A senior fire officer is now at the centre of a sex scandal after photos of him allegedly assaulting a former colleague and exposing himself were distributed by members of the Fire Services via the social media. The photos of the alleged assault show the officer attacking the female victim, who ends up crying with blood coming from her nose and mouth at the end of the assault.
Sources told the T&T Guardian that the victim, who is alleged to have been in a relationship with the officer, was forced to take sick leave after the attack and was fired from her position in the Fire Services soon after the incident, which occurred late last year. The matter was not reported to the police but some of the victims colleagues were so upset over the attack that they reportedly began sharing the photos of the attack online. The other photos which were circulated show the officer lying on a bed exposing his private parts.
Contacted yesterday, the officer in question confirmed the incident occurred last year. However, he claimed it was the woman who entered his Port-of-Spain office and “assaulted him.” Asked if anyone could visit his office and abuse him, he said: “My door always open.” Within moments of the conversation, the official contacted his attorney who then called the T&T Guardian to say it was important to let his client “comment before the photos were published.”
Threatening calls
Also contacted yesterday, the victim, who is now pregnant, said she was living in fear. “I am threatened, I fear for my life and making a report to the police because I am afraid to go to the police with it. “What did I do to deserve this? How long can I do that for?” she asked. She said since the incident and the sharing of the photos online she had been receiving calls from blocked cellphone numbers with the caller threatening her.
“I was on sick leave after I was abused. They (officers) did not want me to take my sick leave. This was after the incident happened, so I couldn’t work. The leave goes straight to him,” she said. The victim said she even left the country because she felt she was not safe here. She claimed to have become involved with the officer after she finished training. Asked if she did not think it inappropriate to be involved in a relationship with a senior officer, she said: “I knew certain things he didn’t want the public to know and he is afraid of letting them know.
“All I wanted was my job back and I was victimised and was physically assaulted. You can’t advantage people and do things to them if you have a reputation to hold.” She alleged that other female members of the Auxiliary Department were also being victimised. “If they don’t do certain things in the auxiliary you won’t get permanent work. So you have to sleep with a man to get somewhere in the service? “They come as a civilian. Do you need to sleep with someone to get rank?”
“I don’t really want to go back and I am a single parent with one (child) on the way. I am independent. I want to reason things out peacefully,” she said.
Association responds
President of the Fire Services Association Leo Ramkissoon called for an investigation into both incidents. “That is very serious and our regulations take this seriously. The law frowns on those who bring the service into disrepute. Those are serious allegations and must be investigated,” Ramkissoon said in a telephone interview. However, he said according to the Public Service Commission regulations officers of a lower rank could not investigate an officer of a higher rank.
“If any investigation is to take place it must come from the permanent secretary at the Ministry of National Security or the Service Commission Department,” he said.