Disney Cover Up Exposed: 11-year-old girl molested on Disney Dream

[Peter Pirate 2]

I interpreted your post as part tongue in cheek and part a way to "poke a stick" at the Disney apologists.

I can't believe how many posters missed parts of the article. Accept the article as true and there isn't any question of a coverup. One poster thinks DCL could have done a better job covering it up.

Thank you, thank you LewisC. This is a discussion board about Disney and I think this admittedly horrible situation provides the perfect place and time to open people's eyes up as to what 2013 Disney really is (hint, hint it doesn't resemble what Walt started).

 

[swebb0310]

Not that it matters, but here is my two cents.

First, I don't ever believe 100% of any news story. I've been in situations where I was present for a "newsworthy" event, and I know what happened throughout it. Then the newspaper reports are not exactly correct. Sometimes in a positive way, where it sounds better than it was, and the opposite, where it sounds worse. So when it comes to the timeline of events unfolding, it sounds a little too precise to me.

Second, I seriously question why this news broke this week, when the horrible event happened nearly a year ago. Also, I looked for other articles. While there were multiple articles, they all said the exact same thing. No one seemed to have any individual information. It is almost as of, at this point, they are all using the same reporters notes. It is possible that I missed it somewhere, but I couldn't find any of the major, national news stations picking up the story. After over a day since the minor sites/networks reported it, I would think it would have been picked up by ask or news source.

My skepticism over this "cover up" has nothing to with my love of all things Disney. Disney is massive, and has a huge number of employees is Disney the massive organization directly responsible for the chain of events that occurred? I don't think so. I believe people are. I would feel this way whether it was DCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or any other.

Again, I may have missed an article that had a different set of pictures, but the only ones I found were images from the hallway. I can clearly see where the mam is in the elevator with her, and that something is happening. However, I don't think it is crystal clear where you could take one look at it and say definitively what happened. Was there footage from inside the elevator that was not released? I don't know. But if the hallway camera was the only one, I could see where it would take some time to investigate. As important as it is to protect the victims anonymity and support them, it is also important to fairly look into the validity of the claims. Being wrongly accused of something like this does not really go away.

And before you say that I am dismissing her experience, I am not! These are just aspects that I believe very easily could have led to a delay in the timeline and contributed to the ship leaving port before it was settled.

Also, there is a sentence from the article that several others referred to about him not being "relieved of duty" until 7. That could definitely be interpreted as he was on the dining room floor continuing to interact with guests until he was relieved from his ship then. It could also refer to him being officially relieved of duty for the remainder of the cruise. Again, I didn't find anywhere that they had footage of the time he was brought into the office as part of the investigation.

Basically, there were two hours between the incident, and the ship leaving port. Ships are like small cities, as another poster pouted out, it is very well possible that the captain (who would have been the person to stop the ships departure) may or may not have known that he needed to.

I don't disagree that it was handled badly, but to be honest, the exact situation could have happened on another cruise line or in a hotel, or a sports arena. There are many missing pieces of the equation. The one thing I am certain of is that it is there are a lot if bad people in the world, and until there is evidence that they are twisted as this msn was, you can't predict it.

I would be angry with Disney as a whole, or even the DCL as a whole, if I found out that they knew he had a history if such actions and allowed him to continue working and interacting with guests. That has sinister motives, what would be the purpose of protecting him? It doesn't make sense. For me, to stop going to The parks or on the cruise would be unnecessary. However, those who disagree are welcome to cancel trips and things. I'm not trying to persuade you to do or think anything.

I think that ended up being more than two cents.., more like my quarters worth. have a nice day.

 

[eadavis]

Not that it matters, but here is my two cents.

First, I don't ever believe 100% of any news story. I've been in situations where I was present for a "newsworthy" event, and I know what happened throughout it. Then the newspaper reports are not exactly correct. Sometimes in a positive way, where it sounds better than it was, and the opposite, where it sounds worse. So when it comes to the timeline of events unfolding, it sounds a little too precise to me.

Second, I seriously question why this news broke this week, when the horrible event happened nearly a year ago. Also, I looked for other articles. While there were multiple articles, they all said the exact same thing. No one seemed to have any individual information. It is almost as of, at this point, they are all using the same reporters notes. It is possible that I missed it somewhere, but I couldn't find any of the major, national news stations picking up the story. After over a day since the minor sites/networks reported it, I would think it would have been picked up by ask or news source.

My skepticism over this "cover up" has nothing to with my love of all things Disney. Disney is massive, and has a huge number of employees is Disney the massive organization directly responsible for the chain of events that occurred? I don't think so. I believe people are. I would feel this way whether it was DCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or any other.

