Police in Anguilla may be closing in on what Superintendent Rudolph Proctor described as “a sick criminal” thought to be responsible for a recent spate of violent robberies in such areas as Cul de Sac, Lockrum, South Hill and now Shoal Bay and West End.

Deputy Commissioner Richardson and Supt. Proctor

The Police will be bringing in a behavioural scientist from Fort Lauderdale and a composite artist to help to identify the criminal whose behaviour is similar at the crime scenes and whose capture and punishment may just be a matter of time. It is understood that there is another such artist in Anguilla who will be assisting as well.

This information was disclosed at the weekly press briefing on Wednesday, May 9, by Deputy Commissioner Illidge Richardson and Superintendent Proctor. They made the disclosure as they reported two more violent burglaries.

In the first report, around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, May 8, an assailant entered a Villa on the eastern side of Shoal Bay in which five Canadian visitors, one male and four females from the Province of Quebec were staying. The entry was made through a door that was not locked in the ground floor section which was occupied by two women. The intruder assaulted one of them and took over US$1,000 and credit cards from her. The victim managed to get away from him and to lock herself into another room. He attacked the other women in one of the rooms, stabbing her in her abdomen.

The wounded person was admitted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital for treatment and was due to leave the island on Wednesday for Canada. The ladies, first time visitors to Anguilla, arrived on May 5 and the male visitor, who visited Anguilla several times before, came in on May 1. They were able to give the police a description of the suspect.

Proctor said that based on what the police were told the attending surgeon at the hospital had done a good job ensuring that the victim was alive and recovering.

Around 4.42 on Wednesday morning, Police received a report that an intruder entered a residence at West End through a window and demanded money from Dana Schmid and was given US$400. He also took her purse with credit cards. The intruder, who was armed with a kitchen knife, left the house after being pursued by a male person in the house. As he fled he left a shoe behind and dropped the knife about 150 feet from the house. The knife turned out to have been taken from the house. The slipper and the knife will undergo forensic testing in Jamaica and will hopefully bring police a step nearer to the criminal.

“As I said in previous press briefings, we are dealing with a very sick person and we are carefully studying his patterns of behaviour,” Superintendent Proctor said. “We have noticed some changes in patterns as far as this individual is concerned. I think one of the reasons he is changing is that we are closing in the net on him; and if he is listening to us he probably will do himself a favour by turning himself in because we are certainly believe we are closing our net on him. It is just a matter of time.

“We have noticed that his pattern and behaviour are becoming more violent…While there are still some instances of sexual advances, there also seem to be an increase in the sort of violence that he is perpetrating against his victims. He gave other similarities as well as variations of behaviour and expressed the belief that it is the same person committing the crimes.

The Police in Anguilla have been in contact with Canadian officials, the Law Enforcement Officer for the Overseas Territories, Larry Coverington seeking assistance with regard to the behavioural scientist coming to Anguilla. The Police also contacted the American Charges d’Affaires in Barbados for assistance with the composite drawings.

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