Archive for November, 2014
Schools to battle it out over perfect words
(CNS): The preliminary rounds of the primary and secondary National Spelling Bees drew to a close on Thursday 13 November, with a closely contested high school competition at the Mary Miller Hall, officials said in a release from GIS. Aaron Fernandez, Alec Harding, and Toni-Ann Daley from John Gray will join Dilan Tatum, Gabriella Ritch and Thomas Sevik from Layman E. Scott (Cayman Brac) in the Lions Spelling Bee finals on 3 December. Meanwhile, nine primary school students will be battling it out for the RBC Royal Bank Cayman Ltd. Spelling Bee on 2 December.
George Town Primary is sending through Amare Hamilton, Jelani Hanson and Jemma Watson. Prospect Primary will send Everton Spence and Brianna Ebanks. Aria Gooden from Sir John A. Cumber Primary, Kadre Williams from Cayman Academy, Thaddeus Solomon from Savannah Primary and Deidre Edwards from Bodden Town Primary will also be looking to get all the letters in the right order.
Both finals take place at the Mary Miller Hall and members of the public are welcome to attend.
UK to make hearings public for rogue cops
(CNS): The UK’s home secretary has plans for police disciplinary hearings to be held in public. Cayman often copies the UK’s police procedures and such transparency here would be widely welcomed as concerns have been expressed for a long time about the way police complaints are handled. Cayman doesn’t yet have an independent body to deal with complaints about officers and even when they are disciplined or removed the details are hidden from the public. In the UK Theresa May said she also wanted to see legal independent experts chairing panels for officers who commit misconduct.
May said the new system, which is set for public consultation, would be "more robust, independent and transparent", according to reports on the BBC.
As part of the plans, panels will have the power to rule that officers whose contracts are terminated for disciplinary reasons should not qualify for a pay-off. May said, "The integrity of the men and women who work in the police service of England and Wales is critical to public trust in policing. I want to ensure that the systems and processes that deal with misconduct by police officers are robust, independent and transparent to the public."
The RCIPS has come in for considerable criticism regarding the way it handles complaints about rogue officers. Complaints are handled behind closed doors and by other police officers. The outcomes are never made public. Pay-offs are kept under wraps and even when officers have been dismissed the conduct leading to their sacking is never revealed.
Unless the issue reaches the courts, the outcomes regarding complaints and allegations about serving officers have always remained secret.
Although the RCIPS did eventually make public a report regarding the events leading up to the suicide of officer Raphael Anthony Williams after an independent review was carried out by the Bermuda police, a report into whether or not the commissioner had used excessive force when he ran over a suspected robber was not.
Williams hanged himself in East End inJanuary days after he was released from custody having been arrested by his colleagues over allegations that he was soliciting sexual favours in exchange for not issuing traffic tickets. The events leading up to his suicide were documented in the report and the conclusions of the investigation were made public.
However, in contrast the enquiry into whether or not Police Commissioner David Baines had used excessive force when he ran offer a suspect in the wake of a jewellery heist on New Year’s Day remains under wraps. Although officials had confirmed that no action would be taken against David Baines in connection with the significant injuries sustained by Jonathan Ramoon after the top cop had used his car to run down Ramoon and prevent his escape, the details of the internal probe have never been published. In addition, the identity of the officer conducting that enquiry has never been confirmed.
Stingrays take title in Pirates week swim meet
(SSC): Ella Kaye Lockwood was on deck to open the official Pirates Week Mike Lockwood Memorial Swim Meet last weekend with a prayer and a moving tribute to the vision, passion and community spirit which her late husband – Mike Lockwood – was known for.The meet took place November 13-16 at the Lions Aquatic Centre hosted by Stingray Swim Club and attended by swimmers from Stingray Swim Club (SSC), Team TI (TI), Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC) and Special Olympics of the Cayman Islands (SOCI) and swimmers from Triple C School. In the overall points standings, Stingray Swim Club placed 1st with 5,438.5 points; Camana Bay, 2nd with 4,586.5; Treasure Island 3rd with 1,429 and SOCI, 4th with 23 points.
“It was an excellent weekend of swimming and fun and over the four days of competition, with swimmers’ competing in long distance events such as 800m and 1500m; middle distance events such as 200m and 400m events and 50m and 100m sprints,” said Stingray President Amanda Roberts. “I am very proud of our swimmers many of whom swam personal best times (PBs) and set new CIASA records over the course of the four day meet.”
