Recent Articles
Police encourage community watches to tackle crime
(CNS): Chief Inspector Brad Ebanks, the RCIPS commander for the Eastern Districts, is urging people to come together to form Neighbourhood watches to help in the fight against crime. Most recently Senior Police Constable Clifford Garcia, and PCs Cornelius Pompey and Brian Jameson attended a meeting with the newly formed Silver Thatch Residential Community in Northward, Bodden Town, where community members, coordinated by Terry Nathan, have come together to form the crime fighting watch. The officers delivered a presentation on crime prevention and demonstrated property marking.
CI Ebanks commended the residents for their commitment, in partnership with the RCIPS.
Residents are asked to contact their nearest police station to arrange similar Neighbourhood Watch meetings.
Careless driver avoids jail
(CNS): A woman who pleaded guilty to careless driving after she hit a pedestrian on the East-West Arterial some three years ago was given 240 hours of community service and a six month driving ban last week. Patrice Frederick was driving a Mazda Atenza when she struck Annette Andrade as she walked along the roadside with a friend at around 6pm on 6 January 2011. The women sustained life threatening injuries, including a cracked skull, fractured ribs, shoulder and wrist, as well as a serious road rash and lacerations. It was not clear how Frederick came to hit the victim, who was exercising in the designated lane for pedestrians and cyclists, as no cause was ever identified.
When the police arrived at the scene, Frederick told them she did not know what had happened and that all she had heard was the bang. There was no mechanical fault, the driver had not been drinking, nor was there any evidence of speeding, and the accident reconstruction expert determined that it was driver error.
Minutes before she struck the pedestrian, Frederic was using her phone but the record showed that she had ended that call well before the impact.
It was more than a year, however, before the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions indicted Frederick for dangerous driving on 21 March 2012, based on the allegation that she was on the phone at or about the time she hit the walker.
Having admitted striking the pedestrian but denying being on the phone at the time she ran down Andrade, Frederic offered to plead guilty to careless driving – a lesser offence. This was rejected by the crown, however, and a date was set for trial.
But following a review of the file earlier this year, Toyin Salako noted the records showing when Frederic had ended her call, which was some minutes before she struck the pedestrian, and as a result accepted the plea to careless driving in August. Frederick admitted that she failed to “pay sufficient attention to the roadway” but has said she can only speculate about what had distracted her.
During his sentencing ruling, the judge pointed out that had the investigating officers taken the time to examine the phone records sooner the case could have been disposed of two years ago.
Justice Charles Quin said that in previous cases he had highlighted the need for investigating officers to liaise closely with prosecutors.
“I understand that it was only after crown counsel Toyin Salako took over conduct of this case this summer that this vital telephone evidence was carefully examined. The court appreciates that the RCIPS officers have many difficult tasks. However, this delay could have been avoided if the investigating officers and crown counsel with conduct of the case had given more careful and consistent attention to the important telephone evidence in the investigation,” he stated.
Considering the remorse and the fact that Frederick had accepted full responsibility for the collision, given her clean driving record, no criminal record at all, and the fact that Andrade’s medical expenses were all covered, the court opted for a community service-based sentence. It was accepted that the only aggravating circumstances of the case were the very serious injuries suffered by Andrade.
As a result Frederick was directed to serve 240 hours during the next 12 months as directed by the probation officer. She was also given a six month driving ban.
Justice Quin pointed out that in recent years there had been an increase in careless and dangerous driving cases, as he warned drivers to take more care at the wheel.
“It is absolutely imperative that motorists ensure that cyclist, runners and, as in this case, pedestrians can use the road in the sure knowledge that they will be safe,” the judge said.
Editors Note: At the request of the court CNS has been asked to point out to readers that a conviction of Careless Driving is very different from Dangerous Driving. In accordance with the UK sentencing guidelines which have been adopted by the local Court of Appeal, "Where the level of carelessness is low and there are no aggravating factors even the fact that death was caused by careless driving is not sufficient to justify a prison sentence."
The maximum sentence under the traffic law is a fine of $1000 or imprisonment for six months and a maximum ban of twelve months.
