Accused men freed after judge dismisses case
(CNS): Two men whom theprosecution claimed had been seen escaping the scene of a robbery in West Bay earlier this year have had the case against them dismissed after the judge found there was no evidence implicating the men. Justice Charles Quin released Dennis Ebanks and John McLaughlin on Thursday after an application by the defence that there was no case to answer as it had become apparent during the trial that none of the witnesses in the case were able to link them directly to the robbery. Although the two men had been seen getting into two vehicles across the street from the robbery, there was no other evidence to link those men with the crime.
Ebanks and McLaughlin had been charged with a daylight heist at the Tortuga liquor store in West Bay because witnesses outside the store said they saw two men who were acting suspiciously just after the robbery get into two different vehicles, and as a result called in the registration numbers. The men in those cars were then stopped by police and later arrested and charged with the robbery but no other evidence was presented to the court that indicated either of the men were in fact the robbers.
On the day of the crime two masked men held up the store at gunpoint and made their escape with around $2,000.
The store is situated between the Turtle Farm, the Cayman Car Museum, a dolphinairium, the Cracked Conch restaurant and the Macabuca Tiki Bar, all of which are popular tourist locations. The hold-up took place on a day when there were four cruise ships in port.
Category: Crime
CNS: There is a HUGE story of Caymanian (yes, born ones) gun running between the US and here that the Compass is reporting, naming names. Why are you silent? Usually you are cutting edge. The UK magazine, Private Eye, that Wendy at least will certainly know, always takes the line that when a news organisation ignores big relevant news it is because there is some personal or business relationship affecting them. Surely this can't be the case?
CNS: Cayman News Service broke that story US cops arrest freed GT man five days before the Compass caught up with us, despite the fact that Wendy is competing with a team of writers at CPF. Ifyou pay attention instead of drifting off into ridiculous conspiracy theories, you might catch the follow up stories when she writes them.
Yet another illustration of how poorly the RCIPS are assembling cases for the legal department. In the year 2011 there is still no automation or digital record of evidence or incident reports – it's all physical files like the 1950s. Stuff goes missing, people call in sick causing massive delays in investigation. No follow through or oversight, and then you get atttude from the call center, like the public should know their officer's vacation schedules. If it were not so sad it would be funny.
So getting into your car or being seen doing so is cause for the prosecution and the esteemed RCIP to CHARGE with armed robbery? Why is it with the new law being debated now on changing the presumption of innocence to the assumption of guilty on the accused so critizied by a broad scope of the community . Could it be a founded fear of an abuse deliberate or not by the authorities ? Perhaps it is that the authorities try to make breakfast constantly out of an empty box of corn flakes and present it as a all you can eat buffet with an omlette station? Far too many crimes are unsolved and far too many cases are tosses. And with that comes far too many people being held and made to answer for charges that have no credibility. Why with what is being demonstrated wouldn’t people be fearful of empowering such a body of demonstrated incompetenc to make their work product easier?
Free like a bird in the tree!!!! Welcome home
Can someone explain the following: Did the government not pay a Private Company to install CCTV????? So far that was another million or more wasted and nothing has come from it. Again, the people of the cayman islands jsut keeps taking it and taking it…more to come…three more uselss politicans sitting in Bodden Town and George Town, three more puppets
I guess you would expect the national camera surveillance system to catch a crook in your back yard too? As I see it, the cameras are installed on the main junctions that we have to travel through and not every business front door?
The many named businesses in the area – Turtle Farm, Cayman Car Museum, Dolphin Park, the Cracked Conch restaurant and the Macabuca Tiki Bar – have they taken some responsibility to look out for themselves too? Do they have camera systems viewing inside and around their own business?
Cayman Islands “catch and release” program!
Catch and release? Now that is proper funny! But, let's keep the focus where it needs to be here. Yes, the RCIP of late couldn't catch a cold in an ice cream factory, BUt, but, but, but,but, it is the responsibility of the legal department to ensure that cases are suitable for court before they issue charges and cause cases to go there.
The legal department have to be made accountable for their failures, not just the RCIP, who of course, also have to be made accountable.
Has anyone FOI'd the number of cases that the legal dept has lost yet? Oh wait, I remember, it was applied for and they 'don't keep those records' do they? But what would be really interesting to know, is what causes the legal dept. to appeal a case when they inevitably loose it?
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