Crown taking steps to find missing ex-bar manager

| 16/10/2012

(CNS): The office of the director of public prosecutions (DPP) has said that it is taking steps to try and locate Arthur Screaton, a Canadian national and permanent resident of the Cayman Islands who absconded before his trial, leaving a $10,000 bond. The 53-year-old former bar manager is accused of stealing around CI$10,850 from Rackhams in downtown George Town through false accounting back in 2010. Having pleaded not guilty in March of this year, Screaton was due to be tried last month but was given a bail variation and allowed to travel to the United States. The crown did not object to the bail variation as a result of the bond and because Screaton was said to have close ties to the community.

However, Sreaton missed a court appearance just ahead of the trial and failed to turn up on the morning of 17 September when his case was set to be heard. The trial was vacated and a warrant issued for his arrest, but the crown says it is now seeking ways to have Screaton returned to Cayman.

Although it is not clear where he is, crown counsel told the judge Friday that the DPP was exploring various possibilities. Screaton could be in his native Canada but it is not known if the Cayman Islands has an official extradition treaty with the North American country, leaving his forced return in question even if the crown can locate the fugitive. The crown has not yet stated if it will try Screaton in his absence if he cannot be located or returned to Cayman.

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Category: Crime

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  1. Laughable says:

    He is living in Colorado.

  2. Carl the Canuck says:

    Yeah, sorry about that, eh?

  3. Hon.Tim Horton says:

    As Prime Minister of Canada I take exception to these comments. Canadians are a peaceful people and like to be scratched behind the ears.

  4. Anon says:

    When you say in your report that it is "not known" if there is an extradition treaty with Canada – are you referring to CNS not knowing, or the Crown? Surely the Crown should know such things? Most lawyers should as well? Maybe not a clueless policeman, or perhaps even a journalist (just being real here – you guys write about events, you are not experts in every area) but to report that "someone" does not know our own laws seems vague at best.

  5. Anonymous says:

    when I was ripped off by a Canadian posing as a owner while he was actually a renter, the police told me it would have to be atleast $200,000.00 before any extradition would be considered.  In combination with the other other people involved it was over $50,000.00 and then the RCIPs said we should have known better trusting someone we did not know…thanks

    • Anonymous says:

      I am afraid of Canadians. It seems like they are always trying to get stuff and hurt people’s feelings.

      • No Canuck No Cry says:

        Canadians have been known to eat their young. For fun.

        • Anonymous says:

          Plus they're always apologizing for everything, and saying hello to me in the street when I'm doing my best to be unfriendly.

    • Anonymous says:

      Canadians are the most dangerous people of any first world country that we have living on this islands they commit the most crimes and are the most avericious. 

      • Anonymous says:

        Agreed. And Canadians have their own insidious ways of influencing the local population. They are always writing the vowel "u" into everyday words, they use the so-called "metric" system, speak French as though they understand it, and are always trying to get you to drink a strong beverage called "Labatt's Blue".

        • Tufty says:

          I wonder of there is no such thing as a "Canadian".  From your description they do seem to be undercover Frenchmen. 

      • Anonymous says:

        Avaricious.  They can't spell either.

  6. Anonymous says:

    I agree with other comments regarding the government's time and money should not be wasted on locating the fugitive. This government is lacking the funds to carry out such an investgation at this time.  However, what I find more disconcerting is the quote "Screaton could be in his native Canada but it is not known if the Cayman Islands has an official extradition treaty with the North American country, leaving his forced return in question even if the crown can locate the fugitive."  How on earth is there no official extradition treaty between Canada and the Cayman Islands? Why on earth is this not being questioned? How about other jurisdictions for which the island has many expats/perm residents – Are there no official extradition treaties in place there as well?

  7. Heywood Djoublomi says:

    He's on facebook and living in Denver.

  8. John Evans says:

    This story comes at an interesting time.

    Art (and I freely admit I did get to know the gentleman quite well when I was working for Net News) has effectively covered the money he is still only alleged to have stolen and has presumably also left assets on Grand Cayman, which can now be seized to cover any shortfall and legal costs. Yet RCIPS are considering wasting public money having him extradited.

    At the same time figures just released by the Metropolitan Police (and hopefully shortly to be added to the CNS Library) show that over about six months in 2007/8 members of the original Operation Tempura team spent just under £20,000 (CI$26,000) they could not properly account for. This included charges made to credit cards apparently issued by their employer for which no valid receipts could be produced. To their credit RCIPS picked this up but the fact that the claims were submitted in the first place is potentially a criminal offence under both UK and Cayman Islands law. In the UK I have iton good authority this is false accounting, possibly in the Cayman Islands it might be theft or attempted theft. But the bottom line is it has apparently gone unpunished and the money has just been written off in the UK.

