Orlando Sentinel story about "inappropriate fondling" on the Dream

[PizzieDuster]

Also, as a PR professional...once it goes national you can no longer get ahead of it. When bad news goes national, you play catch-up and it looks like you are on the defensive and not the offensive side. Regardless of what has or might happen with this particular case, Disney as a Corp needs to come out with all the facts on this now and tell the public how they have corrected policy to avoid in the future. Everyone makes mistakes, but the public is far less forgiving if they feel you are only admitting the mistake because you got caught & had to.

Very interesting. It's national now. I think you are right. Wonder what DCL's next step will be? Address it?

 

[anna08]

Yes, I'm sorry...that's what I was trying to say...my understanding is that unless reported on our shores, a molestation of a Brazilian girl by an Indian man on a ship registered in the Bahamas cannot be persued by FL police. However, if the police had been called when docked, regardless of what the grandmother ultimately decided, law states that the FL officers were required to investigate. Since, it wasn't reported at that time, the little floating piece of the Bahamas went to the real Bahamas, where the law requires the victim (or guardian) to officially file a complaint.

I don't think it is beyond the realm of possibility, that between the time the ship left port & arrived in Nassau someone(s) aboard convinced the family to let it go. They fire the employee, ship him home, make the gesture a Vegas dealer makes when they are "out" and hoped the report wouldn't be turned up. Which it has.

I adore Disney, as many of us do, but the best thing they can do now is come out and say they made a terrible mistake and are doing x, y & z to ensure something like this never happens again. My degree is in PR, and for a business steeped in the care & entertainment of children this is their best option now.

Staying silent or advising they "only knew a girl was made to feel uncomfortable" won't appease their consumers or investors. They want to know their children are safe in their hands regardless of any other facts in this event. Disney needs to come out ahead of this and strongly emphasize what they are doing now to stop these kinds of incidents.

Sounds like Joe Paterno, doesn't it. The sad reality is that we will never know the real course of action that DCL/the captain/security took that day, as they are not answerable to anyone. All it leaves is a real feeling of mistrust in DCL, a pedophile on the loose that could very well be back in the US or on another cruise line, and an unfortunate girl with whatever psychological sequelae she has.

This scenario reminds me of the many incidences of sexual assault on college campuses that never get put through official processes. Remember to call the real police when a crime occurs - never campus (or cruise) security!

 

[PizzieDuster]

Sounds like Joe Paterno, doesn't it. The sad reality is that we will never know the real course of action that DCL/the captain/security took that day, as they are not answerable to anyone. All it leaves is a real feeling of mistrust in DCL, a pedophile on the loose that could very well be back in the US or on another cruise line, and an unfortunate girl with whatever psychological sequelae she has.

This scenario reminds me of the many incidences of sexual assault on college campuses that never get put through official processes. Remember to call the real police when a crime occurs - never campus (or cruise) security!

 

[Rogillio]

Looks like it has started to go national and international.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...server-33-molested-girl-11-ship-elevator.html

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2013/0...ampaign=Feed:+CruiseLawNews+(Cruise+Law+News)

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...ort/-/4714498/20236926/-/ve0helz/-/index.html

http://www.etravelblackboardasia.co...olestation-by-crew-member-of-11-year-old-girl

Are you serious? Not a legitimate news source here.

 

[PizzieDuster]

Are you serious? Not a legitimate news source here.

Never mind the non legitimate news source. What do you think of the video?

 

[bumbershoot]

Never mind the non legitimate news source. What do you think of the video?

Without reading the article, it looked like he was leaning in to talk to her, and was gesturing. It didn't look like he was doing ANYTHING weird.

Then if you read the article, what she said he did and what they said he did, I could sort of say "hmm, OK", but.... Honestly I still see nothing. The video does nothing with me.