Again, I may have missed an article that had a different set of pictures, but the only ones I found were images from the hallway. I can clearly see where the mam is in the elevator with her, and that something is happening. However, I don't think it is crystal clear where you could take one look at it and say definitively what happened. Was there footage from inside the elevator that was not released? I don't know. But if the hallway camera was the only one, I could see where it would take some time to investigate. As important as it is to protect the victims anonymity and support them, it is also important to fairly look into the validity of the claims. Being wrongly accused of something like this does not really go away.

And before you say that I am dismissing her experience, I am not! These are just aspects that I believe very easily could have led to a delay in the timeline and contributed to the ship leaving port before it was settled.

Also, there is a sentence from the article that several others referred to about him not being "relieved of duty" until 7. That could definitely be interpreted as he was on the dining room floor continuing to interact with guests until he was relieved from his ship then. It could also refer to him being officially relieved of duty for the remainder of the cruise. Again, I didn't find anywhere that they had footage of the time he was brought into the office as part of the investigation.

Basically, there were two hours between the incident, and the ship leaving port. Ships are like small cities, as another poster pouted out, it is very well possible that the captain (who would have been the person to stop the ships departure) may or may not have known that he needed to.

I don't disagree that it was handled badly, but to be honest, the exact situation could have happened on another cruise line or in a hotel, or a sports arena. There are many missing pieces of the equation. The one thing I am certain of is that it is there are a lot if bad people in the world, and until there is evidence that they are twisted as this msn was, you can't predict it.

I would be angry with Disney as a whole, or even the DCL as a whole, if I found out that they knew he had a history if such actions and allowed him to continue working and interacting with guests. That has sinister motives, what would be the purpose of protecting him? It doesn't make sense. For me, to stop going to The parks or on the cruise would be unnecessary. However, those who disagree are welcome to cancel trips and things. I'm not trying to persuade you to do or think anything.

I think that ended up being more than two cents.., more like my quarters worth. have a nice day.

Very well said, good to see when people are objectively looking at this...

 

[Lewisc]

And the apologists continue.

The story was picked up by the NY Daily News, I offered a link earlier in the thread.

The original source is a local news report.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/disney...-port/-/475880/20250334/-/ekel4e/-/index.html

They "obtained" a copy of the video and a copy of DCLs report. Any other news report is derived from that.

Have any of the apologists bothered to look at the original source?

Disney was suppose to make everyone available to FL police when the ship returned to port. Since the perp wasn't even arrested there isn't anything to put in any database. He's free to seek work on another cruise line.

The same thing could have happened in a sports arena or hotel. NO. The hotel or sports authority couldn't have flown the perp out of the United States in order to avoid arrest. Happen on another cruise line? Absolutely. The industry likes to bury these kinds of incidents.

Why is it coming out now? I can only speculate. Someone with access to the video and report, presumably a current or former employee of DCL, leaked it.

We have the video, the summary of the DCL incident report and the interview with the FL official.

Some people don't believe Disney could do such a thing.

 

[MomToOne]

Again, I may have missed an article that had a different set of pictures, but the only ones I found were images from the hallway.

Unfortunately, the entire survaillence video has been posted to YouTube.

I refuse to post a direct link. I personally find it disgusting that it was even posted. I debated long and hard about even posting this message. However, there are those of you need to see things to believe them, you refuse to believe anything bad about Disney unless you are absolutely confronted with the evidence. So I will tell you I found it by clicking on the cruiselawnews link posted previously in this thread. At the end of that write up is a list of international paper that have covered the story, and a link to those stories. If you click to the link for the Indian paper, there is then a link in that story that will take you to the video. I found the link because I wanted to see how the Indian press was covering the incident, since the perp (actually, PERV is a better label) was from there and returned home there. I saw the video link yesterday, and didn't click on it. I went back today and actually clicked on it only because I wanted to verify that there was nothing terrible displayed before posting this post.

While the video shows only the opening to the elevator and you can't see all of the actions of the individuals, I think it does show enough for me to completely believe the story.

Disney is a company that caters to families. And we vacation there because they provide a good time both my child and I can enjoy. But that doesn't mean I think Disney is committed to the welfare of children and families. They are a large corporation, committed only to profits, stock price and shareholders. And their actions reflect that. Wake up and smell the coffee, folks.

 

[Lewisc]

The link I posted includes video of original story which ran on a local station. It includes a portion of the surveillance video. I suspect that's what's being shown on Youtube.

I posted the link. It only shows exactly what aired on a local NBC affiliate. It seems the report of the girls statement, the confession by the perp in the Bahamas and the still photos posted on the net aren't enough for some of the apologists.

 

[Spacedog1975]

The link I posted includes video of original story which ran on a local station. It includes a portion of the surveillance video. I suspect that's what's being shown on Youtube.