    One rule for them and another for Art?

    CNS: The documents John refers to are in the CNS Library under "Documents"

    • Anonymous says:

      For the scale of the job they were doing, this is not a material amount and this does seem quite a petty gripe from someone who appears to have an axe to grind.

      • xxxxwit says:

        $26 grand is not a material amount…  OK, give me $26 grand please – it's not material after all.  Don't be petty about this now!  I'd hate to have to grind my axe or something.  Better yet, I'll come and take it away from you involuntarily, then you can tell me if it's still "not material".  Hey wait a minute, is your name Martin? 

  9. Anonymous says:

    First – How can he have "close ties" in Cayman if his family is all in Canada. What are those ties. That was flippin rubbish and the Crown should have thought first about giving him a bail variance to travel. They should have tried him quickly instead of waiting how may months/years that this joke of a court system makes people wait. You go one day and they all make a next date for an appearance of a mention or whatever that is for 2 months down the road. You go two months later and someone's attorney is stuck in Grand Court and cant make the Summary Court appearance so they set another date 2 months into the future. And on and on.

    Second – Does Cayman have to have an extradition treay with a country or do the countires both have to be members of the Hague Convention which defines extradition from one country to another.

    Third – Yes, while the funds from the bond could be used to apy back Rackams, this was an illegal act and (if guilty) the man should be punished accordingly otherwise what will stop others from stealing, making bond, leaving a surety and skipping out to not return, especially to Honduras which is not a memeber of the hauge Convention.

    Fourth – it once again is the Crown's fault that Chef John's grandson got off of the island. If he was a flight-risk they could have kept him in custody. Even if he had to surrender his passport it was too easy for him to hop the next canoe out of Cayman. The justice for the people is non-existent with a bunch of jokers like the Crown Counsel and this ENTIRE court system.

    This is all just one big flippin joke. *Sigh*

    • Anonymous says:

      A Canadian took something from my grandmom once and she was sick and couldn’t get it back

  10. Anonymous says:

    Folks very simple solution keep the $10k bond he left, offset it against the $10,850 "misappropriation" and write off the loss of $850 and stop wasting time, what a joke how difficult does it need to be?  Why on earth there needs to be a full blown trial is unknown.

    • Anonymous says:

      Because that is not good ol' caymanian common sense from the sacred vessel.

    • Anonymous says:

      So by that logic there was no crime committed? I know there are others who haven't been recalled or tracked down, and maybe they should have been, but what message does it give to future criminals that if they get caught all they have to do is leave the island?

      I know it doesn't make financial sense but right is right, it's not 'only if it's cheaper.'

    • Anonymous says:

      How do you suppose they deal with the jail sentence without a trial?

    • Anonymous says:

      I totally agree wouldnt it cost more than $850 to look for him.  Im thinking that your time and money should be wasted on something more worth while. Also he is a decent guy and I really dont believe he would do that. 

    • Anonymous says:

      While the bond will certainly be forfeited the idea behind "justice" is that (if he is guilty) he should have to pay for what he has done. In this case he will likely get off. It's not about the money it's about punishment and sending a clear message to others. Now the message is IF you are an expat and can make up some story to be able to leave Cayman you will never pay (in this country anyway) for your crimes.

      XXXX

  11. Rorschach says:

    People, people, people…calm down….once the RCIPS figures out a way to bring Ilsa back from Honduras and sucessfully prosecutes and figures out a way to get their monies back, then they get around to dealing with all the other persons who have "left the jurisdiction"…

  12. fedupcaymanian says:

    why waste the $$ on this guy?  How about chef john's grandson who escaped to Honduras after burglarizing all of Prospect!  the dozens of homes he stole from, pleaded guilty to and is now in honduras?  why aren't they looking for him?  Where is the justice for the people???

    • Anonymous says:

      There is a reason people are running away to Honduras.  That country does not have to extradite people back to countries to stand trial where they have allegedly committed a crime.

      Nice, huh?

  13. Local says:

    Why are they not taking this type of Action to Richard Hurlston who was charged as the Mastermind for abduction and ransom?

  14. Anonymous says:

    There have been a lot more individuals who have misappropiated funds and absconded.  Use the Bond to pay back Rackhams and stop wasting public money!

    • Anonymous says:

      They fancy a trip to Canada, its nice at this time of the year

    • Anonymous says:

      If the DPP is the ones responsible for bringing him back you can forget that ever hapening. The have not been able to get the President from UCCI back after all this time.  They will go out and spend thousand of dollars on detective work and nothing will transpire.  By the way did they give the guy his travel documents.  For God sake DPP try thinking like the criminals- if you were guilty, given and paid bail, knowing full well that you would be proscuted and found guily- would you come back?