New details are emerging about the Canadian tourist charged with abducting and raping an 80-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer’s at a luxurious Bahamas resort.
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 specializes 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 is just beyond heinous,’ the victim’s son David Ahrens told DailyMail.com in a phone interview on Friday. ‘It’s just the most horrendous scenario.’
Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice, who happened to be staying at the same hotel, has emerged as a hero in the case, after he joined the search for the abducted woman and restrained Wilkie until he could be 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 on a short vacation together in the Bahamas when the attack unfolded
The alleged assault follows a US State Department travel advisory warning of a spike in murders in the Bahamas, and recent allegations from two Kentucky mothers who say they were raped by staff at Pirate’s Cove beach resort on Grand Bahama.
Wilkie is being held without bail in the Bahamas, and his attorney did not respond to a request to comment on the charges on Friday morning.
Stacey Baillie, a spokesperson for Novia Scotia Community College told DailyMail.com in a statement: ‘We are aware of a case, currently before the courts in the Bahamas, 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 was before the courts and pending the results of an internal review,’ she added.
Wilkie runs a solar-power installation company and was an instructor in renewable energy at NSCC’s Dartmouth campus, according to a 2021 CBC News interview regarding the theft of solar panels.
The victim in the case is also Canadian, but her family has no connection to the accused assailant other than happening to stay in the same Bahamas resort on their vacation.
Ahrens, who is publicly sharing his mother’s photo but requested that her name be withheld, said that the family is speaking out to demand ‘full justice’ for her, and warn others of the dangers to vulnerable family members.
According to Ahrens, who has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical and legal expenses for his mother, she had travelled with his sister on a short vacation in the Bahamas when the attack unfolded.
Ahrens said that his sister kept a close eye on their mother during the entire trip, but that the brazen abduction unfolded in a split second, when they became separated on an elevator.
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice (above), who happened to be staying at the same hotel, has emerged as 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 on Friday morning
Wilkie runs a solar-power installation company and was an instructor in renewable energy 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, including Agent Justice, who was in the Bahamas on temporary duty assignment.
It was then that Wilkie, whom they had not met before, invited himself to join them.
‘They thought it was strange, but you know, everyone’s on vacation,’ he said.
Ahrens said that when the group of friends got up to get dinner, Wilkie also invited himself along, which they also found ‘a little bit odd’.
After dinner, Ahrens said that Wilkie got on the same elevator as his sister and mother, who were headed to their shared room to get ready for bed.
As the elevator reached their floor, the sister stepped off, but as she turned around to help her mother, the doors were already closing, he said.
He said that, according to his sister, the doors appeared to close more quickly than normal, but noted there was no camera in the elevator to show whether the ‘close door’ button had been pressed.
‘Then panic ensues,’ he said. ‘They were looking for my mother and pleading with the front desk and security for help, which they didn’t do for more than half an hour.’
The Warwick Paradise Islands Bahamas did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Agent Justice and other guests immediately joined the search, walking the halls of the hotel for roughly 40 minutes and shouting the victim’s name.
Canadian realtor David Ahrens is speaking out to reveal his 80-year-old mother (with him above) was abducted and raped at the Warwick resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas
The victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly abducted and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas (above) on January 28
When Bahamian police finally arrived, Justice got a group text message from the resort friends taking part in the search, and headed down to the hotel lobby to meet with the cops.
‘He presses down on whatever floor he was on, and the elevator arrives and the doors open, and there’s my mother with the assailant,’ said Ahrens.
‘He saw him, and immediately at the same time he could see my mother holding her underwear. So he reacted right away, and he just went in the elevator and pinned him,’ he added.
Wilkie was arrested by Bahamian authorities and charged with raping the vulnerable woman in his hotel room.
A hospital evaluation confirmed that the 80-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted, and Ahrens said that despite her memory condition she was able to provide a detailed statement.
‘She gave a statement that evening of the incident and was very, very detailed,’ he said.
Although Ahrens was not on the trip with his mother, he immediately flew down upon learning of the assault, and listened in horror as a police sergeant read to him the statement his mother had given in the hospital.
‘It’s shockingly detailed, and it’s so very disturbing. It’s just awful. Nobody should hear anything like that ever. Period.’
Ahrens says his sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but claims that hotel staff were unresponsive to their pleas for help
The Homeland Security Investigations field office in Charlotte issued a statement confirming the incident and praising Agent Justice.
‘HSI management is aware of the actions SA Justice undertook while on temporary duty and are proud of the way he went above and beyond to protect the welfare of others,’ the statement said.
‘His actions are in keeping with the highest standards of this agency.’
Wilkie made his first court appearance in the case on February 2, but was not required to enter a plea, according to the Nassau Guardian.
He was denied bail, but can apply to the Supreme Court for bail consideration.
He is set to appear on May 29 for the presentation of a voluntary bill of indictment, which will fast-track the case to the Supreme Court for trial.
‘I’m glad this guy was immediately taken into custody, and it’s my hope that he will remain behind bars for as long as necessary,’ said Ahrens. ‘This is very dangerous person.’
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