CPFSA providing support to St Mary minor allegedly raped by security guard
The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) says it is actively investigating and offering support to a minor in St Mary, who was allegedly raped by a security guard she met online.
In a statement released on Monday, the Agency stated that internal checks revealed that the incident occurred in November 2021 when the victim was 15 years old, and was reported to the CPFSA’s National Children’s Registry in December 2023.
According to the CPFSA, an investigator from the agency reached out to the victim and her mother. They were offered counselling and other psychosocial support, and were instructed to file a police report.
The child has also been referred to the CPFSA’s Child and Family Support Unit for additional psychological and psychosocial support, as well as to the Ministry of Justice’s Victim Services Division for counselling.
Charged with rape, grievous sexual assault, sexual grooming of a child and possession of child pornography is 35-year-old Bryan Walsh of a Saltrum district address in St Mary.
READ: Security guard charged with rape of teen girl in St Mary
Walsh is accused of meeting the teen on Facebook and threatening to release explicit photos unless his demands for sex were met.
Port Maria Police reports indicate that Walsh and the teen connected on Facebook in April 2021, with Walsh allegedly using threats related to explicit photos sent by the teen to coerce her into meeting his sexual demands.
Meanwhile, chief executive officer of the CPFSA, Laurette Adams-Thomas, emphasised the crucial importance of online safety for children. She urged both children and their parents to exercise increased vigilance when navigating the digital space.
“Cases like this show us the importance of online safety for children. The perpetrator met the child online by pretending to be someone else, coerced her into sending nude photos of herself to him and then used those photos to blackmail her into performing sexual acts,” she said.
“We are strongly discouraging children from forming friendships online with persons that they do not know or have never met in person, because they can be raped, abducted and trafficked,” she continued.
