Women share tales of assault by ‘repeat offender’
Several women have taken to social media to share troubling stories of being assaulted or threatened by Sonnel Hanley, a man they describe as a “menace to society” who has a history of similar behaviour.
The posts shared on Facebook late last week, including one from a recent victim, drew dozens of responses and revealed ongoing concerns about the man’s repeated actions.
The women expressed concern that authorities have not acted despite repeated reports and are afraid it will take something drastic before action is taken.
One woman recounted her frightening experience on November 27 near a bank in Road Town.
“Sonnel Hanley, a known threat to society, violently threatened to assault me,” she wrote. The woman, who works near the area, alleged that Hanley rushed at her, swinging his fist and shouting angrily. She said she managed to avoid physical harm when a security guard intervened. However, the incident left her traumatised.
“During the attack, he expressed how angry he was…” the victim recounted. “I ran close to the entrance of FirstBank to avoid being punched in the face.”
The woman said she immediately contacted the police, who arrived to assist her. She also expressed frustration with the system for allowing Hanley, who she claims has a history of similar incidents, to remain free. “It’s a disgrace to call this place home… We do not take anything seriously in this place unless someone gets hurt.”
Other commenters echoed similar experiences. One individual revealed, “I was a victim of this man Sonnel in the very same area about six years ago. The only difference between your story and mine is that he actually managed to pin me in the air against the building,” the woman recounted.
She continued: “[He] spat in my face whilst shouting similar words to me! It was after 6 pm but thankfully workers were still leaving the building and came to my rescue.”
Another shared, “The exact same thing happened to me a couple of years ago… He pushed me to the ground, and no one intervened.”
Some commenters expressed disappointment with the authorities’ handling of such situations. One wrote, “The RVIPF [Royal Virgin Islands Police Force] must do better to protect residents.” Another added, “This has been going on for years. It’s time for serious action before something worse happens.”
These repeated allegations have raised questions about how known offenders are monitored and what measures are in place to protect the community. The women have called for decisive action to address the matter.
When contacted on Monday, November 2, the RVIPF confirmed that it received at least three reports about Hanley from females in the community. The police said they have issued warnings to Hanley but said responsibility lies with the Health Ministry to take action as Hanley is confirmed to be mentally ill.
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Until the day someone beat the shhhhh out of him.
He is always in the park pleasuring himself.
that is just disgusting.
This statement shows me the Police are afraid of him “…The police said they have issued warnings to Hanley but said responsibility lies with the Health Ministry to take action as Hanley is confirmed to be mentally ill.”
They can not defer upholding the law and protecting public safety with this weak response. If someone, anyon, is a menace to society the Police have a duty to deal with that. You can’t just push that down the road because the person is big, smelly and physically agressive.
Sonnet a many other need to go prison instead filling up the hospital with criminal they ain’t no way mental than they are bunch of lazy men looking an easy way out of life!!!
Just like all things and sundry under the sun in the BVI, the elected leaders have been on permanent hiatuses for eons. What I mean is, the hey haven’t modernized any laws apart from Financial Services and this requires internationally.
The Police Act is lingering with none pushing it through! There is no Mental Health Act where persons can be sanctioned by the state! Pure lip service and self-arcing interests as evidenced by another article preceding this article where a former legislator is moving his personal interests forward. He was also an abject failure as Minister of Comms/Works but is doing much better th a before he entered politics!
The BVI’s has suffered underdevelopment by successive governments and thus the apparent state of our failed infrastructure and systems. This place is a REAL joke dread!
Ladies, please don’t try to defend yourself with your hands. He is a young man with all his strength. Look for a stone or a piece of wood and connect him well.
mental health act protects these Maniacs so police do can’t much but just like how them pass laws for everything under the sun let them pass one to handle these people or build centre to house them.
either that i find my foot 6ft up his azz if he try that s**t with me any female nearby. and guess what police will lock me up while he out do nosense
Start walking with mase and empty the whole thing on him, since you all are not getting help from the police.
Unfortunately the VI has a very poor record of protecting Women and also those that have mental health challenges. Both end up in a bad place. We are so far from acting out the Christian values that we daily profess to follow. Pictures of criminals protected and hanging on the walls of our own HOA show there is little hope that we are heading in the right direction. I hope that Sonnel and others can get the help they need That in turn will help reduce the numbers of these encounters people have to face in the VI. More work needs to be done on domestic violence and our macho society and it’s love for Cock Fighting, Dog fighting, Drug dealing, Scooter fatalism, paternal family engagement and respect for women and others in general. Our laws and demands for discrimination to be written into our next Constitution are a very bad sign that things are not changing any time soon. For now let’s start by helping Sonnel. That will also help the rest of us.
