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Read storyA six-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after an attack at a government primary school.
Police are investigating claims that the girl was sexually assaulted by a group of secondary school boys.
The attack is said to have happened shortly after 3pm on January 23.
Education Minister Carl Bethel said the matter was kept private due to the nature of the incident and the fact that the police investigation has not yet concluded.
Police Superintendant Elsworth Moss said there is an investigation ongoing and that the attack involved at least two perpetrators. He did not describe the nature of the attack.
Moss said he expected to conclude the investigation in a few days.
The Tribune
Read storyThe police complaints and corruption unit is reviewing two cases of alleged extortion by its officers.
In one case, an Arawak Cay stall owner said a policeman took $200 from one of his staff members.
He said the officer told him that people had complained about his stall but that he would "have him straight".
The stall owner said the next week the policeman came back and said he wanted $500 every week to "keep everbody off ya back".
In the other matter, 20-year-old Travis Brown said police told him there was a warrant out for his arrest.
Brown said three officers handcuffed him and drove him around for while before offering him a choice: spend a few days in a holding cell or pay a $100 "fine".
After Brown told them he didn't have the money, an officer reached into his pocket, took $50 and gave half to a policeman in the front seat.
Later, the officers were forced to stop at the Quackoo Street Police station when they realized they had no keys for the handcuffs, he said.
Brown said they later dropped him off on East Street.
Acting Commissioner Reginald Ferguson said all such activities must be stopped and encouraged citizens to report them to the Police Complaint Unit.
The Tribune
Read storyPolice expect to charge a 27-year old Nassau Village man now in custody with the recent shooting of a police officer.
The man opened fire on officers when they tried to question him about firearm suspicions.
During the shooting, Officer 518 Johnson was hit in his left leg.
A witness told The Tribune that she told police where the suspect was after he had threatened her with a gun earlier in the day.
Tia Thurston said she was following police to the area when she heard several shots fired.
Police expect to bring the suspect to court on Friday.
See other CBN stories about this subject here
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyImmigration Minister Branville McCartney said the government wants to raise fines for hiring illegal immigrants above the current $3,500 limit.
Appearing on the radio talk show Generation Next on 106.5 FM, McCartney said that persons who hire illegal immigrants should have to pay the cost of deportation and have their names printed in the newspapers.
Former Immigration Minister Shane Gibson agreed that fines were an important consideration but said there are other loopholes.
He asked how long The Bahamas would allow wooden-hulled vessels to enter its waters, pointing to the recent seizures of millions of dollars of cocaine found aboard two such vessels.
He said that the present government should photograph and fingerprint persons held at the Detention Center, a practice started while he was in power.
The Nassau Guardian
Read storyA 39-year-old woman died in hospital after she suffered a seizure at a local pool.
Noelle Roberts, the daughter of the late Member of Parliament Noel Roberts and mother of two, had a history of seizures.
According to a statement from the swim club that Roberts belonged to, she suffered a seizure while swimming.
Although a nurse and coach on the scene were able to revive her with CPR, she remained in a coma until her death Wednesday afternoon.
The Tribune
The Nassau Guardian
Read storyProsecutors seeking to link three men with a white getaway car questioned a woman who testified that she was in a car with a suspect on the date of the murder.
The testimony is part of the prosecution's case against Jamal Glinton, Sean Brown and Dwight Knowles, who are accused of the murder of Keith Carey in February 2006.
The woman, whose name was withheld by court order, said she was in a car with at least one of the suspects - Glinton.
The woman said she had known him for five years and had slept at Glinton's home the night before.
She told the court that she sat in the back seat with him on the way to her East Street job and that two other men were in the car.
Carey, who owned the Faith Avenue/Carmichael Road Esso Service Station, was shot outside the Bank of The Bahamas on Harrold Road while making a large deposit.
The Nassau Guardian
The Tribune
Read storyGRAND BAHAMA: The Freeport Lions Club has a new eye testing machine to help in their sight conservation program.
For years the club has helped children get eye exams and glasses at no cost as well as raising funds for eye surgeries.
The machine, which takes about 15 minutes to test eyes, can detect the early stages of short-sightedness and far-sightedness, crossed eyes and colour blindness.
It will be operated by trained members of the club.
To help pay for this and other sight conservation efforts, the club will hold a Fun Run Walk on February 22nd, starting at 6am at the Lions Club house on East Beach Drive.
The Tribune
Read storyThree schools were robbed at gunpoint in the space of five hours yesterday.
All three incidents involved a man of about six feet in dark clothing. Police say they are not assuming the crimes are linked but are not ruling it out.
The first robbery was at 11am at the Southwest Christian Academy, followed by the Bayview Academy at 3pm and the Alpha Learning Centre 30 minutes after that.
Cash, jewelry and some personal items were taken.
Lauroname Strachan, a supervisor at Southwest Christian Academy, said she saw the robber get into the passenger side of a blue Ford Explorer which then sped off.
Strachan said that the robber did not disturb the school children during the attack but headed straight for the office.
Reports are that in at least two of the incidents, the thief wore a dark cloth over his face.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyThe two men accused of trying to kill a New Jersey cop will go to court this December.
Prosecutors have accused Ebenezer Sherman and Bradley Saunders of shooting John Casper while trying to rob his friend, Jean Algios, of her purse.
Casper, a policeman of 19 years, was shot in the chest on May 14 last year.
The incident happened near the Cable Beach home of former Prime Minister Perry Christie.
A member of Christie's security detail rushed Casper to the hospital in a commandeered vehicle.
Sherman and Saunders will remain on $25,000 bail.
The Nassau Guardian
Read storyChina has agreed to lend The Bahamas $160 million and has committed to a number of projects, including roadwork and agriculture.
During the visit of several Chinese diplomats, including His Excellency Hui Liangyu, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, a number of agreements were signed.
The most prominent venture is a $150 million agreement which includes the Airport Highway project as "a high priority".
A second agreement commits $10 million under the title Economic and Technical Cooperation, and will be used toward projects that will be "decided through consultations between the two governments".
Another agreement will allow diplomats of either country to travel to the other nation without the need for a visa, as long as they are staying for less than 30 days.
The final agreement concerns agricultural co-operation, including: farming tropical fruits and vegetables, the production of peas, beans, corn and flowers as well as crab processing and poultry and fish farming.
During the second China-Caribbean Trade Economic Forum in 2007, the Chinese government committed to make more than $5 billion available to the region in the form of low-rate, 30-year loans.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)
Read storyA policeman was shot in the leg while investigating reports that a man had an illegal gun in the Nassau Village area.
Officers on patrol around 3.40pm were given information about a man with a gun. The police saw the suspect sitting with other men.
As they approached the group, the man ran off. They chased him into a nearby yard and shots were fired.
Detective Corporal Johnson was shot in the left leg.
After the shooting, police launched a manhunt, covering an area that stretched from Nassau Village to Seabreeze Estates.
Superintendent Ellsworth Moss of the Central Detective Unit said a man was later arrested near Seabreeze.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)
Read storyThe mother of a 22-year-old man allegedly shot by police has taken an active role in the inquest into his 2004 death.
Ruth Julian rose several times to ask witnesses about the events surrounding the killing of her son, Lincoln Forbes.
On Tuesday, the first day of the inquest, jurors saw photographs of Lincoln's body, two guns and views of the street, all taken the night of the shooting,
Although a witness testified that he saw a gun in Forbes' hand, the photos show him lying on his back without a gun.
Questioned by Ms Julian as to why he saw a gun when there was none in the photos, the witness - Gavin Ellis – said he did not know but was sure that he saw a gun in Forbes' hand.
Jurors in the inquest also heard from Road Traffic supervisor Dwayne Pratt.
Pratt said he lent his car to a cousin, telling him to come right back. Pratt said he did not see his cousin again that night.
His car was found at the scene of the killing. When Pratt collected his car from a police compound, it had a bullet in the windshield.
The inquest continues on Thursday.
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A03)
Read storyA second Haitian boat captain was sentenced to four years in jail for his role in a drug seizure worth several million dollars.
Roberson François, 39, pled guilty to four drug-related charges, including possession with intent to supply, drug importation and conspiring to sell cocaine.
He was given four years for each charge but will serve the four sentences at the same time.
François was arrested last week Thursday off Great Inagua when American and Bahamian officers found 600 pounds of cocaine hidden on a boat he was captain of.
Four men and one woman were charged along with the Haitian captain. All have pled not guilty and were denied bail.
The arrest in Great Inagua was one of two seizures from the area that day, which led to the confiscation of 1,400 pounds of cocaine.
See other CBN stories about this subject here
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Read storyKendrick Dames was charged with the Valentine's Day murder of Philip Marcellus.
Dames is accused of stabbing Marcellus to death during a fight on Rocky Pine Road off McKinney Drive.
A preliminary inquiry into the matter will begin next week Tuesday, to determine if there is enough evidence for the matter to go to the Supreme Court.
See other CBN stories about this subject here
The Nassau Guardian
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)
Read storyCustomers had to wait as long as six hours for prescriptions from the Princess Margaret Hospital Tuesday.
A new system that is supposed to speed up pharmacy service is creating the holdup.
The delay is caused when staff collect information from patients who have not been to the hospital since the service was put in place.
Patients must answer a few personal questions before they can be registered.
PMH Public Relations officer Thelma Rolle asked the public to be patient while they make the transition.
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A03)
Read storyFish-cleaning vendors at Potters Cay Dock are now required to wear uniforms, have their police record on hand and maintain clean facilities.
Assistant Port Controller Craig Curtis said the new rules are aimed at making the area safer.
When Guardian staff visited the site Tuesday, the cleaners were dressed in green overalls and high black water boots.
Fish Cleaners Association supervisor Kevin McKenzie said workers were happy with the new regulations, which also stipulate no drinking or cursing in the area.
The Nassau Guardian
Read storyA man was charged with murder after he went to make a complaint at a local police station.
Officers at the station thought Valdez Bowleg, 26, looked like the sketch of a suspect in the murder of Edward Clarke.
Clarke was shot to death on March 14 last year.
Bowleg is also accused of burglarizing the home of Theophilus Knowles on the same date as Clarke shooting. He is also charged of attempting to rob Knowles with a handgun.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)
Read storyAbout half the guests at the El Greco Hotel checked out on Tuesday, fearful after a man was shot nearby.
About 4am Monday, a 28-year-old man told police he was shot after three men called him outside.
The victim, who's injuries were not life-threatening, lives near the Envy nightclub in the Mayfair building. Four a.m. is the club's closing time.
Later Monday morning, 10 of the 24 guests at the El Greco hotel, which is opposite the nightclub, left because they did not feel safe there.
The guests told staff that they had been solicited by prostitutes and that music from the club had kept them awake at night.
Owner of the Mayfair building, Keith Aranaj, said the club is licensed to operate until 4am.
Aranaj said: "Since the nightclub opened people have complained about the noise and I can't blame them for that but they should talk to the woman who rents the place and they should come to some understanding.
Police say they have no evidence of prostitution in the area but are following leads in the shooting matter.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)
Read storyA Haitian boat captain was sentenced to four years in jail in connection with the recent seizure of $5 million worth of cocaine.
On Monday, Lucio Blanc pled guilty to four cocaine-related charges including conspiracy to import and supply the drug as well as importation and possession of the drug.
Prosecutor Ercell Dorsette told the court that officers discovered 361 packages of cocaine hidden under planks of a 77-foot vessel captained by Blanc.
Blanc was sentenced to four years for each charge, but will serve all four simultaneously.
Magistrate Carolita Bethel said she did not give the maximum sentence because Blanc admitted his involvement and did not waste the court's time.
The five other men arrested with Blanc pled not guilty and were remanded to custody.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)
Read storyGRAND BAHAMA: A police officer accused of accepting two bribes testified that he was offered money but did not take it.
Constable Pierre Martin, 25, is charged with accepting two bribes from Garrick Lewis in 2007, amounting to $2,500.
Martin arrested Lewis on February 5, 2007, and charged him with using obscene language, resisting arresting and threatening to kill him (Officer Martin).
It is alleged that Martin told Lewis that if he gave him $3,000, he would not have to go to court.
Lewis testified that he made two payments to Martin, one for $1,500 and one for $1,000.
Martin testified that Lewis offered him money not to show up in court but he refused. The officer said he did not report the attempted bribe.
He was arrested the morning of September 12, one of the days he was expected to appear as a witness in the case against Lewis.
Officers arrested Martin after he went to pick up ten tightly-wrapped $100 bills that were thrown from a car. He said he did not know what they were until later.
The officer said he had been to all of Lewis' court dates expect one, when asked for a postponement because he was not feeling well.
Martin is presently barred from duty. The case was expected to be put before the jury yesterday.
Full Story in The Nassau Guardian here
Full Story in The Tribune here (Page A01)