There were many notable swims over the four days, with new CIASA records set (still pending final official approval at this time, but they will be announced shortly).
The relays took on a different appearance at this meet, as the swim clubs worked closely with CIASA to try something a little new … in the spirit of creating strong competition which would benefit all the swimmers, the coaches selected relay teams across the club … putting swimmers from all the clubs behind the same block. The resulting relays were exciting and saw some very competitive races taking place.
High Points Winners Girls U6 – Libby Lindleyz (TI); Girls 7-8 Gabriella Royston SSC); Girls 9-10 Stephanie Royston (SSC); Girls 11-12 Alison Jackson (SSC); Girls 13-14 Stefanie Boothe (SSC) and Girls 15&Over Lauren Hew (CBAC).
Boys U6 Phinn Ellison (CBAC); Boys 7-8 Jack Hendriksen (CBAC); Boys 9-10 Corey Westerbourg SSC); Boys 11-12 Jordan Crooks (SSC); Boys 13-14 Eddie Weber (CBAC) and Boys 15&Over Cole Morgan (SSC).
Michael (Mike’s son) was on deck for the closing of the meet and along with Pirates Week Director Melanie McField, presented the awards.
Junior underdogs topple top tennis seeds
(TFCI): Last weekend’s PwC junior tennis Masters Championship was full of surprises, as three out of the four top seeds fell to lower-ranked players. Callum Theaker beat top seed Daniel Reid in the 18&U group; Jake Serpell defeated powerful Oskar Bjuro in the 10&U; and Calum Lindsay took out Harrison Clough to secure the 14&U Masters title. The only No.1 seed to claim a Masters crown was Jack Lomax, who remains unbeaten this year in his 12&U division. Reid, 16, was a little unlucky going into the 18&U final with Theaker, as he had already played a tough three-setter only a couple of hours earlier against Brad Johnston.
Theaker, on the other hand, got a bye when his semi-final opponent Jade Wilkinson was forced to withdraw with an injury, so went into the match fresh. Theaker, 14, the No.2 seed and Reid’s chief opponent, proceeded to take the match 6-2, 6-1, but it was clear Reid was playing well below par. Reid accepted his loss with grace, but he nevertheless easily emerged with the most points over the year in the 18&U division, and finished ranked no. 1 and 2014’s champion, an honour recognised by a large trophy. Theaker finished the year as No.2.
Calum Lindsay’s hard-fought victory (5-7, 6-3, 10-8) over Harrison Clough in the finals of the 14&U group was a big upset. The fifth-ranked player in this division, Lindsay, 12, was expected offer little serious resistance to Clough, but he proved he was not so easily dismissed. With his intelligent, consistent game, he ultimately squeaked past his aggressive but more error-prone opponent. Despite the loss, Clough, aged 11, finished the year as the No. 1 ranked 14&U and was named 2014 14&U PwC champion.
The player who earlier this year dominated the 14&U division, talented Bobby Lomax, is taking a break from tennis, so did not take part in the Masters.
While Jack Lomax, 9, cruised through his matches to win the 12&U division, the player who grabbed the crowd’s attention was finalist Neildeep Ghosh.
Ghosh, ranked outside at no.4, earned his way to the semis, where he held his nerve to scramble past no.3 seed Alex Claybourn (1-6, 6-3, 12-10) to make the finals. There, he put up a strong fight, succumbing 3-6, 3-6 to Lomax. This was a great result for Ghosh, who finished as runner-up in front of no.2 seed Lauren Fullerton and no.3 Claybourn. Lomax, who plays above his age group, finished the year as the 12&U champion, and also took home a plaque for winning the Masters.
Jake Serpell, winner of the Masters 10&U division, proved that his win over Oskar
Bjuro in October’s fourth PwC tournament of the year was no accident when he won their final on Sunday, 6-3, 6-3. Serpell clocked up wins against Ella Beighton and Caden Stradling to make the semis, where he dismissed Todd Purton 6-1, 6-2. Bjuro, for his part, beat younger brother Sebastian, Holly McLean and Todd Purton, before coming up against Caden Stradling in the semis.
