Several news stations in the U.K. are reporting that the police arrested a former Cunard crewmember on charges that he sexually molested at least one child during a cruise.
Paul Trotter, age 34, of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, in the U.K., is alleged to have abused the child between December 20, 2011 and January 5, 2012 while working in the children’s child activities facility on an undisclosed Cunard cruise ship. His official job title was "children’s activity supervisor" for Cunard. He was also charged with possessing indecent photographs of children.
We reported on the fact that the police in England were investigating child molestation on Cunard cruise ships last month in our article: Did a Cunard Child Predator Molest Children Aboard the QM2 & Queen Elizabeth Cruise Ships?
The police in England started the investigation after a parent of one of the abused children tipped the police. Although the U.K. media is referring to only one abused child at this point, the police have interviewed several families in England, Mr. Trotter worked for five years for Cunard on Cunard’s flagship, the Queen Mary 2, and its sister cruise ships, the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria.
These Cunard cruise ships carried passengers of course from many other countries, including the U.S.
So far, Cunard has not disclosed the incident to the public nor informed families who they should contact for information.
Cunard’s website refers to "Children’s Activities" and assure parents that their kids are safe: " . . . you can be certain that they are in the best of care with our certified Early Years staff . . . "
Molestation of children by cruise employees is one of the cruise industry’s nastiest secrets. You can read about the problem in our prior blog articles, including Cruise Lines Are A Perfect Place To Sexually Abuse Children.
February 16, 2012 Update: Did Cunard Child Supervisor Molest Other Children During Cruises?
April 20, 2012 Update: Trotter Admits He Sexually Abused 13 Boys