A gay rights activist has blamed police homophobia for a failure to protect a man from a stalker ex-boyfriend who carried out a year-long campaign of harassment and abuse.
“This is not surprising. Things have come a long way for the community, but we still have a long way to go,” Noel Cayasso-Smith, founder of the Cayman LGBTQ Foundation, told the Cayman Compass.
He added he was “absolutely” sure that the victim would have been treated differently if the incident had not involved a same-sex relationship.
Cayasso-Smith said he had helped organise sensitivity training by officers from London’s Metropolitan Police force for their Cayman counterparts.
But, he added, “Telling them they have to take the course is one thing, but doing what it says is a different story.”
He was speaking after Theodore Morgan was earlier this month convicted of stalking his ex-boyfriend and of a reckless and negligent act – driving his car at his victim and his girlfriend, who were forced to jump out of the way.
Morgan will be sentenced at a later date.
Crown counsel Angelique McLoughlin several times during the trial referred to the victim’s evidence that he got next to no support from the police during his ordeal, which lasted more than a year.
She told the Grand Court that “he felt he did not get any real support from the police” and that he had “contacted the police on several occasions, but they were no help”.
McLoughlin said the victim had called the police many times about Morgan’s behaviour and had made at least 11 reports.
She added he had even been told by a 911 operator to get off the line as it was only for emergencies.
Cayasso-Smith said, “For a 911 operator to say it’s not a police emergency and to get off the line is so disrespectful.
“That shouldn’t have happened at all – if you’re being stalked and you feel your safety is threatened, that’s what the police are there for.”
A spokeswoman for the police, which took eight days to respond to a request for comment, said that officers “attended a number of reports” in connection with the case and that Morgan was arrested and charged in 2022 and later bailed.
She added Morgan was warned about his behaviour after more complaints were logged and he was charged with more offences as a result.
The spokeswoman said it the service believed it had “discharged our duty in this matter, with the work of our officers leading to a favourable outcome in the court system”.
She added, “We do not have any evidence to suggest that the nature of the victim’s relationship with the accused impacted the way his case was handled.
“We remain committed to treating victims of crime with the highest priority and care and will respond to well-founded criticism with a willingness to learn and change.”
The spokeswoman said that 911 operators were the responsibility of the Department of Public Safety Communications and that any questions about staff conduct should be directed to it.
The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, which deals with domestic abuse, did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
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