Stradling, who applies plenty of pressure with his aggressive play, almost unseated Bjuro, but eventually went down 4-6, 6-4, 11-13. Serpell’s win over Bjuro in the finals means he may well be one to watch in 2015, along with Stradling. Bjuro nevertheless finished the year claiming the no.1 ranking by a comfortable margin, and collected a large trophy as 2014’s 10&U PwC champion.
The Masters – to which only the top 8 in each age group are invited — was held at the Courts at the Ritz-Carlton on Saturday and Sunday, with the finals on clay courts on Sunday afternoon. Trophies were awarded by PwC’s Charles Bolland. The PwC junior tennis circuit is run by the Tennis Federation of the Cayman Islands, with the help and support of local pros.
Brac marine unit to boost crime fight
(CNS): The RCIPS has established a marine unit on Cayman Brac. Police said that the deployment of a Typhon vessel on the Sister Islands will help law enforcement agencies deter crime and improve safety and security with the permanent presence of a Joint Marine Unit (JMU). From its base of operations on the Brac, the primary purpose is to provide search and rescue, maritime security and border protection operations specifically for the Sister Islands. “We are aware that with limited maritime patrols the likelihood of drugs, guns and illegal persons being introduced into our community increases and the JMU-CYB detachment is an important part of our response to mitigate these risks and threats,” said Insp. Ian Yearwood, commander of the JMU.
“The particular vessel selected for this deployment is equipped to allow us to successfully operate in various scenarios, while ensuring both the safety of its operators and other persons who may be on-board,” he added
The JMU-CYB detachment has been designated one dedicated patrol vessel and a team of officers from the Immigration Department, HM Customs & Excise, the RCIPS and Department of Environment.
The Typhoon can be launched from multiple locations on the Island and can operate within the confines of the reef, on openwater at extended ranges, as well as in adverse conditions.
“The presence of the Joint Marine Unit will greatly enhance the border protection and search and rescue capabilities in the Sister Islands,” said Deputy Premier and Sister Islands representative, Minister Moses Kirkconnell.
“The Joint Marine Unit will also provide invaluable assistance to the tourism sector which attracts numerous visitors, particularly divers, to our shores each year. Should an unfortunate incident arise at sea having a professional unit available in the local area that can quickly and efficiently respond makes a significant difference when timing is a factor. I commend the collaboration of officers from all of the respective law enforcement agencies and look forward to working with them for the benefit of our Sister Islands’ residents and visitors,” he added.
Detective Superintendent Robert Scotland, and officer responsible for the Specialist Operations portfolio in which the JMU resides, said he was confident of positive results from having a presence on the Brac.
“One of the immediate benefits we have already seen is the improved working relationship between the officers from the Police, Customs, Immigration and Department of Environment who form the core JMU-CYB team. There is a lot of synergy here and the team is coming together very nicely,” he said.
The RCIPS offered thanks to the ministries of district administration and home affairs, district commissioner Ernie Scott and his team and all of the other persons who worked behind the scenes to establish the unit and make this project a reality.
Commission adopts child’s design for mental health
(CNS): Having recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, 8-year-old Hope Academy student Kaydence Whitney said she was keen to help others who have experienced similar social difficulties and peer rejection. Her first step in helping to raise awareness of what many kids and adults go through when they are living with mental health challenges, Kaydence’s design, whichshe submitted for theMental Health Commission’s logo competition, was selected as the winner. She was one of ten students who submitted images but Kaydence’s personal story brings significance to the commission’s identity, officials said, by using her symbolism to help fight the stigma around mental illness.
Selecting the winning design was based on adherence to the commission’s mission and advocacy goals.
Describing the logo, Kaydence said it represented “all the people who have something different with their brains and how they feel because of it”. The teardrop shapes with words written on them represent the experiences and feelings of a person who has mental illness. At the bottom a person with open arms symbolises the Mental Health Commission.
“The person is welcoming everyone, no matter what makes them different, because they give people hope,” said Kaydence.
The logo is currently undergoing production and a final copy will be revealed within the next month. Announcing Kaydence’s win on 6 November, the commission presented her with an iPad Mini that was co-sponsored by Tony Cleaver of Cayman MAC Store, Behavioural Health Associates Cayman (BHAC), and The Wellness Centre.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Asperger's syndrome (AS) as one of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by irregularities in social interaction and communication that pervade an individual's functioning.