Bodden Town captain eyes up competition
(CIFA): Despite watching ten-man Singapore U-23 lose the opener of the Ocean Football Confederation (OFC) President’s Cup, Bodden Town FC Captain Ramon Sealy is not taking their opponent lightly. Bodden Town open their campaign, Wednesday at the Trusts Arena against Singapore, so Sealy and his team arrived early, watched closely and took notes, as their Group A counterparts kicked off the tournament. At the end of ninety minutes, Auckland City FC cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Singapore, who played the majority of the match with ten men. In his post match observation Sealy said, “The early red really affected Singapore, allowing Auckland to move the ball and keep possession well.”
Sealy, a graduate of the University of West Florida gave credit to Singapore’s resilience in the face of adversity. “It’s hard work going down to ten men early, but I still feel like Singapore will be a difficult team to face.”
Sealy who has represented the Cayman Islands internationally in football and cricket believes the conditions are perfect for his team to perform. “We have to work hard, knock the ball around and not worry about what the other team is doing. Working hard, communicating with each other and focusing on our task will help us be victorious.”
With less than 48 hours to go before their opening match, the Bodden Town players expressed excitement with the opportunity to compete in front an appreciative crowd at the world class Trusts Arena. “It’s a tremendous honour for me and the Bodden Town team to be here,” Sealy said. “The field at the stadium is of absolute quality. The field allows for us to knock the ball well which plays to our style.”
Bodden Town tackles Singapore and Auckland FC in Group A.
Cops seek teen runaway
(CNS): UPDATED: The police have now confirmed that Roseanne Redden has returned safely having gone to the BT station on Sunday afternoon. Police were on the lookout Sunday for a teenager who has been missing since Saturday night, when she was last seen at the Pirates Week Teen dance in George Town at around 10pm. Efforts are currently underway to find Roseanna Redden, who is 13 years old and staying at the Francis Bodden Girls Home. When last seen she was wearing a pink top, long blue jeans, a pony tail hair style and gold earrings. She is about 5’ 7” – 5’ 8” in height, slim built with a dark complexion.
Man pleads guilty to theft but denies robbery
(CNS): Logan Bodden, 41, pleaded not guilty to a charge of the robbery of a man on the forefront of Delworth’s Esso Gas Station Friday. However, he has pleaded guilty to theft. Bodden is accused of robbing a man of 82 cents and stealing a drink from the gas station located on Eastern Avenue in George Town on 8 April this year. Bodden was arrested over the theft and mugging on the same evening and first appeared before the court charged with the crime two days after the incident. The crown heard and accepted Bodden’s plea and sentencing is set for January next year.
Gunmen rob booze store
(CNS): Police have arrested four men in connection with yet another armed heist at a commercial premises. In what must’ve been a terrifying experience for staff and customers, Friday night. Four masked men entered the Liquor 4 Less, an RCIPS spokesperson stated, in Savannah Plaza at about 8.55 last night brandishing weapons including a shotgun and hand gun. One of the men who stood guard at the door was carry a piece of iron pipe. Police did not state how many employees were held up in the armed robbery but said the men had made off with a quantity of cash and cigarettes. No shots were discharged and no injuries were reported.
Police did not say when the four men were arrested but they currently remain in custody assisting with the Investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Bodden Town CID at 9472220 or Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 (TIPS)
Mother charged with murder
(CNS): The mother of six year old Bethany Butler has been charged with the child’s murder. Tamara Butler (37) appeared in summary court Friday lunchtime when the case was transmitted to the Grand Court and Butler remanded in custody to Fairbanks until 28 November. Cheryll Richards QC, told the court, presided over by the chief magistrate Nova Hall, that there was a strong circumstantial case against Butler as she gave a brief summary and described some of the events that led up to the murder the night before at the Butler family home from evidence given by Butler's husband. Butler was said to have shaved her own head and attempted to shave her daughter’s head as well.
Butler was arrested by police in the early morning hours of Monday 27 October along the Queen’s Highway, in East End after Bethany’s body was found wrapped in a blanket in the passenger seat of her mother’s car she had sustained multiple stab wounds and her head had also been shaved.
Butler remained calm and silent throughout the short committal hearing and sat in the dock wearing a tailored black suit and a hair piece. Although remanded to the women’s prison at Fairbanks the court heard that Butler would be undergoing a psychiatric examination at the George Town Hospital this week, where she had been detained since her arrest under the mental health act.
