FEELING FORSAKEN

WESTERN BUREAU:

The arrest of a Troy resident in connection with the mob killing of convicted sex offender Delroy Coke has reignited anger among residents who say the justice system failed to protect their community long before this week’s violence.

Among Thursday’s protesters was Kay*, whose now-14-year-old son was sexually assaulted by Coke when he was seven years old. The police have confirmed that Coke was convicted in that case and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment at the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre.

According to Kay, the community pleaded with the authorities not to allow Coke to return to Troy after he completed his sentence in August 2025, fearing for the safety of residents, particularly children.

Instead, she said, it was the victims who paid the lasting price.

Her son, unable to cope with the teasing and reminders of his ordeal, had to relocate, eventually moving to another parish with his father.

“As the victim who experienced the trauma, my son had to leave the community, but the man who did this to him was allowed to come back,” Kay said.

Kay’s comments were bolstered by the more than 100 residents who demonstrated on Thursday, insisting that the justice system had failed victims while allowing a convicted sexual offender to return to the same community.

Julecia Williams, an aunt of 10-year-old Shani Coke, whose rape and murder earlier this week sparked the community’s outrage, remains convinced that Delroy Coke was responsible for the child’s death although the police have said that they have no evidence linking him to the crime.

“Shani was supposed to be spending the summer with me in Falmouth, but she is gone because she was raped and murdered,” Williams said.

Lived in fear

Kay also alleged that another of her cousins had been raped by Coke in a separate incident in which he reportedly held a knife to that woman’s neck. She said that matter also resulted in his arrest.

Another resident, Kimberly Dawkins, said she had lived in fear of Coke for years.

The mother of two said she once reported to the Warsop police after seeing him outside her window peeping into her home. Instead of receiving reassurance, however, she said she was summoned to the police station after a relative of Coke’s accused her of threatening him.

“Instead of coming into the community and checking on Coke, they called me to the police station where I was warned,” Dawkins claimed.

She said the experience left her so fearful that she refused to allow her children to play outside unsupervised.

“It could have been any one of my children. I take my son to school every day because I refused to allow him to walk through the community while Coke had access to our roads,” she said.

Dawkins argued that despite residents repeatedly expressing concerns about Coke, authorities failed to adequately address their fears.

All three women said the five-year sentence imposed on Coke for sexually assaulting a child was far too lenient.

“The victims were being punished instead of the perpetrator,” Williams said.

Thursday’s demonstration followed the arrest of one of their neighbours, Maxwell Henry, who police suspect was involved in the mob killing of Coke. Tensions escalated further after investigators announced that two additional residents had been identified as persons of interest in the attack.

The grief that continues to grip the community was, perhaps, best reflected in the words of Shani’s family.

Her father, Ashton Coke, previously told The Gleaner that he remained haunted by the thought that his daughter left home to visit a nearby shop but never returned.

Merle Williams, the grandmother who raised Shani from birth, recalled the frantic search that followed after the child failed to return home as she spoke with The Gleaner.

Residents joined the search before Shani’s body was discovered in nearby bushes.

While Coke was not seen committing the crime, based on his history, residents inferred that he did it and set upon him, killing him.

*Name changed to protect son’s identity.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com