A pregnant teenager claims a Police officer insulted her as she tried to report an attack on her by the father of her unborn child.

The 18-year-old — who asked not to be named — claims the Sergeant asked her why she got pregnant when she attempted to file a complaint at Hamilton Police Station.

The girl, who is two months pregnant by her alleged attacker and has a four-month-old child by another man, told The Royal Gazette: "I was sitting in the interview and he's there picking his nails and picking his teeth.

"He asked me what did I get pregnant for. He asked where did I work. I said why don't you help me with this? I was frightened. This guy (the attacker) has a key to my house and he just started fighting me."

The attack allegedly took place in Pembroke last Thursday night after the mother-of-one ordered her boyfriend from their home in a row over another woman. She said: "He pushed me to the stove and hit me. The reason was that I was kicking him out. He started fighting me. He was just trying to punch me and busted my lip."

The girl was accompanied to the Police station by female friends who said they witnessed the Sergeant's lack of interest in her complaint.

"When we got there they weren't going to take the report," said one of the friends. "They told her they couldn't take the report.

"Her report eventually was nothing but two lines. In the beginning, he (the Sergeant) kept calling attitude. We were saying: 'we are here to give a report'. He basically said: 'we aren't taking no report'. He said: 'Nothing can't be done'. He had the nerve to say: 'What do you want me to do?' And we said: 'help' and he said: 'I can't'."

According to the women, officers did attend the teenager's home later that night when it appeared someone had been inside and they also spoke to her boyfriend at another property.

But they claim the attitude they encountered at the Police station demonstrates precisely why people are reluctant to report crime or act as witnesses, as bemoaned by Assistant Police Commissioner Carlton Adams last week.

He said that the Island had a culture of silence which made it difficult for Police to gather evidence on violent crime. The teenager said that did not surprise her when victims like her were so poorly treated. Her friend said: "They look at you like it's a joke. Going to the Police, there should be some sort of help. The Police are supposed to protect and serve."

A Bermuda Police Service spokesman said yesterday: "All incidents of domestic-related violence are taken very seriously and an investigation into this incident is under way."