West Indies quick accused of rape by 11 women, including teen cousin – Report

In a shocking development coming from the Caribbean, an unnamed West Indies quick is accused of rape, sexual assault, harassment and unwanted advances by at least 11 women, including his teen cousin, per a June 27 report by Kaieteur News in Guyana. Part of the ongoing Test series against Australia at home, the fast bowler in question made headlines in the Barbados game, which the hosts lost by 159 runs.

Per the report, also carried out by several publications in India and worldwide, one of the victims, an 18-year-old, accused the fast bowler of assaulting her on March 3, 2023, at a residence in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

According to family accounts, the WI quick picked her up under the guise of ‘socialising’ and brought her to a house filled with others. Although she felt safe initially, he allegedly led her upstairs and raped her forcibly. The family has also accused the bowler's entourage and Guyanese law enforcement of trying to suppress the case.

Meanwhile, after the news broke out, more women came forward, producing proof, including screenshots, voice notes, medical filings and even text messages, claiming repeated assaults and attempts at covering this matter up. One victim even revealed that the pacer offered money to settle the matter, but the family refused it, saying, “We don’t want money. I want justice for what he did to my daughter.”

However, none of these allegations has yet resulted in formal charges against the West Indies seamer.

Lawyer Nigel Hughes, representing one of the complainants, told SportsMax TV that initial complaints were made some two years ago, around early 2023, further saying that those allegations led to an investigation, with the prosecutors recommending charges be filed only for the matter to disappear from the public eye.

The fast bowler's arrest and CWI’s statement

Meanwhile, the report also claims that the fast bowler was also arrested on a sexual assault charge of a teen relative under the age of consent. The victim withdrew her statement while the case was closed; the charges were not pressed.

Moreover, these allegations were made public during the West Indies’ first Test against Australia, adding pressure on Cricket West Indies (CWI) to take action. When contacted by SportsMax TV, CWI’s official statement read, “Cricket West Indies is unaware of the circumstances and, therefore, is not in a position to comment at this time.”

Grenada will host the second Test starting Thursday (Jul 3).