The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY


Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE man who claimed to be a jet ski operator and punched an Ohio tourist in the face after she rejected his advances has been jailed for three months as he awaits trial over the alleged rape of another American tourist on a beach in November 2024.


Javez "Dunky" McDonald, 20, yesterday pleaded guilty to two counts of assault before Deputy Chief Magistrate Shaka Serville.


The court heard that on September 11, McDonald punched Briana Bazel, 25, at a club on Palm Tree Avenue after she allegedly rejected his sexual advances.


The attack on Miss Bazel, who was left with a bloodied face, was the second time in less than a month that he had punched an American woman.


On August 19, McDonald, who has previous convictions for drug offences and violating bail, punched a 19-year-old US tourist near a downtown hotel after she refused to give him her phone number.


It was revealed he was on bail after being accused of raping another American tourist nearly two years ago.


Ms Bazel described the attack in a TikTok video and in an interview with The Tribune last week. Her account drew wide attention and led the government to confirm that her attacker was not a licensed jet ski operator.

She said she and her best friend arrived in New Providence on September 10 for their first visit to The Bahamas. 

The trip was meant as a celebration and was her friend's first journey outside the United States.
A jet ski excursion the women had booked online was cancelled. 

The next day, while they were waiting at Goodman's Bay, a man approached them, presented himself as a jet ski operator and tour guide, and offered them a sightseeing and jet ski package. 

He also introduced his cousin to them as a taxi driver. Ms Bazel said both men showed badges that appeared to identify them as legitimate operators.


For most of the day, she said, nothing went wrong. The women went sightseeing, ate at restaurants and rode jet skis.


That night, they met the men again at Green Parrot, and the men offered to take them to a lounge on Palm Tree Avenue. 

Ms Bazel said the man's mood changed after she told her friend she had started her period, and he became angry that she had mentioned it.
He later asked to speak with her outside, away from the music.

She said he told her he believed she was using her period as an excuse not to have sex with him. When she told him she had never intended to, she said, he grabbed her arm and punched her in the face as she pulled away.


She said she began bleeding immediately, and that there were people outside who saw it.


"Nobody did anything, nobody helped," Ms Bazel said.


Someone from the lounge took the woman to a police station, where she filed a complaint. A police officer later took her to hospital. 

She said the punch drove her lip against a sharp tooth and cut it open, and that eating and drinking were difficult at first.


Her TikTok video opens with her bloodied and holding tissue against her swollen lip. It had drawn about 54,000 views when The Tribune reported her story. 

Police later issued a wanted poster for the man.


Ms Bazel said other female tourists contacted her after seeing the video. They alleged that the same man and the taxi driver had also harassed or scammed them.


The day after her account was published, Transport Minister Leon Lundy said the man was not an authorised jet ski operator and did not have an authentic Port Department identification badge. He said the man had been operating outside the regulated system.


Mr Lundy said the government would soon roll out technology to help visitors identify legitimate operators.

He said the Port Department was also working with the police sex crimes unit to add new material to operator training.


Astra Charlton, director of business development at My Own Water Sports, said the focus should be on the victim and on whether regulation works, rather than on the industry's image.


"Protecting the reputation of The Bahamas begins with protecting people," Ms Charlton said.


Ms Bazel said she had travelled extensively and had never been physically assaulted on a trip before.

She said she did not know if she would return to The Bahamas. Meeting several good Bahamians towards the end of her trip had left her torn, she said, but she would not come back or recommend the country until something was done.


The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of the jet ski trade. 

In June, the US Embassy issued a security alert warning Americans about dangers linked to jet ski rentals in The Bahamas. The alert cited injuries, deaths and reports of sexual assault.


Sergeant Sherquell Forbes prosecuted the case. Ian Jupp represented McDonald.