Archive for April, 2014
Hurdles battle tipped as one to watch
(CNS): Four top international 400m female hurdlers will be battling it out on the Truman Bodden Track at the Cayman Invitational on 7 May. Third time returnees Tiffany Williams of the United States, Ajoke Odumosu of Nigeria and Jamaican representatives Ristananna Tracey and Shevon Stoddart are scheduled to race in the women's 400m hurdles event in what organisers said would be an exciting event, given the stature of the athletes. Meet director and international athlete Cydonie Mothersill said the race is sure to be tight.
“Although any one of this formidable foursome could stand on the top step during the victory ceremony, other possible show-stealing starters will include veteran Nickiesha Wilsonfrom Jamaica,” she said. “Every one of the competitors in the event presents an impressive list of accomplishments.”
Ajoke set the standard in 2012 with a winning mark of 55.09 seconds, but slipped to fifth last year. Tiffany upped her position from runner-up to the top spot in 2013, bringing down the record to an amazing 55.04 s. Ristananna jumped from sixth place in her first appearance to the second spot in 2013 and Shevon has finished fourth in both previous outings.
Tiffany Williams, from Miami, Florida represented the Miami Northwest Express Club in her early competitive career. She won the South-eastern Conference 400 m hurdles three times and was also a 15-time All-American while attending the University of South Carolina. She was the United States champion in the event in 2007 and 2008 and was a finalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her personal best is listed at 53.28 s.
Ajoke Odumosu is the national record holder for Nigeria in the women's 400 m hurdles at 54.40s. posted in the semi-finals of the 2012 London Olympics. Prior to that achievement, she had attained several victories and other medal-winning performances at international competitions. She struck gold at the African Championships in 2008, the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and the All-Africa Games in 2011. Ajoke was a standout for the University of South Alabama track squad.
Lowering her time substantially to place second at last year's Cayman Invitational, Ristananna Tracey has a formidable record of achievements. At the World Junior Championships in 2010 she finished fifth and the following year she was victorious at the CAC Junior Championships. At the Jamaica National Championships in 2011 her second place time of 54.50 s. was noted as the second-best all-time mark in the event at the junior level.
Shevon Stoddart is another stalwart representative of the University of South Carolina. She competed for Jamaica at the 2004 Athens Olympics while still in college and later in 2008 in Beijing, where she finished fourth. She gained a third-place medal at the CAC Games in 2005 and competed in the World Championships later that year. Shevon placed fifth at the Commonwealth Games in 2006. Her best mark for the 400 m hurdles is 54.40 s. In addition, Shevon is a noted singer, songwriter and model.
Retail Dart boss makes mystery sudden exit
(CNS Business): Hugh Treadwell, who has been a leading member of the Dart management teamheading up various companies owned by the islands’ largest investor for many years, has made a mystery exit from the firm. Although a spokesperson for Dart Reality Cayman Ltd confirmed that Treadwell has left the company, despite speculation concerning management ‘irregularities’, the firm refused to comment on why the former senior boss had gone. “Dart does not provide public comment on the circumstances or details of the cessation of any specific employment,” Connie Buchanan, the firm’s public relations manager,said Wednesday. “We confirm that Hugh Treadwell is no longer employed with Dart.” Read more on CNS Business
Ex-cop clamps down on drug smugglers
(CNS): Just a few weeks into his new job as head of enforcement at customs, former senior police officer Marlon Bodden has started as he means to go on and is warning smugglers that he and his team arecoming after them. Four people were charged and appeared in court this week after being nabbed at Owen Robberts International Airport during the Easter weekend carrying narcotics. Over 5 kilos of cocaine and an undisclosed quantity of ganja that had been hidden in hammock slats, shoes and electronics were seized by officials. “It’s my responsibility to make sure we are paying the right attention to all of the activity that is unacceptable,” said the new customs enforcer.
Talking about the importance of the partnership between customs and the RCIPS in policing drug smuggling and his goal to clamp down on it, Bodden told Cayman27 news that he had no intention of getting tired anytime soon.
“I gave over thirty years to the RCIPS and I am going to give another thirty to customs. We have the all-seeing eye,” he said referring to CCTV at the airport. “We want to let individuals know that we are going to check them and I am not going to apologise to the public as we are going to do our job and there may be some delays.”
With just a dozen reported drug seizures at the airport over the last five years, officials have said that the weaknesses were down to a lack of leadership until the relatively recent appointment of Samantha Bennett as the collector of customs and now Bodden as the head of enforcement.
