Minister of Education Carl Bethel carted off and admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital Friday.
Nassau Bahamas – High sugar levels, a busy schedule, pressures of a looming Cabinet shuffle and a Queen’s College sex scandal all landed the minister of education in the emergency room at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) around 11 am Friday morning.
Minister Bethel had just rapped up an event along with cabinet colleagues, when suddenly the minister began to feel faint. Minister Bethel then asked to be taken to the PMH. Tests revealed the minister’s condition as one having elevated sugar levels which resulted his condition.
A source close to Bradley Roberts former minister of works noted that upon hearing the news, Mr. Roberts said that he wished minister Bethel a speedy recovery. It was also noted that Mr. Roberts stated that he had nothing to do with the mounting pressures on the minister but laid it squarely on Bahamas Press which named Carl Bethel, as the parent of the 17 year old involved in the cover up. The boy – who attends Queen’s College – had sex on the school grounds during an event with a minor 13 year old girl. The administration at the school suspended the minister’s son for one week following the incident.
According to Bahamian law sex with a minor is classified as ‘STATUTORY RAPE’, and all who conceal or fail to report such matters are also guilty of a crime and can find themselves before a court of law. Police have yet to report on the matter at its press briefings and have yet arrested anyone for concealing the incident.
Ministry of Education officials were quick to announce the admittance of the Minister at PMH as if it was orchestrated.
Back in late July of 2005, former president of the College of the Bahamas (COB) Rodney Smith check himself into a Florida hospital, after mounting pressures from quarters of the community called for his resignation as the president of COB. Dr. Smith admitted at that time, to have plagiarised parts of a speech by John Sexton, president of New York University, in an address to the COB Honours convocation. He later after being released from the hospital, resigned amid that scandal.
A source in the FNM camp noted to Bahamas Press, that it is believed that Minister Bethel is contemplating his resignation from the cabinet and this decision could have exacerbated his condition. “News coming out of schools in The Bahamas are not good, and minister Bethel has been hit a hard blow as now this looming sex scandal at Queen’s College involving his son, has been revealed. This also has an added concern with him serving as the minister in that department. And it raises some serious concerns among his colleagues in the FNM,” the source said.
Bahamas Press is calling for the resignation of the principal at the once prestigious Queen’s College. And is asking for the venerable Methodist Church authority to get involved and resolve the matter concerning its school administration.
So Thomas,
Based on your deduction and your reasoning, then we are to assume that it would have been OK with you if someone had done that to your 13 year old daughter, or to another 13 year old female in your family? ……. I’m sure you will not answer this in the affirmative.
Would you have sat back smiling and contented knowing what actually happened to your daughter, while the 17 year old got off scott free?
Or would you have been on the mountain top screaming fo justice and demanding the law takes its course?
That was someone else’s 13 year old daughter, and why would a 17 year old go after a “child”?
So you think that it is OK to commit STATUTORY RAPE?
You have no problem with older males having sex with a 13 year old female?
Are you one of those men who believe that RAPE is ALWAYS the woman’s fault because of the way she dressed, the way she acted etc?
In the case of STATUTORY RAPE the law clearly states that a 17 year old male in this instance IS NOT A MINOR…… So your “LEGAL” argument does not hold water.
STOP THE HYPOCRISY ……. THE LAW IS THE LAW.
And Thomas ……. please do not counter with the pat Carl Bethel’s answer to everything when something bad happens on a school campus THAT IT’S THE GIRL’S PARENTS FAULT ….. NO HOME TRAINING.
Because if you do, then you will have to explain why the parents of the 17 year old male DID NOT provide the proper home training for him …… And why it was NOT the 17 year old parent’s fault.
Thomas, another thing for you to consider …. If the 17 year old was your son, or a family member, and the 13 year old was a Cabinet Minister’s daughter, what do you think would have happened to him then?
Would he have gotten off scott free?…THINK ABOUT IT!!!!.
TEST
Oh now Thomas your READING THE LAW TO US? I thought a few post before this was a silly dumb argument to raise?
So now you have discovered that there is a LAW?
AMAZING! and your reading the clauses and sections to us? Sorry, LATE AGAIN! we did that weeks ago.
Bahamas press
YES! Well lets put it like this. In some countries it is TABOO to be pregnant and not married, are you suggesting that a young ten year old can be raped over and over by an elder and we just cover that up.
CAN’T YOU SEE WHAT THAT IS NOW DOING TO THIS COUNTRY WITH KIDS RAISING KIDS? HOW SOME ARE SO BITTER? And how some persons have done this and gotten away? Who will stand up for the young if this State does not protect the innocent?
What about the first responders who are also culpable under the act that you would like enforced in the QC matter. If yes, fine, but if not, why not?
Wow, would you support reporting all under age girls that give birth at PMH to the police for investigation? Would you support prosecuting their parents/parent?
The law is the law no matter how you feel about it. Just because it is stupid to you, that does not make it ok to break it. Suppose everyone just went about breaking laws that were stupid to them, you think this country is slipping now. And let me get this straight, you want the law changed to make it ok for older men to prey on 13 yr. old girls? Muddo sick! Say what you want about her, but she was innocent at some point until she was turned out by some pedophile like Carl Jr. Do you even know her to say this wasn’t her first time? Get a grip Thomas, stop blaming the victim.
If home girl has been getting her grove on long time she is not innocent.That law is stupid and outdated.There is no victim here. They did their thing together, and willingly. All 13 year olds are not the same. The sanction of jail in this matter is unwarranted. They are both students, and both minors.
JUSTICE WOULD HAVE BEEN SERVED!
Then justice would have been served to that you little girl. And all the young minors at Queen’s College and throughout this country.
What many of you fail to accept is the fact a CRIME has been committed against this State. You cannot have SEX with a minor!
A 30 plus year old Prison officer did the same thing to a 13 year old girl, are you DUMB enough to want the State shut their eyes on that too? WHAT hypocrisy!
Bahamas Press.com/Editor
Ok, Carl resigns, the Principal resigns, and Carl jr. goes to jail. Then what?
I wish Minister Bethel a safe and speedy recovery.
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