British Victims of Barbados Rape Writes To PM To Reopen Case

Researcher Dr Rachel Turner, 31, from Hertfordshire, and 63-year-old Diane Davies of Anglesey, Wales, waived their right to anonymity to clear the name of Derick Crawford, a Barbadian national who was charged with the rapes.

Crawford was cleared by a local court in December 2012 following evidence from the two women, but Barbados Police Commissioner Darwin Dottin refused to reopen the case.

The two victims subsequently called for an enquiry into their treatment by Barbados police and an explanation of why the police kept insisting on Crawford’s guilt long after they told them he was not the attacker and when there was no forensic evidence linking him to the crimes.

Dr Turner and Mrs Davies’ cause was also championed by their respective MPs, Stephen McPartland and Albert Owen, who went on to meet with the minister with responsibility for the Caribbean, Mark Simmonds, early last year.

In June, Commissioner Dottin was removed from his position and Acting Commissioner Tyrone Griffith took over, but he has also indicated that he has no plans to reopen the case.

Now, Dr Turner has written to Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, pressing for the reopening of the case to find her attacker, according to a BBC report.

In her letter to Stuart, Dr Turner wrote: “The lack of action by the authorities in this matter suggests to me that they are not sufficiently concerned about the safety of local people or visitors to the island to resume the investigation and find the real rapist.”

She called on the prime minister to “reopen the police investigation and find the perpetrator of the rapes, and... ensure an independent inquiry into the conduct of this investigation by the police officers involved”.