Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

The neighbours knew him for more than two decades and were almost convinced that he was one of the trustworthy members of the community - until he held and raped a six-year-old girl next door.

"Because the neighbours knew him so long, nobody believed that he would have done it," commented Betty-Ann Blaine, convenor of the Hear the Children Cry organisation.

On the day of incident, the child was left at home with her grandmother, while the mother went out to complete a day's job. Because the other children were at home, the grandmother decided to visit and help a neighbour who lived a few yards down the road.

"The children then went next door to play with this 27-year-old man, not knowing that he was a paedophile. I don't know what happened, but I believe it could have been when the other children scattered away, he probably grabbed the six-year-old girl," relates Blaine.

She explains that after the man was arrested and received bail, he went back to live at the house next door to where the girl he had abused still lived.

"The matter was reported to the police and they came and asked him to move," Blaine recounts.

The Sunday Gleaner has been focusing on the importance of people knowing their neighbours.

As this should assist in protecting children, "Parents need to educate their children at an earlier stage about good touch and bad touch. We must teach our children how to protect themselves," argues Blaine.

A high-ranking member of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) explains how they were able to catch a paedophile who was targeting single parents (women) with young boys. The subofficer said the man would give the boys an assortment of gifts.

Too kind

He became 'too kind', and when the CIB checked him out, they discovered that he had five previous convictions for buggery. He eventually disappeared from the community.

The subofficer warns people to take an interest in knowing who their neighbours are.

"Especially women, they must take mental note of licence plates, because you have criminals who drive around and target some communities. Recently, a serial rapist, who the police arrested, was the driver of a public passenger vehicle," the subofficer reports.

Safety tips to guard against 'bad' neighbours

1. When somebody new moves into the community, keep an eye on them.

2. If a neighbour becomes too kind, especially to children, check them out.

3. Write down the licence plate number of strange cars circling your community. Try to remember at least the first two numbers, the last two letters, the colour and make of the vehicle.