Antonius Jn Baptiste was arrested and charged on Tuesday, August 27, four days after he reportedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend. On that day, per a police statement, the victim’s mother reported the matter to the police. Jn Baptiste appeared in court three days following his arrest and is currently on custodial remand at Bordelais.
A family member told the STAR: “We are very relieved. Our main concern was getting her back safe. We know the guy could have hurt her because he attacked her a few days before that kidnapping incident. That was reported to the police.” Police have confirmed the report was indeed made but, at the time, charges were not pursued. The relative described the kidnapping as “a very nerve-wracking situation for our family. Everyone handled it differently.”
Particularly testing was the social media reaction to a video of the victim claiming she went with Jn Baptiste willingly. “It was difficult,” said our source, “because we had to deal with the media backlash.” The alleged kidnap was picked up by the police acting on a tip-off. Jn Baptiste was later arrested. “The community support that we’ve always requested, lobbied for, pleaded for, in this case, was in this instance 100%,” ACP Wayne Charlery said this week. “Informants came to the fore to assist us.”
If convicted, Jn Baptiste faces a maximum sentence of twenty years’ imprisonment.
