Granny held for sex acts on 7-year-old

She also carried out similar acts on the child.

Sources said the boy had been left in his grandmother’s care since 2013 while his mother operated a casino in Central Trinidad.

The boy allegedly told his mother of the acts of his grandmother.

The 31-year-old woman went to the Cunupia Police Station and officers there contacted their colleagues at the Child Protection Unit in the Eastern Division.

According to reports, WPC Rampersad removed the child from the home and he was taken to a doctor where he was medically examined. Information was also gathered from him.

Sources said police officers late on Friday went to the grandmother’s home in Sangre Grande and arrested her. She allegedly denied the allegations against her and said she was being targeted because of her complaints that the children were being kept in a gambling den. Up to late yesterday, the grandmother was said to be still at the Sangre Grande police station.

She is expected to be charged with several counts of serious indecency.

Sources said the child also told the officers of the CPU he was threatened with punishment if he told anyone his story.

He told the police that the alleged sex acts took place in his grandmother’s bedroom and that he was very “ashamed.” Source said the boy said he often cried when alone and was afraid to let anyone know of what was happening to him.

Newsday was told that the boy, his mother and other siblings will be provided with counselling by the Witness and Victim Support Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service(TTPS).

Police officers are also expected to interview the child’s other siblings ascertain if they too were victims of similar acts.

In an immediate reaction, Head of the Victim and Witness Support Unit, Margaret Sampson -Browne said while she could not comment on the details of the case as it was the first time she was hearing about it nevertheless warned that predators are all around.

She said though that she had never heard of a case where a grandmother was the perpetrator.

“The world is not a safe place.

In at least 70 percent of cases children are hurt by people they love and trust and respect.” While calling for support for the victims, she also commended her officers for their dedication to duty in bringing sexual predators to justice.

According to statistics, the highests incidents of serious indecency and sex acts against minors are committed in the South and South Western Districts.

In 2015, there were 70 reports of sex acts and serious indecency committed against children in these regions. The other divisions where police recorded the second highest incidents of such reports were in the Eastern Division followed by the Northern Division.

Two weeks ago, two men, ages 20 and 48, were arrested by Rio Claro Police in connection with the sexual assault of a 13-month-old baby girl.

One of the suspects is said to be the boyfriend of the baby’s mother. The child was left in the care of the younger man while the mother attended classes. The two men are continuing to assist police in their investigations.

That case is one of top priority for the Child Protection Unit whose head, Margaret Sampson- Browne, commended the victim’s grandmother for observing signs of the assault and calling in the police.

The child was treated at the Sangre Grande District Hospital where a medical examination of the child’s vagina, police sources said, revealed there was a widening of the area which was swollen and red. The discovery was made by the baby’s 42-year-old grandmother while giving the child a bath at their home in East Trinidad.

She later contacted police and the men were arrested.

The Child Protection Unit of the TT Police Service was informed and a report sent to the Children’s Authority.