP Knight told The Gleaner.
He also said that the man carries around a bottle of gel or lotion which he uses on his victims.
According to the crime chief, the new cases have added urgency to the efforts to catch the man.
Also, he expressed concern over the sharp increase in the number of rapes in the parish. "To date we have 47 cases of rape compared to 27 last year."
The police have, over the past two weeks, initiated a programme whereby they visit schools and appear on the community channels on television, in an effort to sensitise the public on the matter.
