NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A teacher at S.C. McPherson Junior High School had to fight off an intruder who entered her classroom, according to Bahamas Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson.
Wilson confirmed the incident took place around 1pm on Thursday.
“He did not sexually assault her, but he did make physical contact with her and she was able to fight him off and she actually had a hammer in her class that she was able to hit him with,” Wilson said in an interview with Eyewitness News.
She noted that another teacher was reportedly in the classroom and was able to call out for help.
However, Wilson said the teachers were screaming out for help for a “long time before security officers were alerted that a teacher was in distress”.
She said she spoke to the teacher who fought off the intruder yesterday, noting that “she is shaken”.
The teacher was given a few days off from the school and the principle held a briefing this with the teachers Friday morning.
Wilson questioned how an outsider was able to gain access to the campus without supervision when BUT members have to be escorted everywhere when on the campus.
“There has to be an explanation as to how this person was able to get onto the school’s campus, enter a classroom, and the classroom is not on the end, it’s in the middle of the school,” she said.
“So I’m curios as to the explanation and I sent a note to the Minister of Education and to the permanent secretary and I’m awaiting information from them a stop what is going to happen.”
She added that the BUT will have its legal counsel look into the matter and advise how best to move forward.
Officials could not be reached for comment up to press time.
The incident comes just one day after Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Leamond Deleveaux was deployed on a special assignment to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to assist with “overall security concerns”.
The incident was not reported in the police’s daily crime report to media.
Meanwhile, police reported three other incidents of armed robbery in New Providence on Thursday.
The first incident occurred shortly before 9 pm when a man was approached by a gunman outside a residence in Stevenson Subdivision off Mackey Street.
The man was robbed of cash, a watch and a ring.
Shortly before 10pm, a woman was reportedly outside a residence on Crepe Mytle Road, Garden Hills when she was approached by a gunman who demanded the keys for her Nissan Note.
Police said the woman handed the man the keys, ran into the home and activated the kill switch disabling the vehicle.
The suspect reportedly fled the area on foot.
The third incident occurred outside a residence in Sandilands Village off Fox Hill Road shortly after 11pm.
A man was approached by two men, one of whom had a firearm, and was robbed of a champagne 2004 Buick Regal.
In the last few weeks, two women have been sexually assaulted during separate home invasions robberies — one on January 14 on Marshall Road and another on February 4 in Coral Harbour.
Acknowledging the recent increase in armed robberies and home invasions, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has declared that the government will “get a handle of it and we will control it”.
The prime minister said he has spoken with the relevant authorities, including Minister of National Security Marvin Dames about the need for increased manpower and resources.
Loading ...
