Archive for February 1st, 2010
Henry admits rape
(CNS): Update 2:30pm – As the trial of Kirkland Henry and Larry Ricketts opened this morning Henry pleaded guilty to raping, abducting and robbing Estella Scott-Roberts (left). When the two accused men were arraigned on the outstanding charges against them, Henry admitted his guilt, while Ricketts pleaded not guilty to any of the remaining charges. Before opening her murder case againstthe two defendants, Solicitor General, Cheryll Richards QC asked the judge to postpone the sentencing until after the murder trial.
The two men who are both charged jointly with murdering the 34 year old Cable & Wireless executive in October 2008, have also been charged with robbery and abduction. Kirkland Henry was also charged with rape. As the defendants must be tried separately for the crime of murder, to which they have both pleaded not guilty, on Monday 1 Feb they were arraigned for the outstanding charges. Henry said he was guilty of the three charges against him but he will only be sentenced after the outcome of the murder trial should he be found not guilty.
Ricketts, who has denied the robbery and abduction charges as well as the murder, could now face a separate trial for these two crimes if he is not convicted of the murder.
Following the arraignment, Richards finally opened the case for the crown against the two defendants, laying out the case against the men. Some fifteen months after the body of Estella Scott-Roberts was found in her burnt out car in the Barkers area of West Bay, Richards told the court that the prosecution would prove that the two men in the dock were engaged in a common enterprise to abduct, rob and ultimately cause the death of the deceased.
See full report of the crown’s case this evening.
Cayman Islands Sailing Coach wins East End Regatta
(CNS): The annual 2010 Captain Leroy Watson Regatta was held on Saturday and Sunday, January 23rd and 24th 2010. This popular and much anticipated event was the first major sailing event of the year and was a chance for sailors to blow away the cobwebs after the Christmas break. A release from the Cayman Islands Sailing Club (CISC) says fifteen Lasers, four Bytes, and eight Optimists raced in front of the beach in Gun Bay Sound and there was windsurfing racing on the Sunday organized by Red Sail Sports.
After ten races, CISC coach Raph Harvey won the competitive Laser class. Marina Maffessanti won the Byte division while Jamie Williams took top prize in the Optimist fleet. Andrew Cousins won in the windsurfing group.
The first day of racing was held in relatively light, for Cayman, winds, while on the second day the winds strengthened, making for a great mix of sailing conditions over the weekend.
This was the fourth regatta held in memory of the late Captain Leroy Watson. Raised in East End, Capt. Watson rose to become a sea captain of super tankers before retiring. He tragically drowned in an accident in 2006.
The regatta was organized by the CISC Olympic sailor, Donald McLean, and Health Care Pharmacy sponsored the event. The Hon. Arden McLean presented the prizes to the winners.
Special thanks goes to Vivinne’s Kitchen for the use of the beach land and Compass Marine Ltd. for helping transport the boats. CISC club members, Matt Diaz, Peta Adams and Andrew Moon also assisted on the race committee.
The next major event on the sailing calendar is Race Cayman from March 10th-15th 2010. This is the most exciting and prestigioussailing event ever to be held in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands Sailing Club has been chosen to host the North American and Caribbean regional qualifying event for the Youth Olympic Games 2010 in the Byte CII dinghy class. This Olympic qualifying event will be held in conjunction with the highly successful J/22 International Invitational Regatta.
For more information on sailing in the Cayman Islands, please visit the CISC’s website, www.sailing.ky.
Walkers donates to Haiti recovery efforts
(CNS): The staff of Walkers have raised over CI$70,000 towards helping to alleviate some of the suffering in Haiti following the recent earthquake, with all funds going to the Red Cross in the devastated Caribbean nation. A release from the firm says there was an overwhelming response to a ‘Dress Down Day’ organised on Friday 15 January, where staff donated money in return for being able to wear casual clothes to the office, which raised CI$ 19,533. The Walkers Charitable Foundation also made a donation of CI$50,000 to the Haiti recovery effort.
The funds raised will go the Red Cross, which has confirmed that all of the money will go to the Red Cross in Haiti, as will all the sales made in the Red Cross thrift shop over the next three weeks.
"The earthquake in Haiti has caused untold devastation and claimed many thousands of lives. There are an estimated three million people in need of emergency aid in a region which has still not recovered from the deadly hurricanes of 2008," commented Wendy Yeomans, Director of Operations at Walkers, who organised the special ‘Dress Down Day’ for Haiti. "The response from our staff has been really incredible and I’d like to thank everyone involved for their generosity and the compassion they have shown."
Staff in Walkers’ international offices have also joined in the fund raising effort, with collections held in the firm’s Jersey and London offices, raising a combined sum of over ₤1,300 (CI$ 1,701). Some Walkers’ employees have also come up with ideas of their own to help boost the fundraising. Tiffany Laurie, Executive Legal Secretary in the Cayman office, organised a cup-cake sale and was able to raise CI$ 617 which was added to the cash donations.
The Red Cross in Cayman has asked for monetary donations for Haiti because they are currently unable to send food and provisions due to the restricted access to Haiti’s airports. The funds are needed urgently to mobilise search and rescue teams, as well as for field hospitals, emergency health, water purification, emergency shelter, logistics and telecommunications.
Walkers has been running its "Dress Down Day" programme since 2005 and it has become a very popular way for staff to contribute towards local charitable and community projects. Each quarter a different charity is selected as a recipient and staff can nominate the organisations they feel are deserving. Among the good causes that received funds last year were the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and the Sunrise Adult Training Centre.
The Walkers Charitable Foundation was established in March 2004 to receive and consolidate charitable donations arising out of client transactions in order to benefit worthy causes. In recent years, the Walkers Charitable Foundation has made a number of substantial donations to charitable and community causes in Cayman such as the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands Hospice and the National Recovery Fund.
Photo above: Children at Cayman International School enjoy some of the cup cakes baked for Haiti