 

[Bella29]

I am stunned that the captain left port instead of reporting this to the local authorities immediately. How dare they keep a known pedophile on board and then pay his way back to India so he can escape prosecution?!? They have the girl's story, completely backed up by video proof that identifies the monster. They let him roam the ship for a few more hours, then drop him off in the Bahamas and pay his fare home?? So he can continue to travel the world assaulting little girls instead of sitting in a Bravard County jail where he belongs? This is truly atrocious.

This happened nearly a year ago. How many other incidents like this have they covered up? We can only assume there are more, this guy was pretty brazen to do that right in the lobby. Disney is contradicting their own ship incident reports by claiming they knew nothing until they were away from Florida and then reported it in a timely manner... absolute bs. My trust in this company is seriously shaken.

We have cruised DCL three times in the past and loved it and highly recommended it to others (note the past tense), but I am considering canceling our two rooms booked on the Fantasy this fall as well as all future trips if this is how casually they treat pedophiles.

If anyone from Disney is reading this, shame on you Disney, I really expected more of you.

 

[Bella29]

Without reading the article, it looked like he was leaning in to talk to her, and was gesturing. It didn't look like he was doing ANYTHING weird.

Then if you read the article, what she said he did and what they said he did, I could sort of say "hmm, OK", but.... Honestly I still see nothing. The video does nothing with me.

what? did you watch this entire report? For over 43 seconds he's grabbing her and you can see her feet trying to get away.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/di...ort/-/1637132/20227248/-/1hsdp6z/-/index.html

 

[tinkerone]

Never mind the non legitimate news source. What do you think of the video?

I just watched the video again and if you take out all the 'noise' of the news caster it doesn't look as bad as everyone assumes. watch it again without sound. I have had officers walk up to me at the elevator and hold the door to chat. did he grab her breast? not saying he didn't cause it sounds like he did but can you see that clearly in the video? no. he could have just reached his arm out to prevent her tripping. It could easily explain it. maybe he entered after her to push the floor button, again, I have had them do this for me and i'm not someone they would be looking to molest, trust me.
disneys big but they can't hide a molestation, i'm not sure they tried. they did what they did and they didn't break any laws that I can see. you may not like it ethically but it is what it is.
what i'm trying to get across is that it sounds like people are on a witch hunt. he is guilty and that's that. I as well think he is but is that fair?
and as far as the police not being involved, did you happen to hear them having a fit last august because they should have been taking care of this? no you did not, their only talking now cause they have to make themselves look like it wasn't their fault, they did every thing they could. but didn't they drop the ball as well????? where was their follow up and outrage??
its over, learn from it. hold your children closer to you. thank god they are safe.
and move on.

 

[PizzieDuster]

I just watched the video again and if you take out all the 'noise' of the news caster it doesn't look as bad as everyone assumes. watch it again without sound. I have had officers walk up to me at the elevator and hold the door to chat. did he grab her breast? not saying he didn't cause it sounds like he did but can you see that clearly in the video? no. he could have just reached his arm out to prevent her tripping. It could easily explain it. maybe he entered after her to push the floor button, again, I have had them do this for me and i'm not someone they would be looking to molest, trust me.
disneys big but they can't hide a molestation, i'm not sure they tried. they did what they did and they didn't break any laws that I can see. you may not like it ethically but it is what it is.
what i'm trying to get across is that it sounds like people are on a witch hunt. he is guilty and that's that. I as well think he is but is that fair?
and as far as the police not being involved, did you happen to hear them having a fit last august because they should have been taking care of this? no you did not, their only talking now cause they have to make themselves look like it wasn't their fault, they did every thing they could. but didn't they drop the ball as well????? where was their follow up and outrage??
its over, learn from it. hold your children closer to you. thank god they are safe.
and move on.

Wonder if the little girl is over it? Let's hope she is. Let's hope she won't be afraid to get into an elevator alone ever again. Let's hope EVERYONE learns from it.

I'm not blaming Disney. I'm disgusted with this CM.

Yes it was rude. I apologize to all I offended. Sorry.