I posted the link. It only shows exactly what aired on a local NBC affiliate. It seems the report of the girls statement, the confession by the perp in the Bahamas and the still photos posted on the net aren't enough for some of the apologists.

I don't think anyone is contesting that these events transpired. I do think it's better to be even handed about the Disney Response if we don't have verification of all the facts. I don't know the hows or whys of their actual response. I'm not willing to speculate from there.

I make no apologies for the man or what he did. Reprehensible. I just feel that I don't have enough data about Disney's response to cast aspersions on them directly. Judging from the single article that has been repeated note for note without additional discovery, would I have handled things differently than they did? Yes. But I don't know their hows and whys and I don't know if the details are a truly accurate picture of the story.

I am not the jury and I have not been presented with all the evidence. We're spinning hard here on one story with but so many paragraphs and no Disney comment.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't think anyone is contesting that these events transpired. I do think it's better to be even handed about the Disney Response if we don't have verification of all the facts. I don't know the hows or whys of their actual response. I'm not willing to speculate from there.

I make no apologies for the man or what he did. Reprehensible. I just feel that I don't have enough data about Disney's response to cast aspersions on them directly.

We know the molestation took place in US waters. We know the offense is subject to US jurisdiction. We know Disney left port without turning the perp over to Florida police. We know Disney said they would make him available when the ship returned to Port Canaveral. We know Disney flew him home to India.

No speculation is necessary.

 

[swebb0310]

I don't think anyone is contesting that these events transpired. I do think it's better to be even handed about the Disney Response if we don't have verification of all the facts. I don't know the hows or whys of their actual response. I'm not willing to speculate from there.

I make no apologies for the man or what he did. Reprehensible. I just feel that I don't have enough data about Disney's response to cast aspersions on them directly. Judging from the single article that has been repeated note for note without additional discovery, would I have handled things differently than they did? Yes. But I don't know their hows and whys and I don't know if the details are a truly accurate picture of the story.

I am not the jury and I have not been presented with all the evidence. We're spinning hard here on one story with but so many paragraphs and no Disney comment.

Exactly! And I would feel this way REGARDLESS of which cruise line had handled it. I am skeptical of any kind of story with this one sided spinning.
The mans actions were unacceptable, and there very well may have been a lapse in judgement in one or more parties actions. I simply disagree that it is so clearly cut and dry as to the handling of it. I want more facts before choosing my verdict. And by more facts, I mean, I want to hear from both sides. Perhaps even an interview with the captain or the individuals who handled the case on the ship.

 

[MomToOne]

Exactly! And I would feel this way REGARDLESS of which cruise line had handled it. I am skeptical of any kind of story with this one sided spinning.
The mans actions were unacceptable, and there very well may have been a lapse in judgement in one or more parties actions. I simply disagree that it is so clearly cut and dry as to the handling of it. I want more facts before choosing my verdict. And by more facts, I mean, I want to hear from both sides. Perhaps even an interview with the captain or the individuals who handled the case on the ship.

But see - that's the whole problem here. Disney "made the problem go away" when they didn't call the police while in port and further made it go away when they put the perp on a plane back to India. Then they kept it quiet for almost a year. So there won't be any interviews with the Captain or the security officers on the ship because Disney has nothing to gain by them telling their story - they are just going to keep everyone quiet, and wait for the story to fizzle out.

 

[arthropodtodd]

Still not seeing a cover up. An offense occurs two hours before the ship set sail. I can imagine that things are busy that close to pulling up anchor, so the time here involved here is most likely what one might expect given the circumstances. Nothing to suggest a cover up except from people who Disney has apparently pooped in their bed because their favorite ride is gone, they can't use their resort mug from 5 years ago, Stitch's Great Escape, or because Disney has lost some magic so now we poo poo Disney and are suspicious of anything they do.

What I see is a lot of questions with no answers. It seems to be a story with a lot of sensationalism, but little facts beyond a one to two page incident report. The guy admits to the offense when questioned 2 days later. What exactly does that mean? Did he sign a written confession? No mention of that. Did he answer a leading question in the wrong way to the Bohemian authorities? Who knows? What did their investigation entail? They either did not think there was enough to go on or they got some whacked out laws down there (which I doubt as they are tourist destination). Why did grandma push to drop the charges? Was she told they would have to leave the boat and cut short their vacation to pursue things? Is there some cultural element we do not know about? The video quite frankly shows nothing in detail that couldn't have been explained away by any half brained defense attorney. "I did not grab her breasts, she slipped..." This would have quickly become a he said/she said case.

