Cops charge man with carnal abuse after arrest

Byron McDaniel, STAR Writer

A preacher who is a taxi operator may have found himself in quite a sticky situation if the allegations against him are, in fact, true.

The police are alleging that they caught the accused man, who is in his late 20s, having sex with a 15-year-old schoolgirl in his vehicle close to Mandeville recently.

On March 23, the police said that following heavy rains in the area they were alerted to a sexual encounter going on in a car. They said that when they went there the preacher and the juvenile, who were both nude, were seen in the act. The girl is said to attend a prominent high school in the parish and had been reported missing from her home for several days.

After the man was arrested, his colleagues expressed shock at the allegation. The taxi operators said that the man was known for professing high morals and standards and was always counselling them about their sexual behaviour.

The accused man was charged with carnal abuse and was granted bail. He is expected to attend the Mandeville Resident Magistrate's Court on May 15.