Commissioner of Police Enville Williams has spoken out against highlighting murder victim Sebastian John’s convictions as a sex offender, saying doing so could suggest that his slaying is justified.
John, of Ottley Hall, who was recently released from prison, three years after he was caught outside a 3-year-old girl’s bedroom with his penis in his hand, was among two people shot and killed in separate incidents in St. Vincent on March 25.
A video has been widely circulated on social media, appearing to show two people shooting John multiple times as he was lying on the ground.
The video had the following text on the lower half of the frame:
“IN WEST KINGSTOWN WE DON’T TOLERATE MOLESTING LITTLE GIRLS, CHILD MOLESTERS WE URGING Y’ALL TO STOP EYEING CHILDREN IS Y’ALL WILL BE DEALT WITH ACCORDINGLY! TAKE THIS AS A WARNING ! NOT A THREAT WESTBANK 6IX NEVER DIE TO IT WIT JOY”.
Some people have interpreted this as suggesting that John was murdered because of his sex crimes.
At a press conference in Kingstown on Wednesday, Williams stopped a journalist mid-sentence as he attempted to ask about the murder of the “sex offender”.
“I’m going to stop you. Two guys shot somebody. Continue,” Williams said.
The journalist, however, noted that John was, in fact, a sex offender, noting that he was convicted of the offence.
Williams, however, countered:
“When you say sex offender, you make it look like it was an act of revenge… The whole idea is to get us from a society not to look at crime from a vigilante standpoint…
“So every act of crime must be looked at as an unacceptable act of criminality, but when we put ‘who was convicted for her sex offence’, it make it sound like vigilante justice is OK. And it is not.”
Asked to comment on the incident and to give an update on the investigation, the police chief noted that SVG had recorded four murders “in quick succession”.
“And I want to appeal to the Vincentian public. I want to appeal first of all to the young men and young women who were committing these acts of violence to cease and desist,” Williams said.
” First of all, you’re putting your country in a bad light. Secondly, you’re creating undue pain and suffering for parents and siblings and children,” he said, noting that the court of law exists to resolve issues among people.
“Go to the police and we’ll figure it out together to get justice for you. Do not ever take justice in your own hands,” the police chief said.
“I want to say to the Vincentian public that the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force will not rest until we’ve brought perpetrators to justice. “
He said that while it might seem that the police are not doing anything, “we are working assiduously to maintain your peace and your safety and your comfort, because that’s what we are there for”.
Williams noted that the police brought charges last year in connection with several cold cases.
“… we’ve never stopped working on your behalf and for you, and so we’ll continue to work to bring offenders to justice.”
Williams appealed to the public not to share the video appearing to show John behind shot.
He urged the public not to glorify crime and violence “because by sharing it, we are glorifying it.
“By sharing it, we are giving the perpetrators a mechanism to pat themselves on the back and say, ‘Good job.’ Every share and every like is saying, is playing to the ego that you’ve done something good, and it helps the cycle of violence to continue.”
Williams said that sharing the video is a crime under the Cyber Act, but said that outside of that, he wants to “appeal to our people, our sense of decency, our sense of morality, not to share these acts of violence, because you’re glorifying somebody who is basically a fool”.
“At this point, I am not at a place where I can answer it comfortably. When I have a comfortable answer, I would share it, but I can’t answer it comfortably,” the police chief said.
“As it relates to investigation, all investigations are ongoing. I cannot, at this point, give you an update on that particular one where it is, but … as soon as I get an update on it, I will share it.”
