An unidentified 15-year-old girl claims she was raped in an extra cabin on board a Carnival cruise ship. Thirty-one-year-old, Casey Dickerson, had access to the cabin after crew members relocated he and his wife when she complained of noise. The married man has been charged after the teenage girl claimed he and a group of teenage boys gang-raped her in the cabin.

The girl said she and her 15-year-old friend were given alcohol before her friend was held in the bathroom by one of the teenagers while she was raped. According to the alleged victim, the boys ‘switched’ positions and held her down on the floor as they sent away a person who came to the cabin door. Dickerson denies rape but admitted that he purchased alcohol for a group of teenagers on board the cruise, which left Florida on August 16 for a four-day trip to the Bahamas. He also admitted to having sex with other women who were not his wife on board the boat.

Dickerson, from Casselberry, Florida, told a local news station that it was supposed to be a fun vacation for him and his wife, adding: ‘The cruise was great itself.’ He claims he was drunk, passed out and was unaware that anything sexual took place in the cabin. He is being held on federal charges of sexual assault at Orange County Jail without bail after a judge deemed him a danger to the community. There is no federal law for statutory rape at sea. The Attorney-General will decide if sexual assault charges are to be filed against the juveniles. The agency is investigating the case, a spokesman said. A statement from Carnival Cruise Lines reads: “Carnival is fully cooperating with law enforcement officials as the investigation continues.”

– Naturally Moi