Travel Law News

Crew Member Arrested For Sexual Assault

August 26, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)

According to reports by cruise ship rape lawyers, a crew member aboard a cruise ship has been arrested near Juneau Alaska after allegedly sexually assaulting another crew member.

The crew member who was assaulted reported the sexual assault by another foreigner working on a cruise ship M/V Serenade of the Seas(Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines), when the ship arrived at port in Juneau at approximately 9:30 the crew member allegedly sexually assaulted a female crewmember in her cabin. The Turk, Serkan Tezsay, was taken into custody and transported to Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

The Lemon Creek Correctional Center is located in Juneau and is a multi function correctional institute, with the capacity to hold 164 male and female inmates.

If you have been the victim of a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines employee cruise ship sexual assault such as cruise ship gang rape, anal rape, or oral rape, there are experienced California, Orange County and Los Angeles cruise ship attorneys who can be reached at 888-400-9721.

According to a report released by the U.S. State Department, each year nearly 50,000 victims fall prey to a drug commonly known as the Date Rape Drug. The proper name for this drug is Scopolamine. Many cruise ship rape attorneys suspect this date rape drug is commonly used in cruise ship rapes.

The Date Rape Drug that is typically used in many rapes causes the victim to be in a state of compliance or a zombie like state during the act of rape and then later the victim has no memory of it happening at all. It is an established fact that victims of rape avoid reporting the crime to the police in about 84% of actual rape cases. According to statistics, there are about 400 sexual assaults committed yearly on cruise ship lines. That is the reported cases.

With the introduction of the date rape drug, the non-reported rapes on cruise ships could be much higher than statistics have shown. It is suspected that crew gang rapes are happening to victims with the use of the date rape drug. The victim does not recall it ever happening because of this date rape drug.

Cruise ship date rape attorneys have identified the fact that victims are usually drugged through beverages and could later be raped in cabins or they are taken to other parts of the ships, like storage closets, or janitor rooms, and raped. This drug comes in many forms.

It can be sprinkled into food or sprinkled onto chewing gum, blown into the face of a person, dropped into the bodice of a woman’s dress or blouse or even put on the collar of a shirt. Just a few grains of the drug can bring about dramatic results. The only sign you may have been drugged afterward is a severe headache that last for a few days.

If you ever suspect that you have been the victim of this date rape drug and raped while onboard a cruise ship line do not hesitate reporting your suspicions to the ships doctor. Do so immediately. Insist a full report is made with all facts recorded for your own protection later on. Also insist that the ships doctor do a rape kit examination. If the ship doctor is not willing to test for this, have one done off the ship as soon as you reach a port of call. Do not shower or bath until this rape test is done.

They will be looking for DNA from others on your person. You may have to wait till you return home to have this test done.
If you have any bruises, cuts or scrapes, take pictures of them to show to the authorities if need be. As soon as possible, contact one of the experienced cruise ship rape attorneys in to bring suit against the cruise line for negligence. If you were raped on a cruise liner, call 888-400-9721.

Is cruise ship rape a genuine risk? Experienced Cruise Ship Rape Lawyers who sue cruise liners for negligence, know that the very real danger of rape onboard a cruise ship can turn a young woman’s, or little boy’s dream vacation into a nightmare. The atmosphere onboard a cruise ship which if rife with the party atmosphere of drinking and gambling coupled with the lack of law enforcement presence, can leave young women and children vulnerable to rape while onboard a cruise ship.

Every year many young high school graduates will celebrate their graduation accomplishment by going on a cruise. Parents worry about the safety of their daughters on these cruise ship vacations. Rape does happen on onboard these cruise ships, and past incidents went largely un reported. Who should be held liable? Should it be the cruise lines? Many argue that yes, they are liable because they did not provide protection for their passengers while onboard.

Seeking to keep good public relations going for their industry, cruise ship lines have a strong past propensity to deny there are problems of this nature onboard their ships. In truth, as their policy now stands, every trip can be a tragedy waiting to happen. Violent crimes of rape are rare but they do occur occasionally. Cruise ships are not required to have law enforcement personnel onboard and are under no compulsion to report any crimes while at sea. They do voluntarily report serious crimes such as rape and homicide to the FBI but are not required to by law.

Legislators are always working hard to pass bills that will require cruise ship lines to hire and place peace officers onboard ever cruise. If passed, these types of laws will greatly help personal injury lawyers in New Port Beach and other Orange county cities to hold the cruise ship line responsible for rape onboard a cruise ship. Any young woman, or child, who has suffered such an attack needs to turn to an experienced personal injury lawyer for help in her bid to hold the cruise ship industry liable for her injuries. New Port Beach, Los Angeles and Marina del Rey personal injury attorneys can help with their knowledge and experience in winning these cases.

Whether the bill passes or not, it would be in the cruise industries best interest to hire law enforcement personnel to protect it’s passengers. Many personal injury cases have been awarded against these cruise lines. There is legal recourse the victims can take with help from personal injury attorneys. Rape does not have to just be ignored because it happened out of police jurisdiction. If you or someone you know has been raped onboard a cruise ship, do not hesitate to call a personal injury lawyer.

If you have been the victim of a cruise ship rape you will need the expertise of a cruise ship rape attorney and in Orange County they can be reached at 888-400-9721.