Minor assaulted

High on cocaine a 24-year-old St Peter man ventured to Queen’s Park, in the City, in the wee hours of this morning and tried to solicit sex from a “young vagrant”.

Instead, Shaquille Hakeem Nicholls, of Goodridge Road, The Whim was slapped with two criminal charges – loitering at the park, a public place, with cause to suspect that he was about to commit assault and assaulting a minor.

Officer Kenmore Phillips revealed that police were carrying out surveillance in the area of Constitution Road and John Beckles Drive, St Michael around 12:40 a.m. when they came across the 12-year-old girl who was reported missing the day before. She was taken into custody where she reported that an unknown man had assaulted her by grabbing her by the arm and dragging her unto a nearby bench and tried to solicit sex from her. Police accompanied her back to the location and she pointed out the area where the incident had occurred and also pointed to the accused.

When Nicholls was asked to give an account he was unable to give a satisfactory response and was arrested.

This afternoon however Nicholls said he was “high” on cocaine and had never troubled any schoolgirl in the past.

“Last night when I saw her . . . . I got a cocaine problem . . . I was walking and ask her where she was going. I did not grabble her. I does deal with vagrant women. I thought she was a young vagrant. I was doing some cocaine. I was high,” Nicholls revealed.

He went on to tell Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant: “I have never physically assault no schoolgirl, never trouble them. There got nuff women out there to deal with . . . to trouble any schoolgirl. What I wouldn’t want for me, I wouldn’t want for anyone else.”

He was remanded to Dodds and will reappear before the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court on June 12 for sentencing.