The ex-cop has promised that said things are now going to change and he warned people who get involved in drug smuggling that they will get caught and said the recent haul was just the beginning.
Miller rebuts political plot
(CNS): The independent member for North Side has dismissed allegations that he is involved in any political conspiracies to destabilize the current PPM administration. Ezzard Miller said his motivation during this administration, like the last one, is to represent his constituents and do what he believes is in the best interest of Caymanians. He said that he has absolutely nothing to gain, especially three years away from an election, from undermining the present government as this is his country too, which he wants to see succeed, not fail because of political instability. Miller said all he wants is for government to take greater notice of the issues he is attempted to put before them.
“I have nothing to gain from undermining government. I live here, I don’t even have a UK passport,” Miller stated. “My position is the same as it has always been. If the government brings something good to the Legislative Assembly I will support it, if I think it is bad then I will tell the government what it needs to change to get my support.”
The independent MLA explained that as a member of the opposition benches, his options for presenting the matters that he believes are important to his constituents and the country in general are limited. The only way is to use adjournment debates, private members motions or other appropriate motions that Standing Orders permit.
Rather than creating conspiracy theories, Miller urged the current administration to pay closer attention to the content and goals of the motions that he has and will continue to bring before legislators.
“What I am trying to achieve is good governance and to promote the interests of Caymanians,” he said. “Instead of falling back on the same old clichés that I am a rebel, seeking the lime-light, or that I am seeking to destabilize the political landscape, the government should be looking closely at the content of the motions and the reasons why I bring these things to their attention.”
Miller also denied colluding or conspiring with the leader of the opposition and any new party he may be forming.
“It is a totally preposterous idea that I am joining any new CDP, CLP or any other collection of letters representing any political party that involves the remnants of the UDP,” he said in response to recent speculation. “I have no blind ambition to be premier and have no need to gather support to lead any party.”
The independent member said that prior to the last election he had met with a group of what he believed were the brightest and the best potential young politicians and urged them to enter the political arena, as he said the country needed them. But, he said, he had made it perfectly clear from the onset that he had no ambitions to lead them or be at the helm of a political party. “Some of those people are now sitting on the government benches and in Cabinet,” he noted.
The allegations of destabilization or collusion coming from the government, Miller said, were merely a deflection, as he accused government of dodging the national issues that he was putting before them.
The latest conflict in the LA over his call to reject the MACI annual report until the losses were explained and to act on the complaints commissioner’s whistle-blowing report was, Miller said, about the need to address the reports not about embarrassing government.
“The goal was to have the issues relating to the reports debated,” he said. “However, the government response just demonstrated a lack of preparation and the unwillingness of the government benches to put the time in to deal with the matters that are before parliament and of major public interest. Everything I did was in full compliance with the existing Standing Orders, regardless of how archaic they might be.”
Miller said that since he was returned to office in the 2009 election, everything he has brought to the country’s parliament has been because he believed it was important and needed to be raised, debated and addressed. He said he was desperately concerned that a catalogue of critical issues, especially those relating to the country’s aging population, were being ignored but he would press ahead with his goal to get government to address them.
Cops charge 7MB street robbery suspect
(CNS): The man arrested on suspicion of robbery in connection with a street mugging at knife point in the Seven Mile Beach area has been charged but detectives are still looking for witnesses as well as the victim’s missing driver’s license and credit cards. The man was arrested, with the help of members of the public, following the attack on a 23-year-old woman, who was walking home from work near Royal Palms, on the West Bay Road. The man, who has not been named, was due in court Wednesday afternoon and George Town CID are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
The police arrested the suspect after he was tracked down with the help of an off-duty customs officer and his friend who were driving by when they saw the victim in distress. The two men went in hunt of the potential mugger and tracked him down further along the West Bay Road on Helen Drive.
During the incident, which took place at about 10:45 pm on Easter Monday in the heart of Cayman’s tourist district, the woman received injuries to her wrist as the robber grabbed her handbag. Although some of the women’s possessions were recovered from Helen Drive, where the mugger was apprehended, several hundred dollars in cash as well as other personal items remain missing.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has found credit cards, a CI driver’s license or insurance cards in the area is asked to call DC Laura Ryding at 949-4222.
Drama society pokes TV style fun at local life
(CNS): With titles such as ‘Restaurant Rollover’, ‘Northward Ritz’ and ‘FOI’ audiences can hazard a guess where CayTube Live a sketch comedy show presented by the Cayman Drama Society at the Prospect Playhouse is going. Producers are promising some adult but clean comedy which cross over the boundaries of life for both locals and resident ex-pats in Cayman. A small team of comedy writers, led by Michelle Morgan have developed dozens of sketches with TV connections written with a Cayman slant to them. Described as akin to watching a very fast-paced TV show with parody commercials where someone else has the remote control and is channel hopping, the show opens on 1 May.