Cops hope sign will curb park abuse
(CNS): Groups of young people who have been partying in a local community park and playing their music far too loudly for neighbours to take are being warned that they could face a $500 fine if they don’t turn it down. Police said that a over a period of time, the recreational community park in Windsor Park, George Town, has been plagued by small groups of youngsters playing loud music, annoying residents and abusing the park rules, particularly on weekends. To tackle this anti-social behaviour another way, RCIPS teamed up with the manager of the Parks and Cemetery Unit, Mark Bothwell, to install a ‘no loud music’ sign, police said.
Senior Police Constable Fran General of the RCIPS’ Neighbourhood Police Department said people should be enjoying this and all public parks but noise pollution is in breach of the Town and Community Laws.
The penalty for failing to desist such noise in certain circumstances carries a penalty on summary conviction to a fine of $500 for a first conviction, she reminded users.
New rules coming for PAs
(CNS): The government is currently working on a new law which will see the rules regarding government companies such as Cayman Airways and the Turtle Farm, as well as the bodies that manage the port, the airport and the Water Authority, follow more standardized practices. Despite being government-owned, these various public entities have functioned separately with their own boards and rules. Many have different recruitment practices, benefits packages and management and accounts systems. But given that more than $114 million of taxpayers’ money goes to these companies and authorities annually to provide services or service debts, the Cabinet wants to regain some control and introduce across the board standards.
Speaking at a press briefing last week, Premier Alden McLaughlin said the current "ad hoc system" will be changed when the new law moves through the parliament sometime in the New Year, as he pointed to some of the problems with the way that public bodies function.
Government is seeking to remove the random management practices that have characterized some of the agencies and create standard recruitment and HR systems as well as pay and benefits packages for staff.
Government has 25 statutory authorities and government companies and many of them have entirely different management systems from each other and from core government. Marco Archer, the finance minister, recently described them as “a mixture of small, medium and large entities with varying degrees of reliance on financial support from the government”.
The drain on government resources from the Turtle Farm, for example, is well-documented but other entities such as the port and the Maritime Authority, which were meant to be profit making entities, are also facing problems. While others, such as the Water Authority and the Airport Authority, generate income, in some cases the government has lost control of what is happening inside the entities, which has result in significant problems and, according to the auditor general, the serious risk of abuse of public cash.
On top of the various types of problems, regardless of the size or system, their financial performance directly impacts the government’s financial results and the quality of the financial statements.
As a result, Archer said at the government’s professional development course last week that government has already stepped up its scrutiny of the SAGCs in order to ensure that they are “prioritizing the need for improved financial management; improved financial performance; and enhanced accountability for the way they carry out their functions”.
The public authorities all fall under the Public Management and Finance Law, which has some tight regulations and rules, but because they operate as distinct entities, each with separate boards of directors, they have sometimes been in conflict with it and the vision of the government.
“This occasionally results in unintended negative consequences, either in terms of policy direction and or financial performance,” Archer stated, as he explained that the draft bill may seek to better define the roles, responsibilities and autonomy of SAGCs and their relationship with Cabinet.
Archer further stated that government would be planning improvements regarding how all public sector agencies track and report their performance to show exactly how public money is spent.
“It is crucially important that the people of the country are given meaningful reports that allow for the assessment of how well agencies are performing and how that work aligns with the strategy and policies of the Cabinet,” Archer said. “The PMFL has a very complex performance reporting framework that has not worked as envisioned. The current system of Output specification and reporting requires an enormous amount of manual work and does not produce the type of information that Cabinet or the Legislative Assembly needs to properly evaluate agency performance.”
He said that the budget statements produced by government may provide an enormous amount of information but he questioned how useful it was as it does not really show the activities of a given agency or how well it is doing what it should do.
Over 2,000 people work in the 25 public authorities that fall outside of core government and the premier has indicated that his government is keen to see those public employees on morestandardized HR packages, as well as working more on government rather than their board’s policies. He said the bill would create common standards, not just for the financial reporting but in employment as well.
CNB robbers say witness lied
(CNS): Five men convicted of Cayman’s largest ever bank robbery appeared in the dock in the Court of Appeal Monday arguing that their conviction by a jury over 18 months ago is not safe. The gang was convicted of robbing around a half million dollars from the Cayman National Bank in Buckingham Square at gunpoint, largely on the evidence of Marlon Dillon, a ‘supergrass’ who was also convicted in the same crime. He pleaded guilty and, after his arrest hours after the daylight heist, agreed to give evidence against the men he said were his accomplices. But lawyers representing David Tamasa, Rennie Cole, Andre Burton, George Mignot and Ryan Edwards argued that Dillon had lied from the moment of his arrest and throughout the trial.
