_{Oscar Noe Nal, charged}

by Charles Gladden

SAN PEDRO, Ambergris Caye, Mon. Mar. 24, 2025

A San Pedro man has been charged for allegedly raping an American tourist in her hotel room on Thursday, March 20.

According to the victim, the accused introduced himself to her and her brother as “Omar” while they were socializing at Wayo’s Bar and Grill in the Boca del Rio area of the island. Hours later, around 3:00 a.m., the siblings went to their hotel along with “Omar”. The victim later accompanied “Omar” across the bridge to the north of the island to a wooden gazebo over the sea, while her brother had gone to the room. While in the gazebo, “Omar” allegedly forcibly had sexual intercourse with her before driving her back to the hotel.

“We do know that we have tourists who come to our country, and many of them tend to feel so comfortable with us Belizeans because we are a friendly people, and our friendliness is captured by these tourists, and they trust us. It is a situation where this tourist put her trust in this individual, and he took advantage of her,” said Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police.

“If a woman says no, then it is no; and a man should respect that. I wasn’t there, and I don’t see [any] reason why the tourist would lie about him. Certainly, he did something to her that she didn’t consent [to], so she reported it to the police,” he added.

In the morning after the incident, the victim filed a police report and underwent a medical examination by a doctor, who certified her injuries as wounding. Police subsequently reviewed security footage at Wayo’s Bar and Grill, and identified the accused as 35-year-old Oscar Nal, a laborer in the San Mateo area, and he was officially charged with rape.

Nal had also been interviewed in connection with the death of another woman in 2023. That woman, 30-year-old Melanie Lino, was found dead in a hotel room at the Central Park Hotel in downtown San Pedro. Nal had told police that he was awakened by the sound of Lino throwing up on the floor after becoming intoxicated the night before. A few hours later, he woke up once more and found Lino motionless and unresponsive. Police were notified and classified her passing as a “death investigation,” as there were no signs of foul play on her body.

No charges were thus brought against Nal.