The 27-year-old man who was held and charged with housebreaking in July has now been officially charged in relation to rapes committed in Portmore.

According to the Greater Portmore police, they have received one result from a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test and it confirmed that the man is indeed the culprit who carried out the vicious attacks on women in Bridgeport, Cumberland, Braeton, Portmore Pines, and Silverstone for several months leading up to his arrest.

The Jamaica Observer was told that since January, the police received reports from more than a dozen women who said that they were being sexually assaulted in their homes between midnight and 4:00 am.

The women also reported that the man covered his face with a piece of cloth during the attacks and did not wear a condom.

Days after his arrest in July, there was a closed-circuit TV video being circulated on social media showing a man sniffing women’s underwear on a clothes line at the back of a house, after which he left the premises by jumping the wall.

However, at that time, it was not clear if he was the accused.

Prior to the arrest of the alleged rapist, one woman had gone on Twitter to alert others, after her aunt allegedly became a victim.

“Just for others to know that this rapist is real and out there. I didn’t want to tweet about this, but that same rapist broke into my aunt’s house in Portmore Pines, did oral sex, and proceeded with his sexual activities,” the woman wrote.

“My baby cousins and younger sister were in the house as well when I got the worst phone call from my sister crying and saying aunty is screaming RAPE!! I could hear my aunt’s voice in the background screaming for her life. It was the worst feeling.”

“Trust me, this isn’t something to talk about but it is real and we need to look out for each other. I hope this man gets caught before more attacks take place,” she added.

— Shanae Stewart