Event Date: June 19, 1997
Cruise Bruise:  You Decide
Passenger Name: Jane Doe
Age:  35
Home Town: California
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Cruise Ship:
Details:

A California woman aboard a Royal Caribbean ship with her parents sought help immediately after she was sexually assaulted.

The woman had spent some time in the ship's nightclub before returning to her cabin about 4 A.M.

Records show that she consumed only a non-alcoholic drink in the nightclub. ''

She says she put her key into the slot to open the door, she put one foot in and was pushed from behind.

She said she fell onto her hands and knees but fought to save her life.

People in the cabin next door heard the commotion, but did not summon help.

Her injuries were so severe that she was on crutches for two weeks, according to court records and her lawyer.

When her attacker left, she called her father and he alerted the ship's security. Within hours, the woman had identified her attacker in a line-up as Jorge Virtucio, a member of the cleaning crew.

Questioned that day by a ship's security officer and a company lawyer who had been flown in, Mr. Virtucio denied being anywhere near a passenger, saying he had been washing decks at 4 in the morning. When asked about scratches on his body, he said they were from minor work accidents.

Mr. Virtucio was indicted and, as his trial approached, DNA evidence linked him to the assault.

He switched his story and his lawyers argued that the woman had consented to sex. A jury found him innocent.

The woman sued Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Her lawyer, Johnna J. Hansen, said the cruise line had appeared to cooperate with her client and had notified the F.B.I. at the woman's request. But she said that the cruise line had tried to make sure no one else on the ship heard about the incident and that F.B.I. agents were delayed for several hours before boarding the ship. During that time, she said, her client's room had been cleaned, making it harder to gather evidence.

Alleged Cruise Ship Sexual Assault
June 19, 1997
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines