Suicide autopsies released

Read storyThe cause of death in all three of the recent suicide cases was "asphyxia due to hanging", according to Chief Superintendent of Police Glen Miller.

Miller said the police are still investigating and are not ready to classify the deaths as suicides.

On January 22, Nikita Brennen was found dead in what looked like a suicide by hanging. Eight days later Leslie Campbell was found in much the same way at his home and Kimberley Miller the day after, also in her home, also apparently hanged.

-Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here

Witnesses changing stories in court out of fear

Read storyWitnesses are telling police one thing and the courts another, according to Assistant Police Commissioner Raymond Gibson.

Gibson said the most recent example was the murder trial of Samuel "Mouche" McKenzie. The case was discharged due to lack of evidence.

Gibson said that witnesses told the court a different story than the one had told police. Theses witnesses will are now facing perjury charges.

"Action will be taken against them. When we find witnesses doing stuff like that, they must be held accountable," Gibson said.

The senior officer said three lawyers have also been questioned in connection with witness tampering.

Gibson said there are various reasons that witnesses change their story, including a fear of attack.

Leander Culmer was paralyzed in a shooting attack that came in the months after he testified against Angelo "Nasty" Brennen in 2005.

Culmer has filed a suit against the Police Force and the Office of the Attorney General accusing them of negligence.

Chief Superintendent Glenn Miller, the head of the Central Detective Unit, admitted recently that witness intimidation was a growing trend that could "bring the country to its knees" if left unchecked.

-Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here

US wants extradition of Canadian accused of $41 million fraud

Read storyAmerican authorities are asking The Bahamas to hand over a Canadian man accused of participating in a $41 million fraud scheme.

Dean Sheptycki appeared in court Wednesday, where Magistrate Carolita Bethel informed him that an Oklahoma court issued a warrant for his arrest on January 15.

Sheptycki was remanded to jail, where he will remain at least until Monday, when he will appear for a bail hearing.

Dean Sheptycki is one of five men accused with conspiracy to commit securities fraud; wire fraud; and money laundering.

All but one of the other four men accused in the case were arrested on Tuesday; two in Oklahoma and one in Kentucky.

-Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here

Read more here courtesy of www.chron.com.

Corrupt policemen stop investigation of numbers houses

Read storyCorrupt police officers are stopping subordinates from investigating numbers houses and gambling according to a source within the police force.

The source told The Tribune about a recent visit to a prominent numbers house. After asking the officer what he was doing there, an employee told the policeman he had already "paid the boss".

The officer said things like that happen all the time. He said that in some cases superior officers have called junior policemen and told them not to hassle the establishment again.

Acting Commissioner Reginald Ferguson said it is important to note the difference between corruption and suggestions that the police force has agreed not to prosecute numbers houses.

Commissioner Ferguson has said he is committed to weed out corruption and prosecute officers to the full extent of the law.

-Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A03)

Police complaints unit will have no policemen in it

Read storyA proposed Police Complaints Inspectorate will have the power to request documents and call witnesses.

The group would include five people appointed by the Governor General. Except for one person, who may be a retired officer, policemen are barred from the group as is anyone who been elected to a political office within 5 years.

One group member is expected to be an attorney with at least ten years of experience.

The proposed Inspectorate is part of the Police Force Act 2009 currently being debated in the Senate.

-Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)

PLP Members of Parliament choose not to vote on police law

Read storyMembers of the Progressive Liberal Party chose not to participate during Wednesday's vote on the Police Force Act 2009.

Opposition Leader Perry Christie said: "We abstained because we support all of the provisions of the bill save and except the bill's clause 7, which seeks to limit the term of the commissioner of police and the deputy commissioner of police to two five-year terms.

"We believe that provision is unconstitutional. We attempted in committee to delete it from the bill, but the government refused to budge."

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said he does not think it should be possible to appoint someone that cannot be removed for 20 years.

Ingraham said under Bahamian law a person with the power to appoint also has the power to decide the length of the appointment.

The Prime Minister said that a person may serve as Commissioner for more than 10 years but not consecutively.

Despite the PLP MP's decision not to vote, an FNM majority meant the bill was passed and is now before the Senate.

-Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here

Spain said using Bahamas beach photo was not a lie

Read story

The photo composite that includes a Bahamian beach. 

Spain's tourism board admitted it used a photo of a beach in The Bahamas to encourage travel to its north-east coast.

But the move has not upset Tourism Director General Vernice Walkine, who said: "We're actually flattered because what it says is that our beaches are sort of representative of the best beaches in the world.

Dolors Batallé, the director of the Costa Brava Girona tourism board, defended their decision to use the photo. Batallé said the photo illustrated the conceptual concept that they were going for.

According to a story on the Guardian's (United Kingdom publication) website, Batelle said it would be wicked to suggest that the board had tried to hide the truth.

Costa Brava translates to 'Rugged/Wild Coast'.


-Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here

-Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A06)

-Link to the story in the (UK) Guardian here

-Link to a guess where it was taken game based on the story here

Gunmen rob woman of cash/car

Read storyGRAND BAHAMA: A woman was robbed of her money and car Tuesday night.

At about 8 o'clock police were sent to the Gambler Loop area. The victim told officers that she had just gotten home when two masked men with handguns approached her.

They searched her house and left with cash and the woman's green 2000 Dodge Caravan.

-Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here

Police accused of drug dealing

Read storyPolice accused of drug dealing

Sources within the police force say corrupt officers are selling the drugs they confiscate.

On Tuesday, a source within the Royal Bahamas Police Force told The Tribune that agents in the Drug Enforcement Unit ¬¬are some of the country’s biggest suppliers of cocaine and marijuana.

One of the sources said drugs often go missing from the police forensic lab, DEU holding site or evidence room.

In addition, he said, some arresting officers confiscate drugs but don’t report it, pressure offenders for bribes or turn in less drugs than are actually found during arrests.

-Tribune (Page A01)

Claims that Court Evidence ‘disappears’

Read storySources told The Tribune that police prosecutors are being paid to ensure that important files go missing.

According to “well placed sources”, officers are getting up to $5,000 to make sure that cases - including rape, gun and drug matters - never make it to court.

The sources said officers “on the take” have several methods, including telling the court that evidence is not ready, forcing the matter to be adjourned.

According to one of the sources:
“This is the norm. This is not just an isolated incident. It’s with firearms, drugs-you would have files sent, the magistrate would sign the summons, they are stamped but certain prosecutors would hide them away in the office, put them in files that have already been completed or just lose them and then get paid.”

The offenders can earn between $1,000 and $5,000 for their efforts.

The source said that persons are given the wrong court date, which can lead to the case being thrown out when they don’t show up.
The source also said that some of the officers in the warrants section are more concerned with repossessing cars for the local banks than picking up suspects.

He said there are cases of people paying “almost like a salary” so they won’t get picked up.

More corruption revelations are expected from The Tribune in Thursday’s edition.

-Tribune (Page A01)

Policeman and stepson accused in drug trial

Read storyDetective Sergeant Weymond Demeritte told a court why he arrested a policeman and his stepson for cocaine possession Tuesday.

Demeritte said he found a kilo of cocaine after searching a bag that had come on a Sky Bahamas flight from Haiti.

Authorities suspect the bag belonged to Jacoby Knowles, 25. Demeritte arrested Knowles and released him, pending further investigation.

The policeman went to Joseph’s home on December 8 last year. When they knocked, Knowles came to the door with his 36-year-old stepfather, Policeman Wilson Joseph.

Police then confiscated Joseph’s cell phone during a search. Recordings of phone calls from a phone registered to Joseph have already been presented as evidence in the matter.

Demeritte is the final prosecution witness in the trial, which continues on April 15.

Joseph has been suspended from duty and place on half-pay pending the matter’s conclusion.

-Full Story

American must pay $1,000 for iguana, conch charges

Read storyEXUMA: Americans who posted photographs of themselves eating Iguanas and undersized conch on the online network facebook were fined $1,000 Tuesday.

Alexander Rust, a 24-year-old from Indiana, and Vanessa Palm, a 23-year-old from Illinois, pled guilty to charges of possessing undeveloped conch and taking a prohibited wild species.

The pair told Magistrate Ivan Ferguson they did not know the animal was protected. Ferguson excused Palm but ordered Rust to pay fines or serve jail time.

Rust was fined $800 or four months for the conch charge and $200 or two months for the iguana charge.

Bahamas National Trust Director Eric Carey said he was pleased that the pair were convicted but disappointed that they did not get the maximum penalties - $5,000 or one year for the conch and $300 or six months for the iguana.

Carey wants two other men, also shown in the photographs, to be charged. Police say they are still investigating.

-Tribune (Page A03)

Cops charge 106 people with traffic offenses in five hours

Read storyOfficers accused 106 people of traffic-related offenses during a five-hour operation at the Marathon and Robinson Road intersection recently.

In addition, police arrested three people with outstanding warrants, one for disorderly behavior and one for threatening a police officer.

-Tribune (Page A05)

Cable fire stops TV, Internet

Read storyA fire cut television and internet services in about 150 homes on Monday.

Cable Bahamas said a power cable fell on one of their cables which led to the cable catching on fire. This stopped service in the Winton and Camperdown for nine hours - 9.30am and 6.30pm.

Bahamas Electricity Corporation general manager Kevin Basden said a dump truck had dragged an electrical line into the cable line.

Cable Bahamas operations manager Lester DeGregory said the problem has happened before, “around twice a year and it is usually right at that same location, but in this incident it also burnt the cable further down”.

Basden said he was not aware of a similar failure in the past.

-Tribune (Page A05)

Caribbean films playing this week at Galleria

Read storyCaribbean films will be showcased all week at Galleria Cinemas on John F Kennedy Drive.

For the second year, the Traveling Caribbean Film Showcase will feature films with a special interest on children and teenagers from the region.

Productions from 16 countries are featured, including Belize, Cuba, Columbia and Jamaica.

You can view Invisible, one of the films featured, by clicking here.

The mini-documentary features a woman and her daughter, who are both HIV-positive.

It was produced in Trinidad and Tobago by Elspeth Duncan.

-Tribune (Page A06)

Customs officer’s car burnt

Read storyA customs officer’s car was set on fire in front of a home in Sunset Park on Monday afternoon.

The car belonged to Gregory Mortimer, who is a senior officer of the customs department.

Police would not say whether they felt the fire was related to another blaze, which destroyed the home of customs officer Roslyn Ritchie last November.

Ritchie’s responsibilities included investigating corruption in the department and customs fraud.

Clive Schroeter was charged in connection with the home fire in January.

-Tribune

Glass plant in Freeport open

Read storyGRAND BAHAMA: A newly operational glass manufacturing plant expects to be running 24-hours a day by next Monday.

Fenestration (Fenestration definition) and Glass Services, which makes windows, and rubber components, could employ up to 150 people by August.

The company sits on 64,000 square feet on Queens Highway and has so far cost $20 million in building costs, machinery and salaries.

Windows made by the company will be available to Bahamians though rubber components would not.

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham is expected top officially open the facility on February 20.

-Guardian

-Full Story

Atlantis seeks $1.4 million from Australian gambler

Read storyAtlantis has taken legal action against an Australian millionaire.

Harry Kakavas was on honeymoon in November 2006 when he lost $1.4 milling in a single day of gambling. Kakavas made bets of up to $60,000.

Kakavas, a 42-year-old property developer, plans to defend himself by saying that the casino was aware of his gambling addiction and that the debt is not enforceable.

The trial date is set for July.

-Tribune

Click here to read more in Australia's Herald Sun.

Body found on roadside

Read storyThe body of a black male was found on the roadside near Wulff Road and Peardale Monday afternoon.

There were no obvious signs of violence and police do not suspect foul play.

Authorities do not know the man’s age or identity.

-Guardian & -Tribune

Full Story

Bahamians looking for help

Read storyThousands of Bahamians have applied for help with food, rent and utility costs.

According to statistics, twice as many citizens asked for help from social services outlets in 2008 compared with 2007. This information came from Minister of Labour and Scoial Development Dion Folkes.

Folkes could not give the exact number of applicants but said it was in the thousands.

The government has allocated $13 million for the 2008/2009 social services budget.

-Guardian

-Full Story