As I have experience in working with sexual offenders, I can say that these type of incidents are not the norm. A child is more likely to be assaulted by someone they know, strangers are rarely the case. In fact as I take a mental role of previous clients, I am coming up with a very short list of stranger offenses.

Where is the cover up? It was reported, it was handled by authorities (perhaps by the wrong ones), no charges were filed, it appears he was fired, so they sent him home. Without charges file Disney did not have to apparently fire the guy. Under the law he was innocent. But they got rid of the what appears to be a bad apple.

 

[arthropodtodd]

But see - that's the whole problem here. Disney "made the problem go away" when they didn't call the police while in port and further made it go away when they put the perp on a plane back to India. Then they kept it quiet for almost a year. So there won't be any interviews with the Captain or the security officers on the ship because Disney has nothing to gain by them telling their story - they are just going to keep everyone quiet, and wait for the story to fizzle out.

How did that make it go away? Would you rather have Disney have a press conference when the boat got back, and drag the little girl out and explained what occurred on their ship? Nothing about the case said "Stop this ship!", no charges were filed, the guy was apparently fired and sent pack per his contract. They could have no flew him home, only to get sued by him later.

 

[arthropodtodd]

Exactly! And I would feel this way REGARDLESS of which cruise line had handled it. I am skeptical of any kind of story with this one sided spinning.
The mans actions were unacceptable, and there very well may have been a lapse in judgement in one or more parties actions. I simply disagree that it is so clearly cut and dry as to the handling of it. I want more facts before choosing my verdict. And by more facts, I mean, I want to hear from both sides. Perhaps even an interview with the captain or the individuals who handled the case on the ship.

Exactly we are getting like 5% of the story here. Yet Disney is the big bad guy here. If people feel Disney is sooooooo bad, why go? Why waste time on the Disboards? Are they perfect? Nope. Do they make mistakes? Yes. but get a grip people.

 

[alice99]

Would you rather have Disney have a press conference when the boat got back, and drag the little girl out and explained what occurred on their ship?

No, I would rather have Disney call the Police, LIKE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO!!

Why is that so difficult to understand? The one and only thing Disney should have done is call the Police and let them conduct their investigation.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

The cover up lies in the way Disney handled the alleged incident. The ship was docked at Port Canaveral so Florida authorities should have been notified. The accused crew member should have been detained and turned over to Florida authorities.

The surveillance tape should have been turned over to them as well. Then the prosecutor determines whether there is evidence of a crime. They can also help determine if the ship's registry has anything to do with it.

I hope the prosecutor is able to file charges. Regardless of the victim's nationality or the grandmother's opinions.

If Disney had contacted authorities in Florida this incident would have come to light sooner. The press in Florida would have been aware of it. Disney covered it up by going to the authorities in the Bahamas, and sending the criminal back to India.

The whole thing is disgusting!

 

[arthropodtodd]

No, I would rather have Disney call the Police, LIKE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO!!

Why is that so difficult to understand? The one and only thing Disney should have done is call the Police and let them conduct their investigation.

Actually, Disney is not mandated reporter by law, like therapists and physicians, so they are not required to report an incident like this at all.

I will stick to my belief that we have about 5% of the story. They reported to authorities at the next port, and nothing came of it. Whether or not they could have reported to the local Florida police remains to be seen following what I am sure is an extensive internal policy of reporting crimes.

Also while Florida had jurisdiction, under maritime law so did the country of the flag the ship was flying (which is where the crime was investigated). Disney broke no laws here or did anything wrong. Did they make a choice that I think was bad? Yep.

The whole cruise industry is a mess in general due to maritime laws. Many sexual offenses occur (one site reports that of 206 crimes on ships, 86% where sexual crimes) and do not end up with charges. It is also hard to sue a cruise line as well. Your ticket will typical state where you can sue, it might not be where the boat docks as all.

 

[swebb0310]

Some reporters are willing to report sensational news with fewer facts and are ok with taking freedom with descriptions. It's been 3 days since the story surfaced, and all articles basically have the same facts. The major networks have not picked it up yet, which leaves me wondering why they haven't still. Also, isn't this ratings time?

 

[eadavis]

Some reporters are willing to report sensational news with fewer facts and are ok with taking freedom with descriptions. It's been 3 days since the story surfaced, and all articles basically have the same facts. The major networks have not picked it up yet, which leaves me wondering why they haven't still. Also, isn't this ratings time?

Also, the incident was August 2012...

 

[swebb0310]

Yeah... That was one of the first things that I didn't like about the cover up argument.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Yeah... That was one of the first things that I didn't like about the cover up argument.

Wha??? It would seem people would be a bit concerned that Disney almost got away with the cover up but no, the focus is on the big corporation being taken advantage of. Do you also feel sorry for the 'too big to fail' banks too?