Cayman News
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Fugitive extradited to GCM
(CNS): A man who escaped from the George Town Police Station while in police custody on 25 October 2009 has been extradited from Jamaica and is now at HMP Northward. Dainian Cecil Henry (32) was escorted back to Grand Cayman yesterday (Thursday 22 August) by officers from the RCIPS and transported to prison earlier today, police said. Four years ago Henry ran from the central lock-up after giving local police officers the slip, knocking aside a woman carrying a baby who was coming into the station as he escaped. Henry, who is also wanted in connection with firearm’s offences, was found guilty in absentia in November 2009 of being concerned with the possession and intent to supply of cocaine.
The court found that while in Jamaica Henry had supplied more than 20 cocaine pellets to a witness, who had swallowed and transported them to the Cayman Islands, where he was later arrested.
Magistrate Grace Donalds explained that police had also testified during the trial and corroborated the witness's statements. The pellets were reportedly passed by the witness while he was in police custody and Donalds said the crown had proved its case against Henry, regardless of his absence.
Following his escape, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service offered a $5000 reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction on top of the Crimestoppers usual US$1000. He was wanted for possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, escaping custody, attempted robbery, resisting arrest, threatening violence and giving a false name and date of birth to the police.
In December 2012 police in Jamaica arrested Henry. According to media reports in that country, Henry was captured by members of the St Ann operational support team during an operation in the Lillyfield District, in Bamboo, St Ann.
Exam factory approach ‘damaging education’
(The Telegraph): Senior examiners and business leaders in the UK warned that standards were being put at risk by an escalating trend of early test entries combined with multiple resits. Schools are increasingly entering children for GCSEs at 14 or 15 — and forcing them to retake the same test paper as many as eight times a year — because of “perverse incentives” created by official league tables, they said. The head of Britain’s biggest exam board warned the practice was doing “real damage” to pupils’ understanding of key subjects such as maths, as tests eat into valuable lesson time and lead to children being drilled to pass. Children are also significantly less likely to gain good marks at 15 than 16 because of the loss of the extra year’s schooling.
The disclosure came as figures showed the number of pupils gaining good GCSEs dropped for the second time in two years, and by the largest margin on record.
In all, the proportion of test papers awarded at least a C — considered a good pass — was down by 1.3 percentage points to 68.1 per cent. The proportion of tests marked A* or A fell by more than one percentage point to 21.3 per cent. A series of key reforms to GCSEs — including a toughening up of science exams, higher grade boundaries in maths and a shift towards traditional subjects such as languages – had been linked with the drop in headline grades.
But examiners today warned the most significant factor was the trend of entering pupils for exams early. Many schools do this to allow pupils to “bank” a good grade before moving on to other subjects. It also gives pupils more time to resit if they fail to gain A* to C grades — thereby boosting schools’ positions in official rankings.
The number of 15-year-olds taking at least one GCSE rose by more than a third this year, from 416,477 to 507,568. They made up almost a quarter of pupils taking maths exams this year.
Mark Dawe, chief executive of the OCR exam board, said: “The results are far lower for 15-year-olds — these qualifications are designed for 16-year-olds.”
West Bay teen missing since Sunday
(CNS): The RCIPS is asking the public to keep a look out for a 16-year-old girl from West Bay who has been missing since Sunday evening, 18 August. Nekayla Evanda Walton was last seen by her mother as they were driving in Mount Pleasant Road, West Bay, around 9:50pm on Sunday. According to police, at this time a disagreement took place and Nekayla opened the car door and ran off. She has not been in contact with family members since. The teenager, who has been reported missing previously, is about 5’7” with a light brown complexion. She has the initials DW tattooed on her left thumb and stars tattooed on her shoulder. When last seen she was wearing a tan coloured V-neck t-shirt, short blue jeans and tan Timberland boots with pink trimmings.
Anyone who has information about Nekayla’s current whereabouts or of her movements since Sunday evening should contact West Bay police station on 949-3999 or the RCIPS tip-line 949-7777.
Booze, drugs found in prison
(CNS): More alcohol, a sizable stash of drugs and a Blackberry were found at HMP Northward over the weekend during a search of inmates’ cells. Officials say that this latest haul of contraband was found in the facility’s Bravo Wing on Sunday, 18 August. In one cell they found two bottles of what appears to be white rum (1 litre each), five packs of Rizlas, two packs of double platinum tobacco cigar wraps, and three parcels of vegetable matter resembling ganja (weighing roughly 2lbs 10oz with wrapping). In another cell they found a Blackberry Curve mobile phone. Director of Prisons Neil Lavis explains that the search of the cells took place after a prison officer saw an inmate run back to a cell block after picking up a package that had been thrown over the fence.
“We will continue to take prompt action against those whom we suspect of having contraband. This was a piece of good work from the officer involved,” Lavis said.