 

[Bella29]

I just watched the video again and if you take out all the 'noise' of the news caster it doesn't look as bad as everyone assumes. watch it again without sound. I have had officers walk up to me at the elevator and hold the door to chat. did he grab her breast? not saying he didn't cause it sounds like he did but can you see that clearly in the video? no. he could have just reached his arm out to prevent her tripping. It could easily explain it. maybe he entered after her to push the floor button, again, I have had them do this for me and i'm not someone they would be looking to molest, trust me.
disneys big but they can't hide a molestation, i'm not sure they tried. they did what they did and they didn't break any laws that I can see. you may not like it ethically but it is what it is.
what i'm trying to get across is that it sounds like people are on a witch hunt. he is guilty and that's that. I as well think he is but is that fair?
and as far as the police not being involved, did you happen to hear them having a fit last august because they should have been taking care of this? no you did not, their only talking now cause they have to make themselves look like it wasn't their fault, they did every thing they could. but didn't they drop the ball as well????? where was their follow up and outrage??
its over, learn from it. hold your children closer to you. thank god they are safe.
and move on.

If you turn the sound back on, you'll hear that that video is sped up, he is holding onto the girl for FORTY-THREE seconds. Look closely and you'll notice he's not holding the elevator door, he's holding HER. He leans down while he's holding her, to FORCIBLY KISS her. The video completely agrees with the girl's story, which was reported almost immediately. And the pedophile did admit that he was guilty of doing it. So this is nothing like a witch hunt, and there is every reason to be outraged that Disney did not immediately call the police.

The police were not informed until after the ship was in the Bahamas, and at that point they say they thought they would be allowed to investigate when the ship returned. When the ship returned, it turns out oops, no investigation is possible because Disney paid the pedophile's fare home.

If you're not outraged by this, I don't know what to say. But please do not call this a witch hunt without evidence of a crime or try to blame the police when they were not informed at the appropriate time - 4:48pm or sooner.

As for why there was no publication of this between August 2012 and May 2013, I don't know. Someone certainly should answer for that. But it in no way mitigates the horror of the initial crime and the coverup whether it was one year ago or ten before the public found out.

 

[sweethannah]

I just watched the video again and if you take out all the 'noise' of the news caster it doesn't look as bad as everyone assumes. watch it again without sound. I have had officers walk up to me at the elevator and hold the door to chat. did he grab her breast? not saying he didn't cause it sounds like he did but can you see that clearly in the video? no. he could have just reached his arm out to prevent her tripping. It could easily explain it. maybe he entered after her to push the floor button, again, I have had them do this for me and i'm not someone they would be looking to molest, trust me.
disneys big but they can't hide a molestation, i'm not sure they tried. they did what they did and they didn't break any laws that I can see. you may not like it ethically but it is what it is.
what i'm trying to get across is that it sounds like people are on a witch hunt. he is guilty and that's that. I as well think he is but is that fair?
and as far as the police not being involved, did you happen to hear them having a fit last august because they should have been taking care of this? no you did not, their only talking now cause they have to make themselves look like it wasn't their fault, they did every thing they could. but didn't they drop the ball as well????? where was their follow up and outrage??
its over, learn from it. hold your children closer to you. thank god they are safe.
and move on.

He kissed an 11 year old and fondled her. He admitted it. Instead of paying for his crime it was covered up by all parties in authority Disney included. I'm sorry that so many people feel like they need to defend Disney at all cost but in this case MANY employees of Disney failed to protect this girl and other children this man might encounter.

The Port Canaveral police could not look into the case, even though the assault was reported to the cruise line before the ship left the port, because Disney Cruise Line did not tell them immediately. They were notified the next day instead. ..... Port Canaveral police Chief Joseph Hellebrand told WKMG his department had a detective ready to go when the ship returned to port on Aug. 10. But Disney had already put Braganza on a plane to India, so they lost their chance.

 

[tinkerone]

Wonder if the little girl is over it? Let's hope she is. Let's hope she won't be afraid to get into an elevator alone ever again. Let's hope EVERYONE learns from it. Ever been molested? I haven't, but is it easy to get over it?

