Fire brigade officer arrested for raping teen

Kingston, Jamaica: The Assistant Commissioner with Jamaica Fire Brigade, Floyd McLean, will be sentenced on February 9, 2024. He pleaded guilty on Thursday as he was arrested for assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

The alleged incident took place while the victim was volunteering at the Montego Bay Fire Department.

Most importantly, it is to be noted that initially, in August, McLean was charged with attempted raped and sexual touching by the St James police.

However, the charge was reduced to indecent assault on Thursday, to which he pleaded guilty when he appeared in St James Parish court.

Notably, the suspect’s $400,000 bail was extended until his sentencing hearing next year.

It is to be added in the police’s remarks that the teen was on voluntary services at the Jamaica Fire Brigade in Montego Bay at St James when this horrifying incident occurred in July.

Noting this, the Fire Brigadier officer was taken into custody on August 15, 2023, following a report by the girl (victim) to the police’s Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA).

Further on, the accused previously denied all the allegations against him.

Moreover, McLean reportedly joined the office of the fire brigade 33 years ago, and he has remained in the tenure in several leadership positions there.

As soon as this news spread over social media, many people shared their opinions by commenting on the post. One such instance is stated by a person named Alfred Spicer, who wrote;

“A lot of big and untouchable men in Jamaica take advantage of young girls more than their age and they are married men too when you speak the truth it hurts so bad but there are a lot of big men like Mr. Floyd McLean who are doing the same and I hope that he gets the bull bunt of the law and to send a strong message to the other big and untouchable men to leave the little young girls alone.”

Shockingly, there have been ample cases in Jamaica in which religious leaders have been apprehended for sexually assaulting underage girls.

The most recent allegation is against a Kenyan Roman Catholic priest, who has been taken into custody on multiple charges such as,

– Sexual intercourse with a girl under 16-year-old

– Grievous sexual assault

– Abduction of a child

– Sexual touching of a child

Notably, the pastor was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment for rape following a 2014 incident.

While reacting to the matter, Anglican priest Sean Major-Campbell stated, “The abuse and violation of a child is one of the most gruesome and painful acts of violence.”