Man arrested after being found with boys at West Dem shack

-residents torch house

The remains of the shack after it was dismantled and torched by residents.
The remains of the shack after it was dismantled and torched by residents.

An accused child molester was arrested yesterday at a West Bank Demerara village, where residents dismantled and torched parts of the shack he called home after he was found there with four minor boys.

The man is currently assisting with investigations, Commander of ‘D’ Division Edmond Cooper told Stabroek News.

Cooper said lawmen from the Wales Police Station were summoned to the village, where they arrested the man. He also noted that minors were taken to a hospital for medical attention.

Cooper indicated that as soon as they have completed taking statements from the suspected victims, they will be seeking the requisite legal advice.

When Stabroek News visited the community yesterday afternoon, villagers said that they learnt of the case after a missing teen’s parents went in search of him. The parents eventually went to the man’s shack yesterday morning and called for their son. After they got no response, a villager told Stabroek News, they decided to break open the door and found the man with their son and three others in the house. The man was hiding under the bed, according to the villagers.

“At around 9 this morning, one of the small boys come and tell me what was happening and when I came out on the road, the people had already broke down his house and burn it,” a resident recalled.

It was pointed out that neighbours had suspected the man of preying on minors in the village but were unsuccessful in proving it.

The villagers explained that the suspect would normally lure the minors between the ages of 12 and 15 to his house by enticing them with food.