On 9 August, prison officers found a tightly wrapped package containing 2lbs of ganja and a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream that had been tossed over the 15 foot security fence for inmates. The package was found during a regular check of the perimeter fences.
Last month, a bag containing around five ounces of ganja, a box of smoking papers, a smart phone and charger was also thrown over the perimeter fence at HMP Northward. Officials said at the time that they were looking at the prison's cameras to try and identify the person who attempted to deliver the parcel over the prison fence to an inmate. No update has been given on this, however.
While members of the public who are caught throwing illegal items into the prison are subject to criminal prosecution, the inmates who intercept them lose remission time from their sentences.
Teen launches petition for sex education in schools
(CNS): Seventeen-year-old Madeleine Rowell has launched a petition to introduce sex education in schools in the Cayman Islands. Addressed to Health Minister Osbourne Bodden and Education Minister Tara Rivers, the petition asks them to adopt a national sexual education curriculum and to improve access for young people to information, testing, and contraception aimed at reducing the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. Rowell told local TV station, Cayman27, “I think it’s important for all Caymanian youth to have access to this kind of information in particular and to have a cohesive education about sex education in general.”
The introduction to the petition states, "Youth in the Cayman Islands, like their counterparts in the rest of the Caribbean region, are vulnerable to contracting a sexually transmitted infection (including HIV), experiencing an unwanted pregnancy, and in most (albeit not all) cases having that pregnancy result in teen parenting.
"Currently, no school in the Cayman Islands delivers a consistent, age appropriate comprehensive sexual education curriculum which is aimed at empowering youth with knowledge, skills and information equipping them to make responsible choices throughout their lives.
"Over the past ten years the Cayman Islands Red Cross has been working to offer such information to youth via it’s comprehensive Peer Education Programme, yet even this- which started off as a part of the Year 11 life skills curriculum at the public high school- has been reduced to a couple of activities throughout the school year.
"Outside of the classroom access to this information, skills, testing, and contraception aimed at reducing the risks of contracting a STI or becoming pregnant is also extremely limited, and that which is available is most likely restricted to those students in the public high schools.
"As individuals, each young person will make an individual choice based on his/her own values and the morals with which he/she was raised. However, like basic literacy and numeracy skills it has become imperative that all youth in the Cayman Islands are privy to the same high quality, age appropriate, standardised, comprehensive sexual education curriculum and have the same access to these potentially life saving information, skills and tools inside and outside of school."
Fatal car crash in East End
(CNS): A 26-year-old man has died as a result of a single-vehicle car crash in East End early this morning. At around 1:35am on the 10 August, the 911 Emergency Services received a report that a blue Honda Inspire car had crashed into the sea wall in the vicinity of Eastland Drive, the RCIPS said Saturday morning. When they arrived, emergency personnel found the 19-year-old male driver trapped inside the vehicle but he was able to move his upper body. The passenger had been thrown out of the vehicle as result of the accident, police said. Both men were transported to the hospital in George Town, where the passenger was pronounced dead on arrival. The driver remains in critical condition.
Anyone who witnessed the accident is urged to call the Bodden Town Police Station at 947-2220.
HFC donates UD$250,000 to child abuse charities
(CNS): Hedge Funds Care (HFC) Cayman, a charity for the prevention and treatment of child abuse, has allocated a total of US$250,000 in local grants this year to seven local charites that work to raise awareness in order to prevent abuse or to support abused children in the Cayman Islands. Programmes that will benefit include those that educate the public, young parents, teachers and health workers, as well as child abuse prevention education for young children at school. Hedge Funds Care Cayman was founded in 2005 as the second international affiliate of HFC. Since then, the Cayman affiliate has distributed over US$1.8 million in 47 grants to agencies and organisations in the Caymans Islands that work to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect, Hedge Funds Care’s sole mission.
By raising awareness about child abuse and neglect, funding programs that work with at-risk families and helping organisations provide much-needed services to young victims of abuse, Hedge Funds Care Cayman seeks to protect the island’s most vulnerable children and ensure their safe and successful future.
The seven 2013 grantees are: the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre Children and Youth Programme, the Cayman Islands Red Cross “Protection Starts Here” Campaign, the Department of Children and Family Services/RCIPS Central Referral Unit, the Department of Counselling Services/Family Resource Centre Administrative and Programme Support, HSA – Child Sexual Abuse Intervention & Treatment Programme, the Education Ministry's School Based Study and Intervention for Children At-Risk for Child Abuse (Better Futures Project), and the Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home.
The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre (CICC) Children and Youth Programme targets school-aged children who accompany their mothers to the CICC Emergency Shelter and have been abused or have witnessed abuse. HFC Cayman funds will support group and individual intervention for children while they are at the shelter as well as the implementation of a public awareness campaign.