Describing Dillon’s evidence as flawed and contradictory, the lawyers listed a number of reasons why the convictions are unsafe.
The defence teams argued today before the panel of three judges that Dillon lied about who he had committed the robbery with. They also argued that the judge failed to give proper directions to the jury on a number of issues and that evidence relating to the WestStar robbery that also involved Dillon and for which he named most of the same men as participants should have been before the court during the trial.
Sighting the constantly changing testimony of the ‘supergrass’, as Dillon has been named by his own attorneys, and noting the contradictory statements, the lawyers said that Dillon was not a credible witness. They said every time he was confronted with the inconsistencies and obvious inaccuracies in his story he would change the narrative to suit the new circumstances.
One attorney even noted that the names Dillon was coming up with could very well have been as a result of suggestions from the police. The RCIPS was heavily criticised about the way they had handled Dillon from the start and what was described, and accepted by the crown prosecutors, as the unlawful pressure applied to him after his arrest to tell the investigators who his fellow robbers were.
Last week lawyers argued the case against the convictions of Tamasa and Burton, who were convicted of a robbery at the WestStar offices in George Town, where masked gunmen got away with over $8000 a month before the bank heist which took place in June 2012.
The appeal court judges have not yet made any decisions in that case and they continue to hear arguments in the CNB robbery tomorrow.
Mercuryman triathlon will put athletes to the test
(CNS): Organisers of the 2015 Mercuryman race set for 15 January are expecting to attract some big names in the endurance sport world to Cayman for the event. The race is a half ironman distance triathlon, and the only one of its kind in Cayman. Top names in the triathlon world will be competing against Cayman’s own athletes in the gruelling event that will see contestants swim for 1.2 mile swim, cycle for 56 miles and then run for 3.1 miles. The three elements of the race all start and end in the area of the Reef Resort in East End. Organisers said are expecting Lisa Ribes, Pedro Gomes and Lesley Smith to return after competing last year along with a host of other big names in the sport.
These include Canadian triathlete Angela Naeth, a ten-time 70.3 Ironman Champion known for her prowess on the bike. Bree Wee 70.3 and Ironman champion from Hawaii, Leanda Cave, the 2012 Ironman Triathlon and Ironman 70.3 World Champion, the first woman in the history of the sport to win both titles in the same year, Kim Schwabenbauer a triathlon coach and dietitian who has several podium finishes in Ironman and has competed multiple times in the Ironman World Champion and Canadian triathlete Jennifer Lentzke who is new to the professional circuit has achieved multiple top 10 finishes in the 2014 season.
Trevor Murphy, Race Director, said this year’s event is set to be huge.
“Mercuryman triathlon has attracted some of the biggest names in the sport because we offer an excellent location in which to participate,” he said. “Triathletes can enjoy Cayman’s pleasant tropical climate, clear and warm waters, good roads for cycling and running and an all-round excellent destination which athletes and their families can enjoy during their post-race vacation.”
The 2015 Mercuryman event is being dubbed ‘Race for a Cause’ because organisers have pledged the bulk of the proceeds to be donated to the Estella Scotts Roberts Foundation, along with a donation to East End Primary School.
Murphy said it was important for the event to give back to the community.
“The 2015 Mercuryman promises to be one of the sporting highlights of the year for not only the Cayman Islands, but the Caribbean region, as well as internationally, which means we are able to spotlight the ESRF to a wide audience, an organisation that promotes gender equality and a life free of violence, for all, an extremely worthwhile cause,” he said. “In addition, the race will take place in East End of the Island, so we couldn’t think of a better recipient of some of the proceeds than East End Primary School, which has been a part of the event since its inception. The children volunteer on the run course interacting with the athletes and see first-hand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The organisers also visit the school each year.”
Murphy also noted that the race still need support from sponsors and encouraged them to take advantage of what he described as a “very visible, high profile sporting event”.
He added, “Valuable sponsorship opportunities are still available for organisations both local and international, to partner with one of the most unique and challenging endurance events on the Cayman sports calendar. Don’t miss your chance to promote and grow sport in the Cayman Islands and at the same time help to raise funds for organisations associated with children, gender equality and education.”