THE Half-Way-Tree police yesterday raided the house of the deacon of the Dayton Avenue Church of God, who allegedly watched as a group of young men indecently assaulted a girl in the back of a van.

“An operation was carried out at the deacon’s house today and we found other tapes. We have not been able to go through all the tapes but a copy of that tape (of the young girl being assaulted) was in his possession,” said Superintendent George Quallo.

According to other police sources, the raid also led to the discovery of an empty bottle of Spanish fly (a liquid aphrodisiac).

At the same time, the police also told the Observer that they were seeking another young man who is alleged to have participated in the indecent assault of the girl. Police sources also indicated that the young man is expected to turn himself in to the police under the escort of his father.

Up to press time yesterday, the deacon, the young man who allegedly recorded the indecent assault of the girl and another young man who allegedly assaulted the young girl were still being questioned by the police.

In the meantime, officers at the Half-Way-Tree Police Station, who are investigating the matter, have expressed dissatisfaction with the media coverage of the alleged assault of the young girl, saying that the allegation of rape was premature.

“As far as our investigations have shown, there is nothing to suggest that any penetration occurred. Unless the girl tells us that something else occurred we are only dealing with a charge of indecent assault,” a detective told the Observer.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the child advocate, Mary Clarke, who said in a press release that greater consideration should be made for the victim in the reportage of the matter.

“While the media may have been so vivid in an attempt to raise public awareness on child abuse, this must be balanced with the impact that the trauma has on the victim and therefore, the Office of the Child Advocate calls for greater sensitivity by the media in how the information is conveyed to the public,” the release said.

Clarke said that despite the actions of the young men involved in the indecent assault of the young girl, society must bear collective responsibility.

“Unfortunately, though the alleged offence of the boys in this incident is reprehensible, it reflects a certain state of the moral character of our society, which permits the wanton abuse of our children. For this we, especially all levels of leadership, must bear collective responsibility,” said Clarke.

She urged citizens to make reports to the police or to agencies such as the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) or the Child Development Centre upon learning of the abuse of children.

According to police, the deacon drove a van to the girl’s school and offered her a ride home. Several young men were also in the back of the van, and some time after the deacon left the school compound with the girl and the young men in the vehicle, the young men held her and began to indecently assault her. One of the young men video-recorded the incident, and some time afterwards a copy was forwarded to the police and members of the media, who then went public with the information.