The Canadian tourist accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 80-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer’s at a luxury Bahamas resort has been granted bail and will be allowed to return to his home country.
Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was granted $30,000 bail this week after being charged with rape in the Jan. 28 attack at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas.
“This is devastating,” the victim’s son, David Ahrens, told DailyMail.com, stating that the family received “no notice or details” about a bail hearing before the ruling.
Wilkie, a renewable energy professor at a community college, is accused of separating the vulnerable victim from her daughter in an elevator and raping her in her hotel room.
Prosecutors had opposed bail for Wilkie, but Judge Franklyn Williams granted it on Monday after the suspect’s lawyer raised health concerns, saying his blood pressure was not being adequately treated in jail.
Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was granted bail after being charged with rape in a shocking incident on January 28 at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas.
According to David Ahrens, his 80-year-old mother (above) and sister were together on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack occurred.
Wilkie was eligible for release Thursday, but as of Friday afternoon it did not appear he had posted bail.
His lawyer, Ryszard Humes, declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.
Wilkie will be allowed to return to Canada while he is free on bail awaiting trial, a person close to the case told DailyMail.com.
However, he must return to the Bahamas to appear in court for the filing of a voluntary indictment on May 29 and subsequent arraignment before the Supreme Court, the person said.
A source close to prosecutors said they found it difficult to prove Wilkie was a flight risk and had no previous convictions in the Bahamas, weakening their argument that he should be denied bail.
Last week, DailyMail.com was the first to report that Wilkie is a faculty member at Novia Scotia Community College, where he is majoring in renewable energy, and was placed on leave following his arrest.
Wilkie runs a solar energy installation company and was a renewable energy instructor at NSCC’s Dartmouth campus, according to a 2021 report. CBC News interview.
The victim in the Bahamas rape case is also Canadian, but her family has no connection to the accused attacker other than staying at the same resort during their vacation.
The victim’s son, Ahrens, who is publicly sharing his mother’s photo but asked that his name be withheld, said the family is speaking out to demand “full justice” for her and to warn others about the dangers to victims. vulnerable family members.
According to Ahrens, his mother had traveled with her sister on vacation to the Bahamas when the attack occurred.
Ahrens said her sister kept a close eye on her mother throughout the trip, but the brazen kidnapping unfolded in a split second when they were separated in an elevator.
The victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas (above) on January 28.
Wilkie is a faculty member at Novia Scotia Community College, where he is majoring in renewable energy, and was placed on leave following his arrest.
Wilkie runs a solar energy installation company and was a renewable energy instructor at NSCC’s Dartmouth campus.
Ahrens said that on the last night of the trip, his sister and mother were at happy hour chatting with friends they had met at the resort.
The group included U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice, who was in the Bahamas on a temporary assignment.
That’s when Wilkie, whom they hadn’t met before, was invited to join them, according to Ahrens.
“They thought it was strange, but you know, everyone’s on vacation,” he said.
Ahrens said that when the group of friends got up for dinner, Wilkie also invited himself, which they also found “a little strange.”
After dinner, Ahrens said Wilkie got on the same elevator as her sister and mother, who were headed to their shared room to get ready for bed.
When the elevator reached her floor, the sister got off, but when she turned around to help her mother, the doors were already closing, she said.
He said that, according to his sister, the doors seemed to close faster than normal, but he noticed that there was no camera in the elevator to show whether the “close door” button had been pressed.
“Then panic sets in,” he said. “They were looking for my mother and asking the front desk and security for help, which they didn’t do for over half an hour.”
Warwick Paradise Islands Bahamas did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Officer Justice and other guests immediately joined the search, walking the hotel hallways for approximately 40 minutes and calling out the victim’s name.
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice (above), who was staying at the same hotel, has become a hero in the case.
Canadian real estate agent David Ahrens speaks out to reveal that his 80-year-old mother (with him above) was kidnapped and raped at the Warwick resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas.
When Bahamian police finally arrived, Justice received a group text from resort friends participating in the search and headed to the hotel lobby to meet police.
“He presses the floor he was on, the elevator arrives, the doors open and there’s my mother with the attacker,” Ahrens said.
‘He saw it, and immediately at the same time he could see my mother holding her underwear. So she reacted immediately, she entered the elevator and pinned him down,” she added.
Wilkie was arrested by Bahamian authorities and accused of raping a vulnerable woman in his hotel room.
A hospital assessment confirmed the 80-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted and Ahrens said despite her memory problem she was able to give a detailed statement.
“She gave a statement that night about the incident and it was very, very detailed,” he said.
Although Ahrens was not traveling with his mother, upon learning of the attack he immediately flew and listened in horror as a police sergeant read him the statement his mother had given in the hospital.
‘It’s surprisingly detailed and very disturbing. It’s just horrible. No one should ever hear something like that. Period.’
Ahrens says her sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but she claims hotel staff did not respond to her pleas for help.
The Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte field office issued a statement confirming the incident and praising Agent Justice.
“HSI management is aware of the actions SA Justice took while on temporary duty and is proud of the way it went above and beyond to protect the well-being of others,” the statement said.
“His actions are consistent with the highest standards of this agency.”
Arhen has has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover his mother’s medical and legal expenses. She says her family plans to attend the trial, although not her mother, for fear that the courtroom will be overwhelming for her.
“Ultimately, we have a long road ahead of us in terms of seeking justice for my mother,” he told DailyMail.com on Friday.
‘It is beyond disappointing that any legal system would allow a predator on the streets to roam freely. Citizens, beware.’
