Princess Hotel fondling issue…Waitress’s goes public on sexual assault

Feb 04, 2014 News

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The father of the 18-year-old waitress who claimed that she was sexually assaulted by the owner of the Princess Hotel held a press conference yesterday and expressed his disappointment with the way the police and the Director of Publication (DPP) handled their situation.
During a press conference held at Pegasus with the father and his two daughters, the man expressed concern with the way in which the matter is being handled. He said that no one has been arrested over the incident.
His daughter related that she was advised by the secretary to the DPP that there isn’t enough evidence for her case to stand up in Court.
The girl said that the secretary explained to her “what is sexual assault.” She had me say back everything to her. She was explaining to me that the Court won’t really accept it because the (close circuit television) footage didn’t have much or even what I am saying to her.”
The girl’s sister then said that the secretary explained that “when you touch the breast that is not fondling, fondling is when you feel up; he just touched the breast.”
The DPP Chambers however in response to statements made during this press conference said that “at no time did the officer who met with [the woman] advise her not to go to Court.” The DPP Chambers has advised that the file is with it and is being given due attention.
The father explained what he knew of the incident and said he wanted answers to some questions “I have seen on footage two men which supposed to be two managers taking this child up to a room to serve the boss, who is already in a room…
“If we are saying that this child is a waitress and we are taking her to serve your boss doesn’t she have a waiter in her hand with something inside of it? She is a waitress; where is the waiter, where is the products that she is taking up to the room to serve the guy who is already in the room?”
The seemingly distraught father further stressed that he saw from the footage “two managers like two bodyguards take her to a room, leave her outside of the door, both of them went into the room, had what kind of conversation they had in there, then one of them came out touch her on her shoulders took her into the room.
“Both of them came out of the room and lock the door behind them. Now if you are taking a waitress to a room to serve somebody, are you going to lock the door behind you and lock the waitress in the room? I don’t see the need to be locking a waitress into a room.”
The father said that he is totally dissatisfied with the way “the law of this country today is treating Guyanese people especially when you are poor and you don’t have money to spend…Nobody has been arrested and as far as I am concerned nobody has been questioned, the only person who has been going through all of the question and the torments is the victim.”
In a previous interview with the Kaieteur News, the waitress said that she worked at the hotel for four months.
She alleged that at around 15:30 hrs on Saturday January 11, last, her manager asked her and another staff to serve food to the owner of the hotel, who was in another section of the building with four men.
“We went over to him and served him and his guest. When they finished, I bend over to move his plate and he hold my breast and then look at me and smiled. I didn’t say anything to him; I left and went over to my department.”
She added that she was later approached by the manager of another department who told her that he wanted her to ‘look after’ the boss.
“When he told me that I said that I have my work to do and I can’t leave and then he went and talk to my manager in another language and my manager came to me and told me to follow the other manager,” the employee said.
In tears, the girl said she thought she was being taken back to the other section of the hotel to serve food but she was instead taken to the owner’s room.
“The manager left me outside the room and he went in and closed the door, then he came out and called me and tell me to do whatever the owner wants me to do and I will get money and then he left and lock the door from outside.
“When he (the manager) left, the owner who was lying on his bed covering with a sheet asked me to make sure the door is locked properly and I told him that I wanted to use the washroom and I left his room and the security guard stopped me and asked me what happen and I told him that I am not going to do this and I walked way.”
She explained that she got in contact with her family and her father went with her to make a report at Providence Police Station.  A report was made to the police and investigators went to the hotel but the owner had already left the building in a taxi.

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