Archive for June 10th, 2010

Third ESSO hit by gunman

Third ESSO hit by gunman

| 10/06/2010 | 69 Comments

(CNS): RCIPS detectives are currently investigating yet another armed heist which occurred at the Delworth ESSO On-the-Run gas station at the junction of Eastern Ave and North Church Street in the early hours of this morning, 10 June. Just before 2:00am a man entered the service station brandishing what police said appeared to be a hand gun. The man mumbled something which was not that audible to the cashier before going behind the counter and taking the cash register. Three members of staff and one customer were present during the robbery. No shots were fired and no one was hurt in the sixth armed robbery in a week. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)

The suspect escaped from the scene in a van, which was later recovered off Bodden’s Road and which police discovered had been stolen from a woman in the Windsor Park area of George Town earlier in the night. Attending the police station, the women said that a man with a firearm had demanded her keys and made off with her vehicle. She was unhurt in this incident but was shaken up.
Police said the suspect is described as about 5 feet 11 inches in height with a brown complexion and a pointed nose. He was wearing a long sleeved red hooded shirt and baggy pants with something over his face. DC Reid and DC Chase, who are the officers conducting the inquiries, are appealing for anyone who has information regarding the crime to come forward. Anyone who might have been in the area and saw a bluish van travelling at a high speed along North Church Street and Bodden’s Road is asked to contact the Gorge Town  CID  on 949-4222 or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 {TIPS}.

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Gun crime persists in amnesty

Gun crime persists in amnesty

| 10/06/2010 | 13 Comments

Cayman Islands News, Grand Cayman Island headline News, Cayman crime(CNS): There have been nine reported crimes involving the use of firearms since the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service started its no-questions-asked gun amnesty, which ends at 7:00pm tonight (Thursday 10 June). From armed robberies at liquor stores andgas stations to street robberies and home invasions, Cayman’s criminal element seemed too busy using their weapons to bring them in. The police will be revealing the total quantity and type of weapons collected during the amnesty tomorrow, but despite their best efforts and a high profile campaign there appears to have been a surge in the number of gun crimes committed over the last few weeks. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)

The first crime involving a gun following the start of the amnesty was the shooting of a 50-year-old George Town man outside his home on Tuesday, 18 May. The man was shot in the shoulder by a gunman dressed in all black who appeared at his doorstep in Cruz Lane at around 11pm. So far no one has been arrested in connection with the crime, which the police said they were treating as attempted murder.
The following night an armed robbery took place at the Food 4 Less store by Foster’s Airport. The offender used a modified flare gun, which exploded during the incident although the robber still escaped with cash.
On 25 May a woman was mugged as she walked along the West Bay road by Queens Court Plaza in the early hours of the morning. A masked man threatened her with a handgun before grabbing her handbag and making off in what appeared to be a white or silver car.
Then in the early hours of Wednesday, 26 May, a local business man was robbed of his night’s takings at gunpoint outside his home in Crew Road by a robber who had appeared to lay in wait for him. A masked man armed with a gun threatened the businessman before grabbing the bag of cash he was holding and running off towards Ryan’s Retreat. The suspect was described as being 6’1” in height, slim build with a light brown complexion. He was wearing a grey hooded shirt and long dark pants. The suspect’s face was hidden by a plastic mask.
In the early hours of Monday, 31 May, a victim was reportedly robbed in the area of Point Four Street off South Church Street by two armed men, who forced their way into his house. The victim stated that the two men had what appeared to be a shotgun and a hand gun, and while no shots were fired and no one was injured, the victim and his son were held at gunpoint as the offenders demanded money. They were given an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the scene.
Then on in the evening of Thursday, 2 June, at least two armed and masked gunmen robbed the On the Run ESSO gas station in Red Bay. The men reportedly entered the gas station carrying handguns and threatened staff before making off with the cash.
Five days later another ESSO station on Seven Mile Beach was robbed by a man and a woman at around 1:20am on Monday, 7 June. The criminal duo, who were caught on CCTV, forced staff in the gas station store to lay on the floor at the point of a gun as they stole money from the till and personal possessions.
That same night at around 10pm three young men armed with a hand gun robbed the George Town Burger King. A member of staff was injured when one of the gunmen hit her with his gun as the three robbers, also caught on CCTV, left the store with an undisclosed sum of cash.
Then finally this morning (10 June) another ESSO gas station –  Delworth On the Run  in George Town — was held up by a masked gunman, who stole the till and escaped in a bluish van. The man had stolen the vehicle at gunpoint earlier in the night from a woman in Windsor Park.
Police have said recently that they do not believe any of the robberies are connected, and although arrests were made recently in connection with a robbery at the Tortuga liquor store in Passadora Place in which the culprits were armed with machetes, so far police have not revealed any arrests in connection with any of the gun crimes.
Anyone who may have any information in connection with any of the crimes is asked to call 949-4222 or crime stoppers at 800-8477.

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Judge throws out Dudus’ JR request

Judge throws out Dudus’ JR request

| 10/06/2010 | 2 Comments

(CNS): Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke has failed in his legal battle to get a judicial review of the decision to extradite him to the United States. Jamaica’s Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, who heard the application, said a case for the alleged drug lord’s extradition to the United States would have to first be made out in the Resident Magistrate’s court. Her ruling came as members of the security forces intensified their efforts yesterday to apprehend the former West Kingston area leader. Coke has been on the run since 24 May, when security forces raided the barricaded community of Tivoli Gardens to execute the warrant and restore law and order to the area, following attacks on security personnel from gunmen loyal to Coke.

McCalla said in her 22-page opinion delivered on Wednesday, 9 June, that in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Extradition Act, on apprehension or surrender of the applicant (Coke), he would be taken before a Resident Magistrate’s Court for a hearing.

“If a prima facie case for his extradition is made out, the resident magistrate is required to advise him of his right to apply for habeas corpus within 15 days, to enable the matter to be brought before the Supreme Court," McCalla wrote.
“There are no exceptional circumstances in this case that would entitle this court to grant leave to apply for judicial review. I do not agree that there are no alternative remedies available to the applicant as there are alternative remedies available to him under the Extradition Act," the chief justice told Coke’s legal team.
Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne, who gave the authority to start extradition proceedings, had said in her ruling that, had Coke subjected himself to the jurisdiction of the court, he would have been able to avail himself of alternative remedies under the Extradition Act  other than applying for judicial review.
In applying for the judicial review, Coke’s lawyer cited Lightbourne’s nine-month refusal to sign the extradition request and her taking the matter to court herself to block the process before making an about-turn under public pressure.
Don Foote, who appeared along with attorney Paul Beswick, for Coke said that the ruling would be appealed.

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