Ruel Ellis Lockwood Trail Begins In Cruise Ship Sexual Assault Sovereign of the Seas

Ruel Ellis Lockwood

Event Date: March 7, 2007

Trial Date: November 12, 2007

Cruise Bruise: Sexual Assault Arrest

Bruise Location: Nassau, Bahamas

Age: 28

Home Town: Nicaragua

Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Ship: Sovereign Of The Seas

Details:

Since March 7, 2007 Ruel Ellis Lockwood, age 28, has been locked away in a prison in the Bahamas, awaiting trial for the alleged rape of an American college student. Lockwood was a crew member onboard the Sovereign Of The Seas.

The alleged rape victim, a student, age 20, at Florida State University, testified before Justice Cheryl Albury. She said that she had been with six friends when she went into Nassau to shop at the straw market. She took her packages back to the ship, then when back to Nassau to party at Senior Frogs, where she had a few drinks.

Then, according to her testimony, she had supper with her friends then went back to one of their cabins to go to sleep.

She awoke with Lockwood on top of her, her bikini bottom off, and him inside of her. She says she fought him off, and he ran into a corner, curled up on the floor, as she tried to wake her friends also in the cabin with her.

The woman says her friends would not wake up, so she ran into the hallway and began banging on the cabin next door that had some other friends of hers inside, and they too would not wake up. At that point she says Lockwood told her that her friends were not going to wake up.

She ran back into the cabin she had been asleep in, and frantically woke up another girl, they rounded up their other friends, and security was called. They in return called the Royal Bahamas Police Force, who escorted her to the Princess Margaret Hospital for a physical examination and rape kit and then to a police station to file a formal report.

UPDATE: November 15, 2007

As the trial continues, the story of sex, turns into a story of sex and lies.

Detective Will Hart of the Central Detective Union, testified that Ruel Ellis Lockwood admitted having sex with the 20-year-old female who filed the complaint.

Hart also said that Lockwood initially denied having any sexual contact with the female, instead alleging the victim repeatedly referred to him as "sexy and cute" throughout the cruise, and that the last time he saw her, she was passed out drunk on the bed in her cabin.

By the next afternoon according to Hart's notes, Lockwood changed his story, claiming that not only was the sex consensual, but it was also the cruise ship passenger's idea.

Reading Lockwood’s statement in court detective Hart testified that Lockwood admitted going to the cabin sometime around 2100 hours (9pm) the night of the incident and having a sexual encounter with the woman. He said an hour later security came to his cabin to question him about the incident.

Hart then testified that Lockwoods was taken to the hospital for a blood sample and then a short time later was arrested and charged with rape.

Crisolodo Dionaldo was chief of security on the cruise ship. He testified that after the passenger made the complaint, he performed a lock interrogation that showed the unique key given to Lockwood as a member of the ship’s housekeeping department opened the door at 8:33pm and 9:47pm. He also testified there were no video cameras in the hallway to record who came in or out of the cabin.

This case is similar to another on Cruise Bruise, where a crew member changed his story from saying he did not have sex with the victim to he did have sex but the sex act was consensual. He was found innocent at trial. It is here

UPDATE: November 16, 2006

Dr. Rodgers-Rolle told the court Wednesday that she did the rape kit on the young woman and that there was an abrasion on the young woman’s vagina that showed signs of forceful sex. She also said there was blood in the alleged victim’s urine.

In another twist in the testimony given by Lockwood, he suddenly remembers that he was having consensual sex with the woman, when her cabinmate woke and saw them. The alleged victim in the case said the other woman was asleep and she wasn't able to wake her up. This is the first time Lockwood had mentioned these details, through all the questioning he was given.

UPDATE: November 20, 2006

Five men and seven women are sitting on the jury in this case, and will decide if a crime took place, and if Lockwood is guilty.The jury came back with a not guilty verdict, 11 to 1 in favor of the defendant.

UPDATE: April 12, 2008

In the latest twist of this case Lockwood is suing for damages pertaining to the charges he was acquitted of. Lockwood spent five days in custody after he was acquitted. He was acquitted on November 19, 2007 around 1430 hours, and the signed court order was delivered to the police station at 1515 hours, with Justice Cherly Albury telling him he was free to leave.

When Lockwood left the ship, with his passport, it was seized by police. But he was not released until November 23, 2007.

Lockwood claims that he did not break the immigration laws of The Bahamas and had the funds to pay for hotel, food and an airline ticket to Nicaragua via Miami, Florida.

Lockwood also claims that there was no lawful reason to detain him as the cruise ship agent had reserved a flight immediately upon receiving notice of the acquittal, and purchased an e-ticket for him on an evening flight to Miami on November 19.

The statement of claim alleges that immigration officers collected Lockwood after 5pm on November 19 – hours after he was acquitted – and transported him to the Detention Centre at Carmichael Road where he was unlawfully detained until Friday, November 23, 2007 by local immigration officials. The statement of claim alleges that because of Lockwood’s "unlawful arrest and detention" he suffered loss and damage.

He seeks damages for breaches of his constitutional rights under Article 19(1) and 19(4) of the Constitution of the Bahamas; exemplary and aggravated damages and compensation pursuant to Article 19(1) and 19(4) and or under the common law for the tort of unlawful detention. Lockwood also seeks costs and any further relief the court may deem just.

The Department of Immigration and the attorney general make no admission that Lockwood had funds to pay his expenses or for an airline ticket or that any ticket had been paid and reserved for him. They claim his travel arrangement were not completed until the day he flew out of the Bahamas.

Other Related Cases: