Bahamas court sentences woman who kidnapped and abandoned four boys

A court in The Bahamas on Tuesday sentenced a 31-year-old woman to three years probation after she pleaded guilty to kidnapping four boys and also trying to abduct a fifth minor while she was on bail for the previous offenses.

According to The Nassau Guardian, De’Edra Gibson received the probation sentence after she pleaded guilty to four counts of child stealing and one count of attempted child stealing. Gibson, who committed the said offenses in 2019 and reportedly has a mental health condition, was looking at 10 years in prison but she reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

Per the conditions of her three-year probation, Gibson must regularly undergo outpatient treatment at an assigned rehabilitation center in the Caribbean nation. The timeframe for that is, however, subject to change based on the quarterly updates the court receives on how she’s faring. Besides that, Gibson is also required to report to the court two times annually. Gibson faces a two-year prison sentence if she violates the conditions of her probation.

A prosecutor who testified before the court said Gibson kidnapped her first victim – an eight-year-old boy – around his residence in February 2019. She subsequently left the minor at a laundromat the next day. Some weeks after the first incident, Gibson kidnapped another eight-year-old boy after luring him into her car. She drove the child to a city dumpsite where she abandoned him, The Nassau Guardian reported.

Another boy the same age was lured by Gibson the next day and she once again dropped him off at the city dump. The minor was headed home when Gibson offered him a ride. Gibson abducted another eight-year-old boy on March 29 and abandoned him at the same location.

Her fifth attempt at kidnapping a seven-year-old boy after she was granted bail for the previous abductions was foiled by the minor’s uncle. The boy was headed to school in the company of his uncle when Gibson attempted luring him into her vehicle. The minor’s uncle, however, managed to drag him out of the car.

Responding to her sentence, Gibson told the court: “Hopefully this three years goes by quickly and I won’t be provoked to get into any other situations.”

The judge presiding over Gibson’s case also entreated her to “govern” her “own actions.” “Someone may act, but it’s up to you to react,” the judge added.