I carry a taser in my pocket and a small piece of steel in my hand bag. He step to me, I am going tase him in the throat or jam the piece or steel in one of his eyes. That will take him down.
Young Black Male Non BVIslander
With ties to the CARICOM..Independent Island chain.
Extremely dangerous based on ongoing violent physical and verbal attacks of females in plain sight of law enforcement and the public .
His arrival and continued much feared violent and volatile presence is tolerated due to the “generous” nevertheless salaried contribution of his countrymen to ” build us up” perhaps eventually and predictably after we have been completely ground to dust by their varied and unique version of zupdeislun genorisity.
generosity. Well we are almost there.
And first thing this A:M
HOMEINVASION
Shots exchanged with armed police
and the culprits: young Black a Males(4+) with ties to the CARICOM Island chain.
Wait until he injure or kill a tourist!! Then you will see action from the Police, National Security Council, District 4 Rep etc.
It will have to take something drastic as this to get some kind of action. I from here and I frighten this man bad, much less my children.
I really hope he doesn’t kill a tourist.
he is now exposing his private part when he sees women walking in the park. I made a report to the police, and he is still in the park, my guess they did nothing.
Is he from here cant he be deported.
He is A NON Bvislander.
Seems like he would have a family member ,someone responsible for him as he appears to be mentally incapacitated and is randomly violent and a sexual deviant.
If not then he is a ward of the country here or wherever he originated and Gov is his ” guardian” How could this dangerous individual be allowed to routinely terrorize the public
with no intervention
If someone assaults another person it it just cause to arrest the person. Police do your jobs, and demand that the proper authorities collect him from prison. It isn’t every woman will allow him to pin her against at a wall and spit in her face. It ain’t every woman will allow him to push her to the ground and he don’t get back sone licks. Put him in prison and demand that the authorities collect him; he has been infringing on the constitutional rights of others for too long. He’s obviously getting more dangerous
He come anywhere around me pulling out his private part, the ice pick I carry will go straight in his private part. As crazy as they say he is he will never do that shit again. His family need to figure out what to do with him before someone do some serious damage to him.
His family likely is equally fed up. What I don’t get is this mental health excuse. Unless his IQ is so low he can’t understand what he is doing is wrong, then arrest him each and every time. Assault, indecent exposure, trespass – anything and everything. At least in the lockup he can’t bother law-abiding people.
It is evident that there is sparse to zero available accommodation at the BVI’s
luxury and inappropriate for imprisonment accommodation at Balsum Ghut. Hence the high rate of cases unsolved and loose prisOners and unapprehended criminals rubbing shoulders with unsuspecting public. Thus includes illegal immigrants that were ordered deported by law..some for years and there thieving and other crimes continue unabated. A cruel joke on these VI and its people.
I’m pretty sure that he was in the ladies’ bathroom in that same park late last week when a lady was going in and was startled to see him.
Sonnel came up to me and flash his dirty cloth he walks with in my face and told me he not afraid of me and he will mash my bad word bad word up all i was doing was walking on the side walk i reported him to the police they came and sonnel told them its not him its total he never see me but i can assure the next time he come after me again i am not going to wait for him to hurt me i am going to defend myself he needs to be removed off the streets if it was me who did something to him they would have locked me up this is so wrong PLEASE I AM BEGGING THE RIGHT SET OF PEOPLE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS VAGRANT remove him off the streets he is a menace to the society
Oh dear. What a sad sad society we have become. He needs help not violence.
What about Burt? He is a damn pervert too.
Welcome. This place isnt safe for man or woman. When the people go shooting up at each other mostly the men do you think the victim is afforded security or a legal weapon?
Im afraid what will happen when he meets on another unstable person. He asked me for money once and someone threatened him.
Ignore him. Dont tell him off because if he thinks he can mess with you he will use your diss as an excuse to curse you off.
Every touching is an assult same as spitting ,Police know and use your powers
He confidently approached me at the first bank, being assertive and demanding a dollar. I met his rudeness with my own and firmly stated that I did not have any to give. As he continued to press closer, I stood my ground and prepared to defend myself. Action must be taken, as I am the kind of woman who will not back down. This situation needs to be addressed without a doubt.
Sunday I was at the park with my children’s he ask me for money I told him I don’t have he asking me if he could get it tomorrow that just turned me off anyway my girl’s ask to used the washroom out of nowhere he appear in the washroom trying to go into the woman section a big woman there telling him why you want to go in they and the kids in they if this man did try to do my girl’s anything everyone would have hear but it they need to take him off the street people not safe around him you don’t know what he could do
I see this fat ba**ard like to wait outside First Bank ATM now. Boy, I will knock you into next week.