I'm not blaming Disney. I'm disgusted with this CM.

Yes it was rude. Fondling her was rude.

I said its over, lets learn from it. I did not say lets get over it. this is a perfect example of twisting words. I also don't believe there is any place where I said I doubted the child but you may want to throw that in there. and yes I in fact DO hope everyone learns from this. it would be a waste if we didn't.
also the mention was not about fondling the child, it was 'just helping her by pushing her buttons/ur I mean the buttons for her while entering the elevator". that's offensive and if your female it should be offensive to you as well!
again, don't put words in my mouth......thanks!

 

[tinkerone]

He kissed an 11 year old and fondled her. He admitted it. Instead of paying for his crime it was covered up by all parties in authority Disney included. I'm sorry that so many people feel like they need to defend Disney at all cost but in this case MANY employees of Disney failed to protect this girl and other children this man might encounter.

The Port Canaveral police could not look into the case, even though the assault was reported to the cruise line before the ship left the port, because Disney Cruise Line did not tell them immediately. They were notified the next day instead. ..... Port Canaveral police Chief Joseph Hellebrand told WKMG his department had a detective ready to go when the ship returned to port on Aug. 10. But Disney had already put Braganza on a plane to India, so they lost their chance.

so why didn't they? why didn't the police board the ship and at least take notes? I work for a bank and if we contact the police they have to come even if we say sorry, no longer a problem. its protical. so, did they when the ship returned? it was a case they were informed of. guess not cause it was 'over'.
i'm not saying Disney did no wrong. i'm saying Disney did what they were allowed to do or it would not have been done.

 

[sweethannah]

so why didn't they? why didn't the police board the ship and at least take notes? I work for a bank and if we contact the police they have to come even if we say sorry, no longer a problem. its protical. so, did they when the ship returned? it was a case they were informed of. guess not cause it was 'over'.
i'm not saying Disney did no wrong. i'm saying Disney did what they were allowed to do or it would not have been done.

The did come when the ship returned but the suspect was no longer in the country thanks to Disney. Why didn't Disney hold the man until the return to Florida? Disney essentially let.the.man.go.

I work at a bank too..... what we don't do is put a bank robber on a plane and send him back to his home country before the police arrive to do their job. Oh and pay for his ticket too.

Just because you are allowed to do something does not make it ethically right. One would hope that when it comes to the molestation of children Disney would do all things possible to ensure the culprit was brought to the full justice of the law, instead the man was allowed to get off scott free. Why didn't Disney leave the accused in Florida before setting sail? Disney notified the Florida authorities too late. A case like this with video footage should have been examined BEFORE the ship was allowed to leave the port. They came to the ship when it arrived back in Port, I do not know what they investigated once they found the suspect was no longer there and neither do you. That really is just a distraction from the greater problem and that is the fact that the SUSPECT wasn't there in the first place because he was allowed to go free.

 

[tinkerone]

The did come when the ship returned but the suspect was no longer in the country thanks to Disney. Why didn't Disney hold the man until the return to Florida? Disney essentially let.the.man.go.

I work at a bank too..... what we don't do is put a bank robber on a plane and send him back to his home country before the police arrive to do their job. Oh and pay for his ticket too.

Just because you are allowed to do something does not make it ethically right. One would hope that when it comes to the molestation of children Disney would do all things possible to ensure the culprit was brought to the full justice of the law, instead the man was allowed to get off scott free. Why didn't Disney leave the accused in Florida before setting sail? Disney notified the Florida authorities too late. A case like this with video footage should have been examined BEFORE the ship was allowed to leave the port. They came to the ship when it arrived back in Port, I do not know what they investigated once they found the suspect was no longer there and neither do you. That really is just a distraction from the greater problem and that is the fact that the SUSPECT wasn't there in the first place because he was allowed to go free.