The Cayman Islands Red Cross “Protection Starts Here” Campaign aims to increase understanding and knowledge of child sexual abuse amongst youth workers, volunteers, and adults in order to prevent its occurrence. HFC Cayman funds will fund public service announcements in the local media, creation of a DVD tool, and child sexual abuse prevention trainings for youth-serving organisations.
The Department of Children and Family Services/Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Central Referral Unit is a collaborative effort between the RCIPS and DCFS to create one central point to serve abused children. HFC Cayman funds will support the Senior Social Worker at the Central Referral Unit.
The Department of Counselling Services/Family Resource Centre Administrative and Programme Support focuses on strengthening family life and preventing domestic violence and child abuse through various programmes, including the Young Parent Services programme for parenting and life skills training and the FathersFirst programme to empower fathers. HFC Cayman funds will support the administrative staff at the Family Resource Centre.
Health Services Authority – Child Sexual Abuse Intervention & Treatment Programme provides education, treatment, and counselling for child abuse victims and their families as well as child abuse identification and treatment training for hospital staff and forensic data gathering. HFC Cayman funds will support half of a child psychologist’s full time salary.
Ministry of Education, Training, Employment, Youth, Sports and Culture – School Based Study and Intervention for Children At-Risk for Child Abuse (Better Futures Project) provides young children with a comprehensive child abuse prevention education. HFC Cayman funds will support child abuse prevention training for private school teachers, the extension of the Behaviour and Education Support Team model, leadership of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Child Protection and consultation within Cayman Islands schools on child abuse education and services.
The National Council of Voluntary Organizations (NCVO) – Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home houses up to ten children ranging in age from birth to 16 years of age who have been placed in care by the Department of Children and Family Services and the Courts due to maltreatment. HFC Cayman funds will support the Care Manager, who is responsible for the daily operation of the Foster Home and providing care to the residents.
Individuals or organisations that would like to support the 2013 Open Your Hearts to the Children benefit on 16 November through attendance, sponsorship of a social worker or general donation, can contact Greg Bennett at gbennett@harbour.ky. If you are unable to attend the benefit, please consider making a donation towards the live or silent auction. For more information on how you can contribute, please contact Jennifer Collins at Jennifer.Collins@ogier.com.
For more information on Hedge Funds Care Cayman and the 2013-2014 grantees, visit www.HedgeFundsCare.org/Cayman.
UWC scholarship fund receives boost from law firm
(CNS): The Maples Foundation has donated US$25,000 to the United World Colleges Cayman Islands National Foundation (UWC Cayman Islands) as part of its ongoing support for the scholarship fund. Each year, UWC Cayman Islands provides full scholarships for students selected to attend one of twelve prestigious UWC colleges worldwide. Since 1984, almost 70 Caymanians have studied the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma in this international boarding school setting designed to foster excellence in academics, civic participation and leadership qualities while promoting international understanding and sustainable living.
The impressive growth of this local scholarship programme has been made possible through the generous support of a few major corporate partners and individual donors.
Vice Chairperson Aubrey Bodden thanked Maples and Calder (Maples) on behalf of UWC Cayman Islands, saying, “Maples has been an integral part of the local UWC movement since 2006 and their annual donations have supported scholarships for over a dozen exceptional young Caymanians. Our recent alumni have all directly benefited from their long-standing commitment to this shared vision and we are so proud of their accomplishments and grateful to our sponsors for making their experiences possible.”
"Maples has been a supporter of this programme for many years and are proud to stand behind such an important initiative that has afforded many students the opportunity of further education," said Paul Lumsden, Managing Partner of the firm's Cayman Islands office. "We believe that investment can have a profound impact when spent locally and, as such, The Maples Foundation is committed to our responsibility as corporate citizens. This drives us to assist organisations that will benefit the youth – essentially, the future – of our community."
Worldwide, over 50,000 UWC alumni from over 180 different countries share a lifelong commitment to positive social action to achieve the UWC mission of a more peaceful and sustainable future. The two-year pre-university programme is a transformative experience and equips individuals to make a difference in their local and global communities, whatever they choose to do. As the most recent alumni, this year’s three Caymanian graduates reflected on their own UWC experiences and opportunities they have been given.
After graduating from Atlantic College in Wales, Abigail Drummond will continue her education in the United Kingdom, having been accepted to the highly selective University of Bristol. HerUWC experience helped her to focus on the positive attributes of the legal profession and the ways in which it can impact her community. Being part of the Sustainability Council and seeing how the college reused, composted and recycled the great majority of its waste influenced her career choice. Abigail hopes to focus her major on environmental law and advocate for mandatory recycling in the Cayman Islands.
