Background blunder?... Alleged RIU rapist was wanted by Mandeville police
Published:Monday | October 1, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Damion Mitchell, Integration Editor
It appears that the RIU hotel did not carry out adequate background checks on 24-year-old Demar Scott, the entertainment coordinator now arrested for raping two guests at gunpoint at its Montego Bay resort.
Scott, whose birthday is today, is alleged to have committed the crimes two days after he was employed to RIU.
READ: Rapist disarmed, believed shot by tourist at Mobay hotel
But from as far back as March 2, this year, Scott was listed by the Manchester Police via its Community Partnership Facebook page as a person of interest in connection with a series of rapes in the central Jamaica parish.
In the post, a $35,000 reward was offered through the Manchester Crime Tip Fund for information on Scott’s whereabouts.
The management of the RIU Resorts could not immediately be reached for comment.
However, in a statement, the management said the RIU Reggae hotel is cooperating fully with local authorities in what it called an open investigation the police are conducting.
“We are unable to share further details both for the protection of our clients’ privacy as well as to not interfere in the investigation,” a company spokesperson said.
The police report that two female tourists were in their room about 11:55 p.m. Thursday night when the gunman barged in.
He reportedly raped one of the women and was raping the other when the gun fell from his hand.
The police say the woman who was first raped immediately picked up the gun and pointed it at the gunman.
It is reported that he then sought to disarm her, but she fired the gun twice.
The gunman reportedly ran from the room and jumped over the balcony before escaping in bushes adjacent to the property.
He was held a day later with a gunshot injury to his arm.
The cops reported that the gun used in the incident was stolen from the room of a licensed firearm holder who was also a guest at the hotel.
The nine millimetre Glock pistol loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition were handed over to the police by one of the women.
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