Court Rules Government Responsible In Immigration Officer Rape Case

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Court of Appeal has found that the government is liable for the sexual assault of a Jamaican national by a senior immigration officer in 2014.

The appellate court overturned the decision of then Senior Justice Indra Charles that Norman Bastian was on a frolic of his own when he unlawfully detained and raped Claudia Bethel.

As a result, the Court ordered the government to pay damages to the estate of Bethel for the unlawful detention, false imprisonment, assault, and battery that she sustained.

The Court ordered the damages to be urgently assessed by a Supreme Court.

Bethel died at age 35 of COVID-19 in May 2021, a day after giving birth to her fourth child.
On December 13, 2014, Bethel was arrested during a police raid at the Twilight Club.

Bethel, who was fully clothed and working the bar, was arrested along with several other women who were in their underwear.

She was taken into custody despite showing the police a copy of her spousal permit.

Senior Immigration Officer Bastian took her from the Detention Center to ostensibly verify her address.

Instead, he took Bethel to his home and sexually assaulted her.

For his part, Bastian claimed that the sex was consensual.