Job troubles at key resort
(CNS): Reports of local job losses and allegations against the owners for circumventing labour laws at a leading resort in the eastern districts are stirring up concerns and conflict in government and with local politicians. Documentation seen by CNS shows that government has been investigating allegations that the management at Morritts Tortuga Club in East End is falling foul of immigration and labour rules and has been sacking Caymanians without cause. But while the director of the labour unit has documented serious concerns about the new management practices, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson has dismissed many of the allegations, which are all also denied by the new management team.
Morritt's had been heralded as a shining example of a resort that was not only employing a significant number of local people but one which also had a solid and experienced Caymanian management team.
However, in June of this year an application wasmade for a temporary permit for the owner’s son-in-law, Christopher Johnson, for the post of Operations Manager, a job which was already filled by local worker William Connolly.
Although Morritt's claimed Connolly was not being sacked but moved to assistant resort manager, according to correspondence between Director of Labour and Pensions Mario Ebanks and senior immigration officer Bruce Smith, when the permit was approved, Connolly was sacked.
Ebanks wrote that following a site inspection at the resort it was “the unanimous observation” of the inspection team that the problem was Johnson, who, Ebanks stated, appeared to have sacked Connolly without cause and then began terminating other local workers. Although Ebanks believed the inspection team had delayed some of the layoffs, he described Johnson as adamant about the need for more terminations.
Alongside the concerns of the labour unit that people were being removed without reason and without management following the correct processes for sacking workers, Ezzard Miller and Arden McLean, the local MLAs whose constituents were being impacted, raised concerns with the governor and deputy governor over the situation.
Miller told CNS that he had an interest because both his wife and his brother, Jerris Miller, had worked at the resort and had both since resigned as a result of the management changes and the job terminations. Nevertheless, he said that he still had an obligation to his constituents who had lost their jobs from the resort to get to the bottom of what was going on. He and McLean raised concerns with the relevant authorities, but with little response to his letters and complaints to the Business Staffing Board, he took the issue to the governor.
In what appears to have been a more than four month probe over a stack of allegations into the goings on at the popular East End resort, the deputy governor recently told Miller and McLean that there are some issues but the main trigger of the complaints, which was the permit granted to Johnson, was legal. He said that officers who granted the permit did not know at the time that a local worker was actually in the post when the application was made.
Among the many allegations made it seems that around 20 longstanding Caymanian employees have lost their jobs. But the main issue appears to be that a once strong local management team, publicly and loudly praised by the owner, David Morritt, in the wake of the opening of ‘the Londoner’ last year, has essentially been removed by, it is claimed, Johnson. Then, in what appears to be a shake-up, various other members of staff in a variety of posts have also lost their jobs.
The resort has denied the allegations that it is not adhering to labour laws and a spokesperson for Morritt’s said the company had been an “outstanding corporate citizen for the last 25 years” and still employed over a hundred local workers.
In a statement to CNS the spokesperson said, “In addition to being one of the largest financial contributors to East End, it boasts one of highest percentages of Caymanian employees of any company in Grand Cayman, with a staff comprising over 100 Caymanians out of a total staff of 125 persons. It is unfortunate that false accusations are being circulated about Morritt’s, apparently for the personal and political gain of those parties that have been disseminating the misinformation.”
Denying any wrongdoing, the spokesperson added that the firm was fully engaging with the authorities as they investigate the resort.
“Because of the seriousness of these false accusations, Morritt’s has not only been cooperating with the government but has been proactive in seeking counsel and advice from the government at the highest levels, including within the Departments of Immigration and Labour. Fortunately the government confirmed last week, after conducting a lengthy evidentiary review including a comprehensive review of our permit applications, personnel records and conducting interviews of our staff, our management and our stakeholders, that these allegations have no basis in fact and that Morritt’s has been and still is operating in compliance with the laws of the Cayman Islands,” the spokesperson added.
Despite that claim, in his letter to Miller last month Manderson raised a number of issues that could still give cause for concern and indicated that there were other complainants filled and witnesses willing to speak up, leading to ongoing enquiries. But he had still concluded that there was nothing illegal in any action taken by government and that the Morritt's management actions also appeared to be in order.
