Archive for January, 2014
Murder trial adjourned in face of legal issues
(CNS): The chief justice dismissed the latest jury panel Monday with orders to return to the Grand Court on Wednesday for selection in the anticipated trial of Brian Borden for the murder of Robert Mackford Bush in September 2011, but not before fining several jurors from the pool who failed to show up $500. Borden, who has been remanded in custody since his arrest almost 18 months ago, has had two trial dates adjourned as a result of legal issues surrounding his case and further legal issues were heard by Chief Justice Anthony Smellie in the absence of the jury Monday. Although the start of the case was pushed back again, at this point the anticipated four-week trial is currently set down to open on Wednesday.
Borden is alleged by the crown to have been one of two men that opened fire on Bush as he sat in a car at the junction of Capt Joe and Osbert Road and Birch Tree Hill in West Bay in a gang-related killing.
The crown recently also charged a second man with the murder. David Tomassa, who the crown says aided and abetted the killing, will not stand trial with his alleged co-conspirator and is currently expected to have his case heard in the summer.
Tomassa, who has denied any part in the shooting, appeared in court Friday but did not submit a plea in the case at his attorney’s request as a result of discussion the defence team is now having with the crown.
Rivers leads team to London for education forum
(CNS): Backbench government MLA Alva Suckoo has been appointed temporary minister for education and employment minister this week, working alongside his brother, Christen Suckoo, the deputy chief officer in the ministry who will be acting chief officer, in the absence of Minister Tara Rivers and Chief Officer Mary Rodrigues. They, along with Ministry Councillor Winston Connolly and Deputy Chief Officer Dr Tasha Ebanks-Garcia, are all in London attending the Education World Forum. Rivers and her team will be in the UK until 26 January in order to participate in a number of meetings with ministers responsible for education and employment there and to visit a number of high performing schools and Jobcentre Plus locations.
Rivers will also host a reception at government’s London office in order to meet and greet Caymanian students in the UK.
Officials said Rivers was invited by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the governor’s office to attend the forum, which runs until Wednesday. In a release the education ministry said the Education World Forum provides the opportunity for ministers with responsibility for education at all levels to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced in their education systems.
“As the Education World Forum is in London it provides a good opportunity for us to visit high performing schools in the area and learn first-hand of the employment initiatives of the UK Government," Rivers said ahead of the trip. "The Ministry is currently reviewing the governance model of public schools in the Cayman Islands in an effort to explore methods to improve local education and raise standards.
“We are also trying to develop the services provided by the National Workforce Development Agency, and are interested in reviewing similar agencies operating in the UK in an effort to better inform ourselves of the successes and ways to avoid the potential pitfalls of programmes geared towards addressing the issue of unemployment,” she added.
The delegation will visit high performing schools known as academies in England, which are publicly funded but independent schools. These schools must follow the law and guidance on admissions, exclusions and special education needs and disabilities like fully maintained public schools but they benefit from greater freedoms. These include: being independent from local authority control, having the ability to set pay and conditions for their staff, deciding how they deliver the curriculum and having the ability to change the length of their school terms.
The Jobcentre Plus location they will visit is the UK governmental body that assists in helping people find jobs. The plan is to spend time at a centre and meet with relevant senior staff to get a thorough understanding of the work that takes place through a Jobcentre Plus, both from an operational and from a policy perspective, officials said.
Officials did not state who was paying for the trip or how much it would cost the public purse.
Players wanted for flag football youth league
(CNS): Organizers of the local flag football association are looking for young would-be players aged between seven and seventeen to join the start of the sixth season of The Security Centre Youth Flag Football League due to start in February. Both boys and girls are being invited to register to play this year and no experience is required. Games are played on Saturdays and the season kicks off on the afternoon of Saturday 1 February. Players are only required to pay a nominal registration fee of $10 but spaces are limited so to parents interested in registering their kids are encouraged to dos so as soon as possible. The league is also looking for volunteers so anyone interested in should complete the volunteer form on the website.
Online registration is now open at www.ciffayouth.com
So far around 180 children have been involved each season and organisers said that the league created to introduce young people to the game has been a great success.
The league is organized by the Cayman Islands Flag Football Association (CIFFA) a non profit organization dedicated to expanding the sport of flag football in the Cayman Islands. It offers an opportunity for children to get active in a fun and safe atmosphere and is made possible as a result of the generosity of its corporate sponsors.
Diver’s tank found in sea
(CNS) Update Monday 4:45pm: Divers involved in the search for 57-year-old David Byles, who was reported missing during a dive off Seven Mile Beach yesterday, have recovered an item of his clothing from the sea. The item was located by police and volunteer divers around 1.20pm today, approximately 135 feet off the Barracuda Wall, where Byles had been diving. At about 10:10 this morning volunteers and police recovered his BCD and diving tank at around 110 feet off the same dive site. Police say the search has been stood downfor the day and will resume on Tuesday morning at 8am. Inspector Ian Yearwood is appealing for specialist divers, those who are experienced in depths of at least 135 feet, to join the search tomorrow.
Anyone who is available and has the requisite diving experience is asked to contact him on 649-7803 or 526-3159.
Byles, a visitor to Cayman from North Carolina, was reported missing following a dive off Seven Mile Beach on Sunday morning, 19 January.
