The Canadian tourist accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 80-year-old grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease at a luxury resort in the Bahamas has been granted bail and allowed to return to his home country.
Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was granted $30,000 bail this week after being charged with rape in the Jan. 28 attack at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island, Bahamas.
“This is devastating,” the victim’s son, David Ahrens, told DailyMail.com, saying the family received “no notice or details” about a pre-sentence bail hearing.
Wilkie, a professor of renewable energy at the community college, is accused of separating the vulnerable victim from her daughter in an elevator and raping her in his hotel room.
Prosecutors had opposed bail for Wilkie, but Judge Franklyn Williams granted it Monday after the suspect’s attorney raised health concerns and said his blood pressure was not being properly managed in jail.
Gordon Wilkie, 61, of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was granted bail after being 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 occurred.
Wilkie was already eligible for release on Thursday, but on Friday afternoon it turned out that he had not yet paid bail.
His lawyer, Ryszard Humes, declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.
Wilkie will be allowed to return to Canada on bail pending his trial, a person close to the case told DailyMail.com.
However, he must return to the Bahamas to appear in court on May 29 for the presentation of a voluntary indictment and subsequent arraignment in the Supreme Court, the person said.
A source close to prosecutors said they were having a hard time proving Wilkie was a flight risk and that he had no previous convictions in the Bahamas, weakening their argument that he should be denied bail.
Last week, DailyMail.com was the first to report that Wilkie is a faculty member at Novia Scotia Community College, where he specializes in renewable energy and was placed on leave following his arrest.
Wilkie runs a solar energy installation company and was a renewable energy instructor at NSCC’s Dartmouth campus, according to a 2021 report CBC News interview.
The victim in the Bahamas rape case is also Canadian, but her family has no connection to the accused attacker other than staying at the same resort during their vacation.
The victim’s son Ahrens, who shared his mother’s photo publicly but asked that her name be withheld, said the family is speaking out to demand “full justice” for her and warning others of the dangers to vulnerable family members.
According to Ahrens, his mother had traveled to the Bahamas with his sister on a short vacation when the attack occurred.
Ahrens said his sister kept a close eye on their mother throughout the trip, but the brutal kidnapping happened in a split second when they became separated in an elevator.
The victim was traveling with her daughter when she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by another guest at the Warwick Hotel Paradise Island Bahamas (above) on January 28.
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
Wilkie runs a solar energy installation company and was a renewable energy instructor at NSCC’s Dartmouth campus
Ahrens said that on the last night of the trip, his sister and mother were chatting at happy hour with friends they met at the resort.
The group included U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Tom Justice, who was temporarily in the Bahamas.
At that point, Wilkie, whom they had not met before, invited himself to join them, Ahrens said.
“They thought it was strange, but you know, everyone is on vacation,” he said.
Ahrens said that when the group of friends got up to go to dinner, Wilkie also invited himself, which they also found ‘a bit strange’.
After dinner, Ahrens said Wilkie got into the same elevator as his sister and mother, who were heading to their shared room to get ready for bed.
When the elevator reached their floor, the nurse got out, but when she turned to help her mother, the doors were already closing, he said.
He said that according to his sister, the doors seemed to close faster than normal, but noted that there was no camera in the elevator to see if the “close door” button had been pressed.
“Then panic sets in,” he said. ‘They were looking for my mother and begged reception and security for help, which they didn’t do for over half an hour.’
The Warwick Paradise Islands Bahamas did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Officer Justice and other guests immediately joined the search, walking the hotel hallways for about 40 minutes and shouting the victim’s name.
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
Canadian real estate agent David Ahrens speaks out to reveal that his 80-year-old mother (with him above) was kidnapped and raped at the Warwick resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas
When the Bahamian police finally arrived, Justice received a group text message from the resort friends participating in the search, and went to the hotel lobby to meet the police.
“He presses whatever floor he was on, and the elevator arrives and the doors open, and there’s my mother with the attacker,” Ahrens said.
“He saw it, and immediately he saw my mother holding her underwear. So he reacted immediately and just went into the elevator and pinned him down,” he added.
Wilkie was arrested by Bahamian authorities and accused of raping the vulnerable woman in his hotel room.
Examinations at the hospital confirmed that the 80-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted, and Ahrens said she was able to provide a detailed statement despite her memory impairment.
“She made a statement about the incident that evening and it was very, very detailed,” he said.
Although Ahrens was not traveling with his mother, he immediately flew down when he heard of the attack and listened in horror as a police sergeant read him the statement his mother had made at the hospital.
‘It’s shockingly detailed and so disturbing. It’s just terrible. No one should ever hear something like that. Period of time.’
Ahrens says his sister and other guests at the Warwick immediately launched a search, but claims hotel staff did not respond to their requests for help
Homeland Security Investigations’ Charlotte field office released a statement confirming the incident and commending Agent Justice.
“HSI management is aware of the actions taken by SA Justice during his interim service and is proud of the manner in which he has gone above and beyond to protect the welfare of others,” the statement said.
“His actions are consistent with the highest standards of this agency.”
Arhen has has launched one GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical and legal costs for his mother. He says the family plans to attend the trial, but his mother does not, fearing the courtroom would be overwhelming for her.
“Ultimately, we have a long road ahead of us when it comes to seeking justice for my mother,” he told DailyMail.com on Friday.
“It is beyond disappointing that any legal system would allow a predator to roam the streets freely. Citizens beware.’