Miller told CNS that he was deeply troubled by the hesitant position taken by the government authorities and that the power and influence of the resort was undermining what should have been a more thorough investigation into what has happened. But even the usually very out-spoken Miller has become reticent about whether his advocacy on behalf of his constituents is assisting. He said that another four local workers were recently terminated and it appears that the more employees complain about what is happening, the more local people are losing their jobs.
While the situation at Morritt’s remains less than transparent, the battle faced by local workers continues across Grand Cayman and each week CNS receives reports of more and more problems faced by local workers. But many believe it is not just employers attempting to circumvent the laws meant to protect Caymanians in the workplace that is the problem but that the lack of enforcement by government authorities facilities the bending of rules by employers.
In his letter to the governor Miller said, “It is unfortunate, regrettable, embarrassing and shameful that I am unable to evoke any semblance of moral or ethical 'rightness' from the statutory authorities as a legislator on behalf of those people whom I have been elected to represent. These are the matters that breed violence, crime and revolution … in democratic societies when it becomes obvious that their elected leaders are neutered and made in-effective by the same government agencies to protect and defend them.”
Young players take to court for tennis masters
(CITF): Cayman’s top young tennis players have been hitting plenty of practice balls in the build-up to 2014’s Junior Masters Championships this weekend (Sat 15 & Sun 16 Nov) at the Ritz- Carlton. TheMasters will be the fifth and final PwC-sponsored tournament of 2014. Only the top eight players in each of the four age divisions (18&U, 14&U, 12&U and 10&U) were initially eligible. If any of the top eight could not play, then immediately lower-ranked players were invited to join the tournament. Invitations were issued by the Tennis Federation of the Cayman Islands for this leading event.The first matches start at 10.30pm on Saturday, with semi-finals at 10.30am on Sunday and finals at 3pm.
Cayman’s top junior, Daniel Reid, who celebrated his 16th birthday in September, has confirmed his attendance. Reid is not only Cayman’s top junior player and 18&U defending national champion, he is one of the best players on the rock, with a shelf-full of trophies to prove it. This year in May, he reached both the singles and the doubles finals of the Cayman Islands Tennis Club Championships. And in July, still aged 15, he made the round of 16 in the 18&U qualifying draw of the Jamaica Junior Int’l Tournament, which draws top juniors from all over the Caribbean.
Other leading confirmed players include Oskar Bjuro, 10, and his brother Sebastian, 8. Oskar holds the No.1 ranking in the 10&U division. Jack Lomax, the 12&U No.1, has also accepted his invitation; with 9 matches won and none lost in 3 PwC tournaments this season, he looks set for success. Talented Harrison Clough, 11, who is playing up an age group, will lead the field in the 14&U division.
“It’s really hard to believe how good some of our juniors are. I would urge members of the public to come down to The Courts at the Ritz-Carlton this weekend and see for themselves the incredibly impressive standard of play,” said Eliza Harford, Tennis Federation chief. “I’ve been playing tennis for 40 years, and I wouldn’t fancy my chances on court against any of these children, not even those in the 10&U group. They’re ferocious, and they’re consistent.”
Athletes head to Mexico to fly flag for Cayman
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Olympic committee said a national sports team will be leaving Cayman this weekend to compete at the Veracruz 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Mexico. Some 15 athletes and swimmers as well as the men’s and women’s rugby seven’s teams will be taking part in the Central American and Caribbean Sports Organisation multi-sport event. The sports delegation is headed up by the Chef de Mission Trent Christie and his deputy Janet Sairsingh. Athlete include Ashleigh Nalty, Carlos Morgan, Kemar Hyman and Ronald Forbes along with their coaches and managers while Olney Thompson and Keith Higgins will compete in beach volley ball and Tafari Ebanks (left) will take to the boxing ring.
Alexander Frazer, Cameron Stafford, Julian Jervis, Marlene West will be hoping to get a good result in squash while Andreas McDermot, Florence Allan and Jesse Jackson will be hoping its smooth sailing. Catriona MacRae is the only swimmer heading to Mexico from Cayman but both the men’s and women’s rugby seven’s teams will be ‘trying’ for some medals.
For pictures and up to date information on the Cayman Islands delegation and weekly competitions, please visit the website http://www.caymanolympic.org.ky/ or Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CaymanIslandsOlympicCommittee