At the top of our newscast, you saw Oscar Bonilla, the deeply saddened and confused father of an 11-year-old girl, who is tonight at the Youth Hostel, remanded because her dad went to beat up the men who had allegedly raped his daughter. It's a terrible story, but there's another side to it. What about the young men who claims they were false accused and wrongly punished for a crime they did not commit? Tonight, we have their side of the story and the police perspective on this troubling issue.
Alfonso Noble Reporting, [alfnoble@yahoo.com]
The 11-year-old girl's version of what happened back in April may have appeared clear cut last night, but today it's a different matter. The Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid says that the story is anything but clear-cut. He says the little girls stories are filled with inconsistencies that still has police investigators trying to determine what happened
G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
"Certainly there is a lot of concern whenever a child is involved in any kind of sexual activity with an adult. This is taken quite seriously by the Police Department however the stories being told by these two girls, they were in fact two little girls, and the two little girls were telling a number of different versions of the same story.
The allegation made on the part of the children, I can tell you that two individual were picked up and were detained for 48 hours, the two young girls
were taken to the hospital and medically examined where a medical officer certified that one was carnally known, one was sexually active in fact was the certification there, and one's hymen was in tact. So the matter here that these two young girls were alleging that they were both raped was obviously then not consistent with the report coming from the medical officer. And in fact a number of inconsistencies in the stories being told by these young girls led police to believe that there's certainly more to this story than these young ladies are telling us."
Alfonso Noble,
With crimes of this nature action is usually taken immediately. Why hasn't that happened?
G. Michael Reid,
"In this case I am saying to you that the number of inconsistencies that presented themselves, I don't know that if I was in the position of the one being accused that I would want to be locked up in jail."
Alfonso Noble,
But nobody wants to be in that position but there is the allegation and a little 11 year old girl has been carnally known and the allegation that she has made and she has singled out a single individual who took advantage of her.
G. Michael Reid,
"Again this individual was kept in custody for a while and investigations were done. Its confusing again and its still being looked at, its still being investigated, somebody might yet be arrested if it can be determined that some crime was committed."
And until then action on the matter or carnal knowledge of at least one of the little girls is yet to come. And while investigators are still looking at the 11-year-old girl's claim, they have charged 4 persons for kidnapping.
G. Michael Reid,
"At first it was just a case of missing children and they were in fact listed as runaways by the parents, initially. They were picked up in Orange Walk by the police, we had sent out an all points bulletin, and they were being looked for. The police got them in Orange Walk and thereafter we got a different story then there was the case of one person who these little children were supposed to have pointed out to their parents. One can understand how a parent feels if something happens to his or her children but then also there is due process that must be followed and one cannot take the law into his one's own hands."
The man that is now at the center of the storm of allegations and who was the one who felt first hand the desperate actions of a father who wanted to get justice for his child is Alex Bautista. He came to us to tell his version of what occurred on the day Bonilla and three others allegedly abducted him.
Alex Bautista,
"I was walking by and they parked the vehicle and knocked me in my face and took me to Burrell Boom and then they start to knock me there because they said I raped one of their daughters. The first thing is that I don't know those people and I don't understand why they come to me because I don't know them. They beat me for something I didn't do and I know I am innocent and I want them to stop talk because I was guilty the police would have locked me up but they found me innocent. I don't know why they are talking because they come to news and say that police didn't do their job correct because if they had found me guilty I would have been in jail. Up to now I ask myself why they targeted me because I don't know them and they said I am the one harassing them when they are the ones who come around my house and then they told me to apologize and drop the charges. How will I drop the charges after what they did me? I can't do that because the first time they grabbed me they just hurt but the second time the intention might be to kill me. The little girls said we raped them but I don't have any relationship with them or even know them and they are just coming and harassing me."
Alfonso Noble,
If you don't know them how is it that this little girl who is 11 years old knows everything about you?
Alex Bautista,
"Well that is the thing I said because I don't know them and its strange when they took me and beat me and they knew my name because when they took me they asked me if I was Alex Bautista and I said yes because know I didn't do anything. I showed the police the place where they took me and beat me up and I don't know how they know my name. I know I had a friend but we are not friends again. He was the boy who was fooling around with the little girls, they said they were dating, but that was their business. I know my friend knew them but because of the trouble we got into with this young boy me and him are not friends anymore. I don't know if he did because when was around me he was a nice person but when he turned his back and go I don't know what he does out there. I can't say and I can't think that he did it because I have no proof."
And while Bautista cannot put his head on the block for someone he once considered a friend, what he can do is to say with certainty that he had absolutely nothing to do with the sexual assault of Bonilla's child.
Alex Bautista,
"Once you know you did something you have to say yes I did it but I know that I didn't do it and I know that I am an innocent person and I just want this day come to go to court and right there we will clear up everything."
Police say they continue their investigations on the allegations by the 11 year old in the hopes of arresting someone for the crime.