CayTube Live features a mix of both Caymanians and expats, with many familiar faces from the local theatre scene, as well as some new ones. The cast includes Julissa Castillo, Malcolm Ellis, Jacoline Frank, Gwynneth Hamilton, Mary Anne Kosa, Peter Kosa, Michael McLaughlin, Soraya Moghadass, Wendy Moore, Michelle Morgan, Teri Quappe, Vijay Singhera, Martin Tedd and Dominic Wheaton.
Performances are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from May 1 to May 17 at 7:30 PM. The lobby bar opens at least half an hour before the show. There will be nine performances, and tickets cost $25 for adults and $10 for young people.
Winning local riders jump into regional contest
(CNS): Isabelle Smith (Left) and Hannah Fowler will be representing the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Equestrian Association’s Show Jumping Competition (CEA JSJC) against Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica next month after taking the U16 and U14 titles respectively in the first ever Cayman Islands Equestrian Federation last weekend. The teen riders will now be training hard in the run up to the contest next month as they turn their attention from the recent grace and style of their successful dressage games for the speed and accuracy of the jump arena.
Six riders from the Equestrian Centre (EC) and one rider from Cayman Riding School (CRS) competed in the debut local contest which Sharon Hinds, newly-elected President of CIEF said was a great experience for horses and riders.
“It is also helpful for different stables to share the load of hosting the growing number of shows in the CIEF calendar. We really appreciate all the hard work that volunteers have put in to prepare this venue for its first CIEF show and we look forward to many more here in the future.”
Visiting horses from the EC settled in easily and seemed to take their new surroundings in their stride. The random draw settled the order of go for the three rounds of competition in each of the age categories, under 16 and under 14.
Three experienced riders from the EC competed in the Under 16 age category, Thea Millward, Polly Serpell and Isabelle Smith; in the Under 14 age category, three seasoned riders from the EC, Madeliene Arquart,, Phoebe Serpell and Ashley van den Bol were joined by Hannah Fowler from CRS.
Given the new surroundings for the visiting horses, riders were asked to ride their own horses in the first round, switching onto their competitors’ horses for rounds 2 and 3.
Competition was tough as few rails fell in the opening round. Six of the seven riders jumped clear and took a clean sheet into the second round. The course changed for each round and in the second round the same six riders maintained their clean slate going into the final round. Those who remain clean in the final round,have their times from all three rounds added, with the lowest overall time bagging first place. At this stage riders always have to choose whether to gamble on the course to ‘shave’ time at the risk of forcing an error and bringing down a rail or two in the field.
Both Millward and Smith held their nerve in the final round to finish clear in the Under 16 category and Fowler, Phoebe Serpell and van den Bol followed suit in the Under 14 category leaving spectators none the wiser as to who had clinched the top spots.
They didn’t have long to wait for the announcements. Smith took first place in the Under 16 category with a combined time of 128.15 seconds and will represent Cayman in that category in the CEA JSJC against Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica next month. Millward finished second with 134.78 seconds and is the Reserve Team Member for the U16 and Polly Serpell finished third with 8 faults and a combined time of 133.20 seconds.
In the Under 14 category, Fowler took first place to win the trial in the younger age group with a combined time of 124.5 seconds. Phoebe Serpell was a close second with a time of 125.14 seconds and will be the Reserve Team Member for the U14s. In third place was van den Bol with 133.8 seconds and in fourth place was Arquart with 4 faults and a combined time of 134.05 seconds.
CIEF is actively seeking corporate sponsors to assist with staging this weekend-long event and anyone interested in sponsoring the event should contact caymansecretarygeneral@gmail.com or 916 4312.
Witness wanted cash to talk
(CNS): The integrity of the crown’s key witness in its case against a local police officer accused of blackmail was brought into question during the ongoing trial Tuesday when it was revealed he had asked for money in exchange for his evidence to pay for flights. Filipino national Len Ferrares had told police that Elvis Ebanks, who is currently suspended from his job with the RCIPS, asked him for a bribe of $500 not to prosecute him over the alleged theft of a cell phone at the Auto-spa. However, the court heard that Ferrares had asked for money to testify in court. The jury also heard that although Ebanks was not armed or violent when he was arrested in connection with the crime, three officers dragged him from his car and one had kicked him to the ground.
