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A 28-year-old woman from east Trinidad has been released on $40,000 bail after appearing in court charged with having sex with a 13-year-old boy.
Molly “Doodoos” Houllier-Mahabir was granted bail by Magistrate Brambhananan Dubay after appearing in the Arima Magistrate’s Court charged with two counts of sexual penetration with a minor, last Friday.
As part of the conditions of her bail, which her husband stood as surety for, Houllier-Mahabir was ordered to refrain from communicating with the victim, who is now 15.
The offences allegedly occurred at her home between August 2016 and last year.
Under the Children’s Act, sexual penetration is defined as either inserting any body part or object into a child’s bodily orifice or the insertion of a child’s body into a person’s bodily orifice. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Detectives of the Child Protection Unit began investigating the mother of two after video clips were posted on social media.
The woman was arrested and charged last week.
In a press release issued last week, the Children’s Authority noted that society may have a skewed view over such cases involving female adults having sex with underage boys.
“The authority is calling on the public to recognise that sexual abuse of boys is also perpetrated by women and must be reported. Although society often accepts boys having sexual experiences with older women, this must be condemned as it is child abuse,” the release said.
The authority also noted that while it receives frequent reports of physical abuse and neglect of boys, sexual abuse against them is under-reported.
The authority advised parents to speak to their children over the issue.
“Parents and guardians are encouraged to let boys know that they can be sexually groomed by a male or female adult, who will befriend them by building a close relationship in order to gain their trust, with the intention of later engaging in sexual activity,” the release said.
The authority also said that it would provide counselling for the teenager and his family.
The investigation was supervised by Supt Sharon Cooper and ASP Claire Guy-Alleyne of Northern Division’s Child Protection Unit. WPC Marsha John laid the charges.