where did you get that from? what I heard on the video was that they made plans to meet the ship but didn't because the man was gone. I would think they would still want to interview someone and have a record on file. his name could be put in the data base at homeland security. is that not right??
i'm going to unsubscribe from this thread. there is to much tension and way to much miss information. you say something and the words get scrambled. its like that game where you whisper in some ones ear and the farther it goes down the line the more mashed up it gets. plus people are getting mean and that usually means its time to go. i'm normally alright with having my posts questioned but I found one person has tipped the table for me by trying to put their own spin on my words in a negative way and that's a FOR SURE sign its time for me to go.
my thoughts and prayers are with that child tonight. lets all have a little prayer for her.

 

[justmestace]

so why didn't they? why didn't the police board the ship and at least take notes? I work for a bank and if we contact the police they have to come even if we say sorry, no longer a problem. its protical. so, did they when the ship returned? it was a case they were informed of. guess not cause it was 'over'.
i'm not saying Disney did no wrong. i'm saying Disney did what they were allowed to do or it would not have been done.

DCL did NOT do what they should have done, which was call the police in Florida before the ship ever left the port, because that's where the crime occurred and they still had the time....and/or should have MADE TIME to call the police.

If you think about it, every rape and child molestation is a matter of "he said, she said"...in other words, a woman (sometimes a man) calls police, or someone in authority, and says they were raped or molested. The cops don't wait for proof or to identify the suspect, they GO TO THE VICTIM right away to get information.
In this case, DCL didn't give the Florida police the chance to do that.

They were wrong, and there's no way of denying that. Even if the little girl was lying, DCL should have still called the police. It wasn't their decision to make.

 

[justmestace]

I have to say, I'm really glad to see that only a few people who have posted are defending DCL and/or its employees and trying to twist every possible angle to make DCL not look guilty here.


"It's a witch hunt" "Blame the media" "The video doesn't show anything"

And people wonder why women are reluctant to go to the police after they've been raped.

 

[Bella29]

so why didn't they? why didn't the police board the ship and at least take notes?

I apologize if you feel your words are being twisted, but honestly I feel like there is a disconnect here. Like maybe we saw/read two different news reports? This is a quote directly from the channel 6 report:

"When DCL did notify Port Canaveral police of the crime, on Aug. 6, chief Hellebrand said the department assigned a detective to meet the ship when it returned on Friday Aug. 10, assuming the victim and suspect would be made available."

They investigated but could only review the incident report and ship video. The perpetrator was no longer available to interview, because Disney gave him a get out of jail free pass home.

So now he's home in India, or maybe he's moved onto his next cruiseline job. He's currently on facebook, with plenty of friends who are presen employees of DCL and Carnival, so maybe they'll give him a job referral and we'll next see him in another disgusting elevator video. Or maybe he's victimizing children on land in India. We don't know, because Disney didn't turn him over to the proper authorities. This is what I am perturbed about.

i'm not saying Disney did no wrong. i'm saying Disney did what they were allowed to do or it would not have been done.

We'll have to agree to disagree then, because I am saying Disney DID WRONG. In my opinion, they have broken the law by not reporting this crime and turning this criminal over to the Bravard County police. They have also broken my trust in them as a customer. I very much believe that they need to answer for their actions.

I am not saying this to be "mean" or cause "tension", but because I believe that ordinary people have to stand up to pedophiles and those who cover up their crimes. I will not support a company that covers up the assault of an 11 year old and lets a pedophile escape justice.

I do agree with you on one point tinkerone, and I will certainly join you in praying for this innocent little girl tonight, as well as the other victims of this piece of garbage.

 

[lorenni]

I'm not sure the outcome would have been any different even if Disney had stayed put and called the police.

What happened was awful, but since when does anyone to to jail for what this man did? He would have been read Miranda rights and appointed a lawyer. There would probably be no confession. And this video seems unlikely to result in a conviction without a confession. Because he is not a US citizen the odds are he would have been deported as part of any process in the US. Same result - whether or not it seems the result is fair.