The Orlando Sentinel reports today that a thirty year old Carnival crew member will be arraigned this week on allegations that he raped a 14 year old passenger aboard a Carnival’s cruise ship.
Hery Krispiyanto, age 30, from Klitren, Yogykarta (Indonesia) worked aboard Carnival’s Freedom as a bartender. A photograph from his Friendster page is below.
The newspaper reports that the 14-year-old girl was vacationing with her parents during the Carnival cruise which left Fort Lauderdale in April 2009. During the cruise, the minor and her parents became acquainted with Krispiyanto. When the minor was alone on the upper deck of the ship one night, Krispiyanto walked up behind her, grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby employee-only room and closed the door, court records indicate.
Krispiyanto began to touch the minor inappropriately, and she repeatedly told him to stop. The minor said she tried to fight him, but Krispiyanto raped her, according to the criminal complaint lodged against the crew member.
The minor reported the incident to her mother in August, and it was then reported to the FBI. A FBI agent interviewed Krispiyanto in April of this year and arrested him earlier this month.
According to court records, when an FBI agent questioned Krispiyanto in April, he first denied the incident. But after a polygraph exam indicated Krispiyanto was being deceptive, he confessed to having sex with the minor in a pantry area on the cruise ship. Krispiyanto is being held at the Seminole County Jail.
June 1 Update:
The arrest of the Carnival crew member is now receiving wide media coverage. The Palm Beach Post contains a story today "Carnival Cruise Ship Bartender Accused of Raping Girl, 14, During Cruise With Her Parents." The Post’s article contains what appears to be a mug shot of Krispiyanto (right),
We have written many articles about the problem of crew members preying on children on cruise ships:
Sexual Assault of Children on Cruise Ships – A Problem the Cruise Community Wants to Forget
Why Cruises are NOT the Best Vacations with Kids
Should Travel Agents Be Liable For Falsely Representing That Cruises Are Safe For Kids?
Passenger Indicted for Sexual Abuse of 13 Year Old Girl on Disney Wonder Cruise Ship
Top Ten Reasons Not To Cruise: No. 1 – Cruise Lines Are A Perfect Place To Sexually Abuse Children
Credits:
Photograph top Hery Krispiyanto’s Friendster page
Photograph bottom Seminole Co. Sheriff’s Office (via Palm Beach Post)