Video of Cruise Ship Sexual Assault Released

Earlier this year partial surveillance video of two men assaulting a teenage boy aboard a cruise ship was released. It serves as a stark reminder of the dangers teens face when aboard the massive vessels, dangers which can arise out of seemingly unexpected circumstances.

According to the NBC Miami report on the issue, the incident began when a teenaged boy made a comment to a teenaged girl on the ship. Upon learning of the comment, the girl’s father and god-father cornered the teen and assaulted him.

The report, quoting the victim’s mother, says “He physically punched him, choked him, smothered his face in the pillow, pulled his clothes off, was on top of my son…”

The perpetrators of the incident, Arturo Martinez and Jason Lawson, were both arrested for their part in the incident. 33-year-old Lawson, the father of the teenage girl, was sentenced to two years in prison.