Last night we told you the disturbing story of a couple accused of raping a 9-year-old girl. Well tonight it has unfolded into a quite monstrous case of alleged molestation. Today 33-year-old Wilfred Gillett was formally charged with six counts of rape and another six counts of carnal knowledge. His live in girlfriend 34-year-old Beverly Brown Smith was charged with six counts of abetment to rape. Both are workers at SEL and both are accused of preying on and molesting the 9-year-old girl on six occasions between April 28th and May 21st. They had been asked to baby-sit the child.
To protect the child's identity, we can't show you who her mother is, but tonight do we have her story. This evening the mother told Keith Swift that Beverly Brown Smith who is their neighbor in the Port Loyola area lured the child to their home. Once there Smith allegedly taped the child's mouth and held her hands down while Gillett allegedly committed the hideous act.
Mother of Victim,
"The stepmother came to my house, asked me to let my children go from my house to their house to play with their little daughter and upon my daughter reaching there they got rid of the younger little girl by sending her outside. They took my daughter into the room, the woman held down my daughter with her two hands, and the gentleman sexually molested my daughter. To my daughter's knowledge, they duct taped her mouth, literally duct taped her mouth and they proceeded to rape her.
The same day that it happened, my little son wondered why they put his sister inside the room and chased him outside so he got worried. So he went inside and lifted the curtain and when he lifted it up, he saw the man sexing his sister.
It is a mother like myself. A mother like myself came for my children. That is why I trusted her. I always told my daughter that if someone molests her, to tell me because her father already died and I am the only one for her. Well she told me that the man threatened her with a knife to slash her throat, to cut her throat if she talks. That is what frightened my daughter.
Me personally cannot sleep from the day I heard about this. I cannot sleep. Mi daughter cried cried to me and I had to stay up at night with my daughter. She cried because she is afraid the man comes back again because he is my neighbor, he lives in front of me. If they release him, where will he go? Right in front of me again.
The neighborhood that I live in is dark behind Jane Usher Boulevard, its very dark behind the basketball court and I begging to BEL to put some lampposts. I think its more important to protect children, to protect children than to leave the place without light."
Keith Swift,
So at night back here is completely dark.
Mother of Victim,
"Its completely dark. I tell you that if you are a stranger around here you would be scared because you will wonder where you will go because it's completely dark.
I would just want to appeal to the justice system to be fair and to protect our little children because a mother herself cannot do such thing, the society should look out for the children."
Both Smith and Gillett were denied bail and the couple was remanded to the Hattieville Prison until June 16th. Gillett was originally charged with aggravated assault of an indecent nature and released on bail. Those charges were however upgraded after a doctor certified that the child was raped. As for Gillett's part well today in court he complained that he was beaten by police. Magistrate Sharon Frazer ordered that Gillett be taken to the KHMH for treatment before he was taken to the Hattieville prison.
