New details emerge about Canadian tourist accused of kidnapping and raping an 80 year old grandmother with Alzheimer’s at a luxurious resort in the Bahamas.
Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was arrested and charged with rape in the shocking incident on January 28 at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas.
DailyMail.com can confirm that Wilkie is a faculty member at Novia Scotia Community College, where he is majoring in renewable energy, and has been placed on leave following his arrest.
“It’s really hard to find exactly the right words, because in our minds, it’s beyond atrocious,” the victim’s son, David Ahrens, told DailyMail.com in a phone interview on Friday. “It’s just the most horrendous scenario.”
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice, who happened to be staying at the same hotel, emerged as a hero in the case, after joining the search for the kidnapped woman and restraining Wilkie until she could be rescued. arrested by Bahamian police.
Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was arrested and 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 unfolded.
The alleged assault comes after a travel advisory from the US State Department warning of a rise in murders in the Bahamas, and recent allegations by two Kentucky mothers who say they were raped by resort staff of Pirate’s Cove beach in Grand Bahama.
Wilkie is being held without bail in the Bahamas and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
Novia Scotia Community College spokesperson Stacey Baillie told DailyMail.com in a statement: “We are aware of a case, currently before the Bahamian courts, involving very serious criminal charges against an employee.”
Baillie declined to comment on individual employees, citing privacy laws.
“I can confirm that any employee facing serious criminal charges such as these would be placed on leave while the matter is before the courts and pending the results of an internal review,” he added.
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 about the theft of solar panels.
Ahrens, who publicly shares her mother’s photo but asked that her name be withheld, said the family is speaking out to demand “full justice” for her and to warn others about the dangers faced by vulnerable family members.
According to Ahrens, who has launched a GoFundMe campaign To help cover her mother’s medical and legal expenses, she had traveled with her sister on a short vacation to the Bahamas when the attack unfolded.
He said his sister kept a close eye on their mother throughout the trip, but the brazen kidnapping unfolded in a split second when they were separated in an elevator.
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice (above), who was staying at the same hotel, has become a hero in the case.
Wilkie is being held without bail in the Bahamas and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
Wilkie runs a solar energy installation company and was a renewable energy instructor at NSCC’s Dartmouth campus.
Ahrens said his sister and mother were at happy hour chatting with friends they had met at the resort, including Agent Justice, who was in the Bahamas on a temporary assignment.
It was then that Wilkie, whom they had not met before, was invited to join them.
“They thought it was strange, but you know, everyone’s on vacation,” he said.
Ahrens said that when the group 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.
Agent Justice and other guests immediately joined the search and walked the hotel hallways for approximately 40 minutes.
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.
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.
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 raped 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.”
Wilkie made his first court appearance in the case on Feb. 2, but did not have to enter a plea, according to the Guardian of Nassau.
He was denied bail but may apply for bail consideration at the Supreme Court.
He is scheduled to appear on May 29 for the filing of a voluntary indictment, which will expedite the case to the Supreme Court for trial.
“I am glad that this man was arrested immediately and I am hopeful that he will remain behind bars for as long as necessary,” Ahrens said. “He This is a very dangerous person.”