The Liccle Tief Bwoy – Who is the real victim?

One night in Antigua, Mr Special and I were relaxing in the hotel room. I think this may have been the day of the boat trip. We had been out all day as it was around 7ish (the time when most people would have gone to dinner).

I was sitting at the dressing table just fussing, probably doing my hair or something girly and Mr Special was reading or reviewing photos or something of that sort.

I heard a rattling of keys in the door; it was like someone was trying a key, and it not working so they were trying another. I was scared because the story about the two British honeymooners that got murdered in the hotel room (link) was still in my head it was only a year ago.

Also I remember clearly that Antigua has 15,000 illegal immigrants (remember in my last post I told you about the size and the population this is a lot) and because of this, resourses like the police and hospitals are now overstretched.

Anyway I said in a quiet voice to Mr Special

“Babe I think someone is trying to get in”

Mr Special did not business he is a fearless black man so he walked over to the door waited until the next key got pulled out and then opened in really quickly.

On the other side was a skinny teenager with a stripy t-shirt a plastic bag and a surprised look on his face.

“Yeah?” Mr Special asked, in a very annoyed voice

“Erm….erm……towels” the boy said “they asked me to change towels I must have the wrong room”

“Babe shut the door!” I said

I was alarmed because the boy wasn’t holding any towels and I was thinking he would just shoot us or something.

Mr Special closed the door and I called reception.

Let me tell you they were fantastic they called security that moment and security caught him.

Later on we found out that he was an ex employee who had broken into the housekeeping office and had stolen the keys. He had broken into every room along the row and ours was the last one. He had stolen ipods and valuables (which is strange because I would have my valuables locked away) but luckily everything was returned.

Mr Special was gutted, he said it was his one chance to give someone a good beating (lol) and even I was angry but when I heard more I changed my stance.

He was let go in January and had another job in construction but was also let go from that as well He was young and had a baby.

I really think that he had just become desperate. With no job seekers allowance or unemployment benefits that we have here he must have been desperate to feed his child.

People will do anything when desperate.

You have to ask yourself, who is the real victim here?

Do you think it’s the tourists who are all insured for their loss of items and didn’t lock up anything? (even if we were not in, he wouldn’t have got anything from our room we locked up everything)

The boy, who was jobless, hungry and desperate who will now go to jail and from what I know, jail in the Caribbean isn’t the hotel that it is in the UK. Jail always fails to rehabilitate anyone so he will just come out hardened and ready to commit more crimes.

Or the child, who probably wont know their daddy for a long time. Who will go hungry at night and if he/she survives will probably grow up to be just as desperate

I’d love to know who you think suffers the most in situations like this.