USVI man beats girlfriend who got ride home from sister's dad
A man in the [US] Virgin Islands (USVI) is before the criminal courts faced with multiple charges after allegedly beating his girlfriend.
On April 10, 2023, a woman walked into the Wilbur Francis Command Police Station accompanied by her mother and stepfather, asking for assistance with retrieving her belongings from her boyfriend’s residence.
The woman told police that on April 3, she got a ride home from work, upon which her boyfriend Rajah Caul confronted her, peppering her with questions about who had dropped her off. She says she told him it was her sister’s father, and eventually stopped responding when he insisted that she wasn’t telling the truth.
Documents before the courts allege that Caul, age 24, then grabbed the woman by her jaw and asked her if she did not hear him speaking to her, before leaving the room. While he was gone, the woman says she began texting her sister to tell her what had just happened when Caul returned, took her cell phone and scrolled through her text messages. She told police he slapped her in the face repeatedly, chastising her for discussing their private business with others. Caul then reportedly forced her to call in sick, confiscated her cell phone, and kept her confined to the residence for two days.
When she told her boyfriend that she wanted to go to work, he allegedly informed her that she could not, because coworkers would ask questions about the condition of her face. She still attempted to get ready for work but backed down after he threatened her with “consequences” if she went. The woman told police that she was only allowed to speak with her sister and aunt following the incident.
$101 bail
While she was recounting her ordeal to police officers, Caul reportedly called several times. Officers heard him cursing and asking why she was at the station. They saw the photo he sent her of her belongings in the street outside his apartment. They also noted the visible injuries to the woman’s lip, cheek, and left arm, for which she declined medical attention.
Rajah Caul was arrested at home on April 12, 2023, and charged with simple assault and battery, harassment by telephone and disturbance of the peace — all as acts of domestic violence.
Following his advice of rights hearing on Friday April 14, 2023, Caul was released after paying a cash bail of $101.