After the crown successfully managed to present the evidence from Ferrares, whose first language is Tagalog, on its third attempt as a result of translation difficulties,the crown turned to the evidence from the various officers involved in the case.
The court heard from two officers at the scene of the arrest that Ebanks was kicked by one of them, not because he was armed, dangerous or violent but because he was “non-compliant”.
Six officers were involved in the arrest of Ebanks, a serving officer at the time, on the side of the East-West arterial in November 2012 after he had allegedly collected the bribe from Ferrares in a set up with marked cash. The officers insisted that Ebanks refused to get out of the car and held his body rigid, preventing them from cuffing him. As a result, three officers physically dragged the man from the car onto his knees and across the tarmac, while another officer said he used a “deflection strike” to get Ebanks to lie down.
He admitted, however, that the deflection strike consisted of kicking the defendant to the ground.
During the police evidence, the reluctance of Ferrares to give evidence was highlighted and questions over the witness’s integrity were raised. It was already clear from earlier testimony that Ferrares had been working at the Auto-spa on some type of casual basis without a permit, as his official work permit was held by a local janitorial firm. The claim by Ferrares that he had found rather than stolen the phone was also brought into question during his evidence. However, the integrity and truthfulness of the prosecution's witness came under greater scrutiny when a police officer confirmed he had asked for money.
Under cross-examination, a UK officer from the Anti-corruption Unit at the time of the investigation said Ferrares had asked forpayment to come to court and give evidence, but the police had made it clear to him that the RCIPS would not offer any financial inducement for his evidence. However, the senior officer, who was recruited to Cayman as a result of his experience and specialist skills from Britain, admitted that he had made no note of the conversations.
Despite the sensitivity of the issue and best practice, he said he didn’t record the request by Ferrares for cash. He also admitted making no note of his conversation with the head of the Anti-corruption Unit, Richard Oliver, another UK officer who was recruited to Cayman during Operation Tempura, or any conversation he had with Ferrares telling him that the RCIPS would not pay for evidence.
Ebanks has denied blackmail but said he had taken the money as it was urged upon him by Ferrares as a short term loan. The attorney representing Ebanks has suggested that Ferrares made up the allegations to prevent him from being deported.
The trial continues this week in Grand Court One.
Bermuda hints at legalisation of medical ganja
(CNS): As politicians in the Cayman Islands continue to keep their heads well and truly buried in the sand over the question of medical marijuana, Bermuda's National Security Minister, Michael Dunkley, has announced plans by the Cabinet to address the issue of drug law reform and take a look at local policy for medicinal use. The government said it will be examining a new report as the minister has acknowledged the successful use of the drug in various treatments and in pain relief. The Cannabis Reform Collaborative (CRC), set up last year to prepare the report, has now also begun an electronic survey to canvass public opinion on the island regarding marijuana.
“It’s time to take a look at the medical use of marijuana and time to take a look at our policies. I leave it at that at this point,” said in an article in the Royal Gazette. “There are a lot of different aspects involved, whether it’s the medical process of cannabis or the stop list — some people go as far as legalisation. I want to use opportunities for medical marijuana use — we all have a heart when we are looking at people suffering and how cannabis can be utilised in treatment and pain relief.
“If we are going to make changes on how we handle it, we have to make sure we make these decisions to protect these people and protect their health.”
Despite being a conservative society, the announcement from the fellow overseas territory and similar economy reveals that Bermuda is way ahead of Cayman on the issue.
Here local MLAs have even refused to comment on record at all about the issue, despite the rising significant support in the local population not just for medical use but for licensed recreational use as well. Cannabis Cayman, which was founded by Burns Connolly to begin the discussion about medical use, is widely supported by the public but is being completed ignored by legislators.
With Jamaica pressing a head with potential export plans and massive changes in attitude towards the drug, many believe it is now a matter of when, but the sooner Cayman joins in the debate the better it will benefit from the potential massive future economic gains that will be associated with what will become a major new industry.
CIMA turns to past boss to tackle insurance gap
(CNS Business): Following the recent revelation that the head of insurance at the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) had been on sick leave formore than six months the regulator is replacing him with the department’s former boss. Gordon Rowell has been let go as officials said in a release that his employment with the authority has formally ended. Although CIMA has not confirmed the details it is understood he was dismissed. Morag Nicol will return to the post which she held during 2006/07 tomorrow (Thursday 24 April) for three months until a replacement for Rowell can be found. Read more on CNS Business