According to the police, he was diving with his wife as part of an organised boat dive at the Barracuda Wall, off Seven Mile Beach. They both surfaced and began swimming towards the Sunset Divers boat, which was approximately 100 yards away. On reaching the boat it was discovered that he had disappeared from view. A search of the immediate area by the boat crew failed to trace him and a police operation was launched.
Police from the air support and marine units as well as uniformed officers resumed the search for him this morning with the help of local boaters and divers.
Sea search continues for missing diver
(CNS): As the sea search for the diver who was reported missing off Seven Mile Beach yesterday resumes, the police have now named him as David Byles (57) from Pine Hurst, North Carolina. RCIPS police divers, Marine, Air and Operational Support Units, the Department of Environment and port security are involved in the air, sea and land search today, police said. Several members of the public have also volunteered to assist and the officer in charge, Inspector Ian Yearwood, is currently working with them to ensure that all search activity is coordinated and under the direction of the RCIPS.
According to the police, around 10:20am yesterday, Sunday 19 January, Byles was diving with his wife as part of an organised boat dive at the Barracuda Wall, off Seven Mile Beach. They both surfaced and began swimming towards the Sunset Divers boat, which was approximately 100 yards away. On reaching the boat it was discovered that he had disappeared from view. A search of the immediate area by the boat crew failed to trace him and a police operation was launched.
The search continues today and further updates will be provided in due course. Any boat owners or divers who wish to assist in the search must make contact with the Marine Unit on 649-7803 or Inspector Yearwood on 526-3159.
Police officer makes bid to reduce firearms charge
(CNS): A serving police officer who has been charged with the illegal importation of firearms is fighting to have those charges changed. Alexander Carballo-Kelly, who has been suspended from duty, appeared in Grand Court on Friday morning but he did not enter any pleas. His lawyer asked for an adjournment as he said his client was being charged with the importation of a firearm when the items in question were not guns but parts. Carballo-Kelly is accused of importing and possession of a 12 gauge shotgun magazine in December 2012 and evading customs duty. He was bailed to appear on 31 January.
USA takes U20 title without conceding one goal
(CNS): As expected the United States U20 ladies team came out on top Sunday with another emphatic win when the ladies beat Mexico 4-0 in the CONCACAF final at the Truman Bodden Sports complex. The team stormed through the tournament to the final without conceding a single goal to gain an easy spot in the World Cup finals in Canada in August. Mexico will also be joining the USA at the finals as the tournament runners up along with Costa Rica which managed to steal a victory over Trinidad and Tobago in extra time in the losers’ play-off on Sunday.
Despite the ease with which the US girls qualified, scoring 29 goals during the competition, they had to work a little harder Sunday evening in the final against Mexico in a relatively close game.
However, the team which scored three of the four goals in the second half took the CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship for a third straight time with a perfect 5-0-0 record.
In the losers playoff however things were a little different Costa Rica rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second half against Trinidad and with the score line at 3-3 at the whistle forcing play into extra. Trinidad had been less than 20 minutes away from becoming the first Caribbean side to qualify for a FIFA Women’s World Cup at any level, when the Central Americans started a rally to recover from the deficit with a final score of 7-4.
Local pregnant woman denies firearms charges
(CNS): Chanel Faith-Ann Ebanks denied trying to smuggle an unlicensed gun into the Cayman Islands when she appeared in Grand Court Friday. The 24-year-old woman, who is expecting a baby next month, pleaded not guilty to possession and importation of an unlicensed firearm following the seizure of a .45 pistol at Owen Roberts International Airport in May of last year. She was arrested by customs officers on arrival from Miami when her bag was selected for x-ray and an object that appeared to be a firearm part was detected. Officers were said to have found firearm parts, which when assembled revealed a completed handgun. A trial date has now been set for December of this year as a result of Ebanks' pregnancy.
Women denies over $2M theft
(CNS): A 52-year-old woman denied stealing more than $2 million from a local resident when she appeared in court Friday. Michelle Bouchard faces 12 counts of theft and other related charges from James Handford between June 2010 and September 2012 but she pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. A Canadian national, Bouchard is understood to have been in a relationship with the victim of the theft. According to the charges, Bouchard took the money from various accounts held by Handford without his authority and transferred them to her own accounts or credit cards. She is also charged with buying a four carat diamond ring worth over $200,000 with his credit card.
Bouchard will face trial in August of this year in what is believed to be one of the largest ever allegations of theft against one individual. Although a Canadian national here on a student visa, Bouchard, whose assets have been frozen and passport seized, was bailed to appear for her trial date and ordered not to have contact with the complainant.
CIAA invites tenders for Brac airportexpansion
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) is inviting tenders from interested contractors to undertake the planned refurbishment and expansion of the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CKIA) on Cayman Brac. The scope of works includes construction of a Hold Baggage Screening (HBS) Room, in-transit lounge, and expansion of the arrivals hall. The HBS Room and relevant equipment would satisfy US requirements for inbound flights and allow for direct flights from the Brac to the US. Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the Brac airport was pivotal to the growth and development of tourism as it is the only way visitors can access Cayman Brac.
"The changes are designed to enhance the baggage screening process and create more space for travellers, thus improving the travel experience. Longer term, the goal is to create a high-quality environment which provides Cayman Brac with well-connected access to the global marketplace,” he said.
Government has previously stated plans to develop an entirely new airport on Little Cayman.
Interested contractors have until Friday 24 January to submit their bids and the contract is expected to be awarded by 10 February. The project is scheduled to commence 17 February, and be completed by 16 May.