Cops hold St James man who allegedly raped 7-y-o, gave her $120 in hush money

Hopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer

A 40-year-old St James man who reportedly raped a seven-year-old girl, and later gave her $120 to keep the incident a secret, has been apprehended by the police after being on the run for almost two months.

A police source told The Gleaner that the man has reportedly confessed to the crime.

The accused, a mason, was apprehended by members of the Freeport Special Task Force during an operation in the community of Maroon Town in Spring Mount, St James, on Tuesday.

The police reported that on the day of the incident, the child, who was visiting a relative, was sitting on the veranda when she was approached by the man, who is known to her. 

READ: Child raped and given $120 in hush money by alleged predator

The attacker allegedly held on to her hand and carried her to the rear of the house, removed her clothing, and sexually assaulted her before giving her $120 not to tell anyone.

However, as soon as the relative returned to the yard, the girl reported the matter to her and was taken to the police station.

The accused man had been in hiding since and managed to elude  previous police dragnets.

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