Director of Disney’s Caribbean getaway Castaway Cay accused of raping Florida woman on beach
The director of Disney’s Castaway Cay private island in the Bahamas has been accused of raping a 29-year-old victim after persuading her to go for a swim at the resort, according to reports.
Gursel Sahibas, 65, was charged with rape and indecent assault when the woman reported the crime to Bahamian authorities stationed in her home state of Florida on September 22.
According to the Daily Mail, the Royal Bahamas Police Force later cuffed Sahinbas while he visited Great Abaco, an island near Disney’s Castaway Cay.
Sources later told the publication that Sahibas had allegedly groped the unnamed woman before continuing to assault her once they swam out into the ocean.
His bail was granted at $15,000, and the former director returned to Liverpool, England shortly after. He will be required to fly back to the Bahamas for a hearing on January 22, according to a statement by his lawyer, which was seen by the Daily Mail.
According to the Daily Mail, Roberts also told the court that Sahibas has “lost his job” as a result of the allegations and confirmed that he is “no longer employed at Disney Cruise lines”
Before he was fired, Sahibas was an active participant in the Disney company’s VoluntEARS program, which teaches local people how to grow and harvest vegetables at school.
While working for the scheme, the former director helped plant lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with Bahamian students. He told The Nassau Guardian in May that the experience had been “inspiring.”
“We were amazed to see the students’ enthusiasm and knowledge about their crops. It was inspiring to see their eagerness to learn and make an impact in the world around them,” Sahinbas told the newspaper.
Castaway Cay, where Sahibas was the director, was built on a previously undeveloped island named Gorda Cay.
Disney leased the tropical paradise for 99 years after inking a deal with the Bahamian government to take over operations on the island in 1996. The House of Mouse spent a staggering $25 million transforming it into a pirate-themed resort, which is only available to guests on their cruises.
Meanwhile, the Walt Disney Company has been investigating a series of deaths at Disney World in Florida after three people died at the park in less than two weeks.
Two people died in and around Disney’s Contemporary Hotel, with the circumstances of the most recent death, which occurred last week, being shrouded in mystery.
On October 14, Summer Equintz was found dead at the hotel in an “apparent suicide,” hours after she was reported missing by her loved ones.
A theater actor, Equintz was reportedly a Disney superfan and an actress. She said previously that playing Beauty and the Beast’s heroine, Belle, was her “dream role.”
The third death at Disney World occurred at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground when his wife found him unresponsive in bed.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there were no signs of foul play and that the victim had “experienced a medical episode.”
The Independent has contacted the Walt Disney Company and the Royal Bahamas Police Force for comment.
