Dr Frank abandons appeal against conviction

| 04/07/2009

(CNS): Former Member of the Legislative Assembly and UDP Minister Dr Frank McField has abandoned his appeal against a conviction he received in February of 2008 for assaulting police, threatening violence, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. McField was fined $2,300 in relation to the incident which occurred at a roadblock set up following a fatal accident on Shamrock Road in the early hours of 15 September, 2006. The appeal was due to be heard in Grand Court on Friday 3 July by Justice Alex Henderson; however, McField’s Attorney Clyde Allen told the court that McField would not be pursuing the appeal.

This means the conviction which McField received following the incident where he was said to have been drunk and had abused the police, will stand. McField also received a fine of $100 in December of last year for another incident in which he was arrested for disorderly conduct and threatening violence after an incident along the Esterley Tibbetts Highway on 9 November, 2006.

Dr Frank McField served as Minister for Community, Youth, Sports and Gender Affairs in the United Democratic Party Government from 2001 to 2005. He first entered the Legislative assembly as fourth elected member for George Town in 1996 and lost his seat in the 2005 election. He ran once again in the recent 20 May General Election as an independent candidate but gained less than five percent of the vote. A controversial character McField has found himself in the spotlight for both cultural contributions such as playwriting as well as his ministry’s Affordable Housing which was investigated by the Royal Cayman Islands Police following indications by an auditor General’s report that around $300,000 seemed to have gone missing.

According to reports of the February trail in which McField received the conviction, he had intended to appeal, he had threatened to kill two police officers that were attempting to arrest him at the roadblock before kicking one of them and spitting in the other officers face. The court heard that McField had repeatedly accused the officers of being racist, and threatened to have them kicked off the island.

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  1. Caymanian to the bone says:

    Alcohol is known as a "depressant" but for some like people like Dr. Frank Mcfield who consumes it, it’s more like a "stimulant" based on his reactions.  

    • Anonymous says:

      McField obviously hoped that being able to state that his conviction was on appeal would help his chances at the polls. He knew he didn’t have the slightest prospect of success of overturning his conviction. He suffered a resounding defeat and the appeal therefore no longer served any purpose but to postpone the inevitable.  

  2. Richard Wadd says:

     Clearly a ‘non-issue’.

    What else would you expect from a man who walked around Cayman talking to a Dead Parrot in a cage for months?

     ….. however, IF he was ‘drunk’ as stated, why has he not lost his DL as a result? Was he not driving?

  3. Anonymous says:

    Sad. Very sad. Frank had sort of lifted himself out of the "old days" of parrots and mental instability but he needs to remember he must keep taking his medication and not "self treat" with booze or any other drug. If he doesn’t, he’s going to go back to the bad old days.