One teenager has been arrested for reportedly raping a 16-year-old aboard the Carnival Sunrise cruise ship after Christmas, according to Our News Bahamas.
The victim was allegedly assaulted after going to the 17-year-old’s cabin shortly after they met. Prosecutors say the unnamed Minnesota teen committed the rape on December 29.
Eyewitness News Bahamas reported that the female victim's parents were in the ship's casino when they were alerted about the incident around 8:00 p.m.
Justice Neil Brathwaite granted the suspect emergency bail on Friday, Jan. 2. This came after he was initially denied bail by Senior Magistrate Algernon Allen Jr.
His emergency bail application was fast-tracked because the accused is a minor. Justice Brathwaite set the bail at $9,900 with one or two sureties and ordered that the teen's movements be monitored via an ankle bracelet.
The juvenile suspect was not required to enter a plea. Additionally, the case has been adjourned to June 25, at which time he can apply for a voluntary bill of indictment.
The Sunshine Class ship was on a 4-night cruise to The Bahamas when the alleged incident took place. Carnival Sunrise departed from Miami, Florida, on Dec. 27 on a getaway to Freeport and Nassau.
The alleged rape of a 25-year-old woman on the Carnival Sunrise was reported days earlier
Less than one month earlier, another alleged sexual assault was reported on the same cruise ship. Cruise Law News reported that two men have been charged with the rape of a 25-year-old woman on the Carnival Sunrise.
Sayjuan Readous, 26, and Antoine Flowers Jr., 28, allegedly changed places during what began as a consensual sexual encounter on Dec. 15.
The victim met Readous at a bar and consented to sexual activity, but after returning to his stateroom, he allegedly left her alone in the pitch-black cabin.
Read more: Stepbrothers accused of raping 25-year-old aboard Carnival cruise ship
Once Readous was gone, Flowers Jr. got into bed with the woman and reportedly had sex with her, unbeknownst to her. She later told investigators that she had no idea the men swapped places until she flicked the lights on.
Royal Bahamas Police Force officers boarded the Carnival Sunrise when it arrived in Nassau and arrested both of the alleged offenders, The Daily Mail reported.
Afterward, authorities charged Readous with rape and aiding and abetting, and Flowers Jr. with two separate counts of rape.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
