Leon R. Rouse
Event Date: June 11, 2004
Cruise Bruise: Sexual Assault Of A Child
Age: Unknown
Home Town: Wisconsin/Hawaii
Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Lines
Cruise Ship: Unknown
Details:
Around noon on the day of arrest, Leon Rouse arrived at Pichay Lodging House, where he saw Harty Dancel, a former acquaintance, accompanied by two individuals, Pedro Augustin and Godfrey Domingo. Dancel and Augustin were identified as police officers.
The four of them had lunch in a restaurant, then went back to Rouse's hotel room, number 205 at the Pichay Loding House. Rouse took a shower, Dancel and Augustin left the room, leaving him alone with Godfrey.
Domingo requested to use the bathroom, where he undressed. When there were knocks on the door, Rouse opened the door to waiting police. At that moment, neither Rouse nor Godfrey had clothes on.
Rouse was arrested, he and Godfrey were taken to the police station, where Godfrey Domingo signed a sworn statement, witnessed by his parents, and filed a complaint against Rouse. Godfrey stated he was fifteen years old and Rouse had prompted him into sexual acts. In subsequent interviews, the alleged victim told the same story to Assistant City Prosecutor Aurelio, to one Dr. Caday, and two social workers.
The crime report stated the following. October 4 , 1995, in the City of Laoag, Philippines, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the herein accused did then and there, willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously by using his adult influence and promising to pay 200 pesos ($3.79 US), engage one Godfrey Domingo, a male child who is below 18 years of age, as in fact he is 15 years old, for lascivious acts. He was charged with fondling, performing oral copulation on the child and sodomizing the child.
Circumstantial evidence was admitted to the trial, which included: 1. A twenty-one year old witness had reported that he and Rouse had engaged in sexual activities the day before the arrest, and the Court found that, despite his age, "his physical appearance shows that he looks like a minor".
Rouse was convicted, and served 8 years in New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
Rouse appealed all the way to the Philippine Supreme Court where his appeal was denied on April 23, 2003. It was the last of many appeals made to the court by Rouse.
After complaining of kidney stones, he was released by the Philippine authorities on Sept. 29, 2003, and immediately deported to the US. As a condition of his release he is banished from the Philippines for life.
Rouse claims to be a victim of both physical and emotional torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment at the hands of the prison. He argues that the serious pain he started suffering in 2001 due to his kidney problems, and the fact that he was not able to do the necessary tests and receive a proper diagnosis and treatment, constituted torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.
Former Hawaii state Sen. Andrew Levin wrote to the American ambassador in Manila to look into whether Rouse was denied due process. Levin also asked then-Gov. Ben Cayetano's office for advice about whether the state Legislature should pass a resolution requesting that Congress investigate Rouse's conviction, and assist him.
When Rouse was deported back to the U.S., he returned to Hawaii where he had been a gay rights activist in the early 1990s.
When he returned to Hawaii, State Sen. Roz Baker (D-Maui) gave Rouse a recommendation for a cabin boy job with Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL). Rouse took the job May 2, 2004, but didn’t last long. On June 11, 2004, he was fired after being accused of sexually harassing his male coworkers.
SR-65 was written months after an Aug. 24, 2004, letter to Norwegian, signed by eight Senators and Representatives, failed to win Rouse his job back.
The eight signers of the August 24, 2004 “pedophile letter” are: Sen. Brian Kanno, Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Sen. Rosalyn Baker, Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, Sen. Brian Taniguchi, Rep. Ken Hiraki, Rep. Roy Takumi and Rep. Eric Hamakawa.
In spite of being a convicted child molester, Rouse has received extensive help many elected Democrats and one Republican. According to the May 22, 2005, The Honolulu Advertiser: “U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawaii, and U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, informed a friend of Rouse's on Maui that they had written to the Philippine ambassador to the United States. Both the late U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink, D-Hawaii, and U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, wrote to the State Department.
Sen. Kanno helped Rouse get a job as office manager for State Representative Rida Cabanilla (D-Waipahu). Rouse resigned that position in April 2005, as news of his criminal record came to light. But that was not the end of Rouse career as a legislative aide.
In full knowledge of his conviction, Rouse has been hired in a new position and is now serving one of his original sponsors, Sen. Roz Baker (D-Maui) as a legislative assistant. It is not clear whether Rouse’s position will expire with the end of the legislative session. Rouse is the only employee of a State legislature anywhere in the United States known to have a criminal record for child molestation.
Because he was convicted in a foreign nation, he is not listed as a sex offender in the United States.
Rouse maintained he is innocent of sexual misconduct, saying he was set up and framed by the police, and that he was the victim.
His past history of conviction was not a known fact to NCL when they terminated him for sexual misconduct. Again, he claimed he was the victim.
Leon R. Rouse Cabin Boy
Convicted Pedophile Hired As Cabin Boy
Norwegian Cruise Lines
