Teachers at the Bull Savannah Primary school in St Elizabeth are afraid that a man, described as a knife-wielding rapist who has already attacked a 10 year-old girl, will prey on others as the police have not taken him into custody more than a month after the attack.

The alleged rapist, teachers said, still visits the school.

“About 20 minutes ago he was here at the school, on the compound. Are the police going to allow him to prey on other children?” asked an obviously upset vice principal, Sonia Bennet Easy, during the Observer’s visit to the school on Tuesday.

But according to the police’s information arm, lawmen have made several attempts to arrest the man whom the young girl has identified as her attacker, but he has managed to elude them.

Meanwhile, the child, who has reportedly been traumatised by the attack, has not been back to school since the New Year began. She was reportedly raped on December 3 while on her way back to her classroom after a trip to the bathroom which is located near the rear of the school compound. The young girl was attending evening classes at the time of the alleged attack.

Her mother, who said she had noticed that her child had become withdrawn, did not learn of the alleged attack until December 15, when she immediately reported the incident to the Bull Savannah police station.

Three days later, her daughter gave a statement to the police but to date the alleged rapist, who is said to be a drug addict, has not been arrested even though the police have been told where he lives. According to the upset mother, cops told her they were unable to find the man’s house.

“On December 29, I also pointed out that school would be re-opening the following Monday, and still nothing has been done,” she said.

She added that the same man had chased her sister at about 8:30 pm on January 2, stopping only after she ran into a nearby shop.

Meanwhile, the young girl who was attacked in December is still struggling to cope with the incident. According to her mother, her 10 year-old daughter cries a lot and she is moving to seek counselling for her. She has vowed never to send her still-traumatised child, and her seven year-old sister, to the school.

According to school officials, only limited security is provided.

“We only have a watchman on weekends and he also closes the gate during the week,” said the vice principal.