JDF officer in sexual misconduct scandal back in Jamaica

The senior military officer at the centre of the unfolding sex scandal in the Jamaican army is back in the country, law enforcement sources have revealed. 

He reportedly returned last weekend.

On Tuesday, The Gleaner submitted questions to the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) seeking confirmation that the officer was in Jamaica. 

"All witnesses are now available to the JDF's investigating officer to allow for the completion of the investigation," army spokesman Lieutenant Nathan Curtis said in an email response on Wednesday. 

Curtis, however, sidestepped questions about whether the police have been called in to probe the allegations.

"As the investigations progress, all complainants are advised of their right to make a report to the police," he said.

The accused army officer was attending a military training course in the United Kingdom.

At least a dozen female soldiers have accused him of various acts of sexual misconduct, including rape, groping and unwanted advances, sources previously told The Gleaner.

The JDF later confirmed that it is conducting a sexual harassment investigation, but denied that it involved 16 complainants.

A 2006 claim by a then army major that she was raped by a lower-ranked officer while they were on an overseas training course will also form part of the investigation, JDF boss Antonette Wemyss Gorman has said.

- Livern Barrett

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