PORT ANTONIO, Portland — Some students of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) are breathing easier after Tuesday’s fatal police shooting of a man who Portland cops say was before the court in connection with two previous rapes at the school. He was also a suspect in this month’s assault on another CASE student and other rapes within the parish.

The now-deceased alleged serial rapist has been identified as 38-year-old Winston Hume from Ranch Hill, Norwich district, in Portland.

“I won’t say this news brings joy, but it will bring some sense of closure and comfort,” vice-president of CASE’s student council Vashawn Berry told the Jamaica Observer Tuesday afternoon.

He was among CASE students who protested on campus after the December 14 rape of a female classmate, one of 12 rapes recorded in the parish this year.

Police report that a team of cops went to Hume’s house about 7:30 am Tuesday as they pursued leads into what, they said, appeared to be a pattern of behaviour he was exhibiting.

“We suspect that the suspect in this matter may be involved in several other cases in the parish based on his mode of how he operates. As such, he was wanted, and the reason why he was the subject of the operation this morning,” Superintendent of police in charge of Portland Division, Ainsley McCarthy, told the Observer from his office Tuesday afternoon.

“On entering the compound, Mr Hume was alerted to the presence of the police, and he emerged with a machete in hand. He was instructed to drop same; he did not. He advanced towards the police in a chopping position. The police took evasive action and fired. Mr Hume was hit. He was immediately rushed to the Port Antonio Hospital where he was unfortunately pronounced dead on arrival,” McCarthy added.

According to the senior cop, there were hurdles in previous attempts to try Hume for rapes he was accused of committing on the CASE campus.

“On both occasions, these cases were before the court. The complainant in the 2022 matter migrated overseas, and the complainant in the 2021 matter became disillusioned after the matter was drawn out in court when the suspect showed [a] glimpse of psychiatric problems, and so he was sent for psychiatric evaluation by the court,” explained McCarthy.

With Hume now deceased, students have not abandoned their call for an overall improvement in the school’s security measures. Berry made it clear they expect the promises made by the school administration to be kept.

“These incidents have exposed the gaps in CASE’s security and the protection of students. We are requesting more from the Government and the administration of the college because, as a tertiary institution that is supposed to mend and mould the future of Jamaica, we shouldn’t sit idly by while our students are being traumatised and put through hell mentally and physically. As a student of CASE and a member of the student guild, we will make efforts to ensure that the proper safety measures are put in place so this does not happen again… We look forward to a more safe, secure and productive semester,” said Berry.

CASE President Dr Derrick Deslandes assured that efforts to make the campus more secure will continue.

“We have beefed up the security on the campus and [are] presently looking at ways to tighten the security at the tunnel, the campus in general, and improve the lighting to make it much safer for all using the campus,” he told the Observer Tuesday.

Deslandes first made reference to the tunnel earlier this month after students protested the alleged December 14 rape.

“CASE has a long tunnel that runs under the college that anybody can access,” he told the Observer at the time.

“We have been trying for years to close that tunnel. We ourselves have put locks on it and sometimes use the tunnel for transporting tractors and animals, so the tunnel is useful for us as well, so we just have to lock it up. Persons can come through from either side; come underneath and pop up on the campus anywhere. In that sense CASE has no security, it is a wide open campus,” he added.

BERRY… I won’t say this news brings joy, but it will bring some sense of closure and comfort (Photo: Everard Owen)

DESLANDES… we have beefed up the security on the campus and [are] presently looking at ways to tighten the security at the tunnel, the campus in general. (Photo: Everard Owen)

Superintendent of police in charge of the Portland Division, Ainsley McCarthy, speaking with the Jamaica Observer from his office Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Everard Owen)