Zachary Jones recently graduated from UWC-USA in Montezuma, New Mexico, where he was Co-Leader for Stage Management and Orientation, the Caribbean and Latin American representative for the Student Council and a Resident Advisor in his dormitory. At UWC he learned how to balance his studies with extra-curricular activities and developed important leadership skills and confidence in his abilities. Zachary will go on to attend Penn State, a prominent Big Ten school, and study Marketing & Public Relations.
While at UWC Costa Rica, Kathryn Schirn proudly represented the Cayman Islands and embraced the UWC values of international and intercultural understanding and a celebration of difference. She has become more aware of and curious about the world around her and will continue her studies at a small, top-tier liberal arts and sciences college. At Colorado College, Kathryn will design her own major in Global Health, focusing on the impact of global politics and economic issues and how to reduce inequalities and improve public health.
As these three alumni begin their tertiary education this fall, Madeleine Rowell will enter her second year at UWC-USA and 2013 scholars Tyleisha Galbraith and Simon Watson will begin their studies at Pearson College in Victoria, British Columbia and UWC Adriatic in Duino, Italy, respectively.
Companies & individuals interested in donating to UWC Cayman Islands are invited to email uwccaymanislands@gmail.com. Applications are accepted in March each year from students aged 15-17 and more information is available at www.uwc.org.
Photo top — UWC Cayman Islands Vice Chairperson Aubrey Bodden and 2013 UWC Scholars Simon Watson and Tyleisha Galbraith accept the Maples and Calder donation from Paul Lumsden, Managing Partner, Cayman Islands. Photo below – Caymanian UWC scholars who were supported by Maples and Calder (L-R): Ridhiima Kapoor, UWC Adriatic ’07; Zachary Jones, UWC-USA ’13; Chloé Delanney, Guest; Madeleine Rowell, UWC-USA ’14; Abigail Drummond, AC ’13; Kathryn Schirn, UWCCR ’13; Hailee Robinson, UWC-USA ’12; Kelsey Dixon, UWCCR ’12; and Tom Kelly, Mahindra UWC of India ’07
Man mugged at gunpoint
(CNS): A man was robbed at gunpoint around 3:10 this morning as he arrived at his home on Bougainvillea Way, Savannah. A report from the RCIPS states that as he left his vehicle and approached his front door he was suddenly confronted by two masked men, one of whom was in possession of what appeared to be a handgun and the other a wrench. The suspects threatened the man and then ran off from thescene with a small quantity of cash and a ring. No shots were fired and no-one was injured. The suspects were both wearing hoodies and had their faces covered by cloth, police said. One of the men was described as being 6-foot tall and both spoke with Caymanian accents. No further descriptions are available at this time.
Anyone who was in the area at the relevant time is asked to contact Bodden Town police station on 947-2220, the RCIPS tip-line 949-7777, or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS).
Misick has dirt on CI politics
(CNS): The former premier of Turks and Caicos is said to have information on crimes involving senior politicians in the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Bermuda and TCI, as well as United States citizens and corporations. Michael Misick has been facing extradition from Brazil to face corruption charges at home since his arrest in that country last December. However, an editorial in the TCI Journal suggests that he may be facing charges and jail time in the US instead, claiming that Misick is in plea bargain negotiations with “the Americans” as well as the TCI’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Team (SIPT), which could "reduce his time in a United States prison to 20 years instead of life".
Michael Misick fled the TCI in 2009 after a commission of inquiry exposed widespread corruption in the islands, which led to the UK imposing direct rule over the territory. Misick is suspected of corruption, misusing public money and profiting from the sale of government land to developers and is alleged to have amassed a personal fortune of $180m. An international warrant was issued for his arrest and after three years on the run, he was apprehended on 7 December 2012 by Brazil's federal police in Rio de Janeiro as he was about to board a plane for Sao Paulo.
In January this year in a message from his maximum security jail cell in the South American country, Misick linked his situation to that of McKeeva Bush, the Cayman Islands’ former premier, claiming that his unlawful detention in Rio de Janeiro and the arrest of Bush in December 2012 were both illustrative of the UK’s determination to control its territories. He said the British were using allegations of corruption as a way of getting rid of leaders who strive for independence or who want to govern autonomously.
Since then, however, Misick lost his appeal for political asylum in Brazil and was returned to jail to await extradition.
An editorial in the TCI journal, headlined “Michael Misick in plea bargaining negotiations with the Americans and SIPT”, says, “If he has any hopes to not spend the rest of his life in prison, now is the moment he has the most leverage. Along with crimes that deal with United States citizens and corporations, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, Michael is said to have information on crimes dealing with United States citizens and senior politicians in Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.”
The editorial concludes: “If Michael Misick can reduce his time in a United States prison to 20 years instead of life, it will be a worthwhile agreement for him and may actually help the Turks and Caicos Islands recover some of the stolen millions.”