Appeal court orders DPP to investigate lawyer
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal has directed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to take forward an investigation into a criminal defence attorney accused of sexually harassing a client in what the judges said was a “troubling case”. The higher court found that messages between Keith Myers and his client, Aisha Jamilah English, “undermined” an affidavit he swore under oath for the court denying the allegations. Myers represented English (33) at trial in 2022 when she was convicted of wounding, but she successfully argued at appeal that he hadn’t properly represented her and had sent her a series of ‘sexts’.
English was acquitted by the appeal court last week. On Thursday, the court handed down its full written ruling in which the senior judges said that the case must go before the police and the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association (CILPA). The crown had declined to contest the appeal largely because of the messages that were submitted in evidence between English and Myers, which were of a sexual nature and described as highly inappropriate.
There was also a lack of notes or preparation material, which supported English’s contention that after she failed to respond to Myers’ advances, he had neglected to properly prepare her case, despite being funded by legal aid to do so. English said the lawyer also failed to call a potential key witness who could have helped support her argument that she was acting in self-defence when she stabbed her colleague during a fight at the beauty parlour where they worked.
The court agreed with Simon Csoka KC, who represented English in the appeal, that the messages had “tainted” the whole preparation of the case and how Myers represented her throughout the trial, which was described as “winging it”. The judges stated that Myers’ “conduct was indefensible”, as they directed the involvement of the authorities and the need for an investigation as well as a review by CILPA.
CNS reached out to Myers, but he said that at this stage, he was unable to comment.
- Fascinated
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- Afraid
Here we have the Cayman anomaly! Send an amourous albeit unsolicited text to a female and they want to hang you. Beat a female up whilst in a drunken rage, slap her ar*e in a casino or grope one or two at a government function and they vote you in as father of the house!
Oh the irony!
5:25-Blame the uneducated voting base for allowing that other jackass to remain in office. This fool should have respected attorney/lawyer boundaries. As a result, of his sorry ass trying to leverage his position for sex, he blew a case and a potentially dangerous person is now back on the streets.
They should enlist the services of a top-notch investigation team, like the Anti-corruption team! Given their impressive track record after the theft of bush and scrub debacle, he’ll be trembling with fear!
Well, perhaps there should be some investigation into cabinet status grants? Especially to those that had only been here for 18 months. I would love the ACC to explain that!
Does it involve mud?
😝 😹 😂 😂 😜
He is also in trouble with the court for bringing appeals with no grounds just to get more money from legal aid. Nothing gone happen to him though. Legal aid don’t care even though they been warned
Em no. Court of Appeal – group of independent UK judges – says it has to be investigated. They wont let it slide. Myers is toast. Not going to be brushed under the carpet with these guys, who are clearly upset by the appalling ethics, and the easiest route out here is for CILPA to make an example of Myers.
It’s an encouraging direction from the Court although I doubt it will get very far by way of investigation given the track records of both offices tasked with carrying it out. There are lots more attorneys in Cayman who should come under similar scrutiny.
Imagine being such a bad lawyer that your clients are let off the hook because you’re so bad. If you think about it, it’s actually a genius strategy if this guy is allowed to continue practicing. I could commit a crime, go to trial, get found guilty, have him send me a nice text, then complain he did a bad job and get off the hook.
I heard from a little birdie he’s also representing a very sensitive and messed up case as we speak. That fact should be made public so we all know what’s up and then he should be replaced as counsel so this doesn’t happen again.
Piece of crap
I think i saw him at the airport 🥴🥴🥴
the dpp….the blind leading the blind.
CNS – is the Court of Appeal judgement available online?
CNS: Not yet.
If it is true that Cabinet appointed this individual to 2 or more board positions paid for by public money, will they reconsider those decisions?
He was given status in 2003 after 18 months on the Islands
6:42, you are correct. He received it from Cabinet on 23rd December 2003, courtesy of the then Minister of Heath who was using him for legal advice in setting up the then new Health Services Authority. It was not a popular decision (quite apart from the fact he had just recently come to the island as a dependent of his wife hired by Government) because he also quickly showed himself to be an arrogant abrasive Englishman.
Who was the Minister?
Gilbert McLean
Gilbert McLean who is Chair of UCCI Board of whom Mr. Meyers is a Board member?
Er, yes, the same. Wonderful how our politicians look after us, isn’t it? And Gilbert is supposed to be one of the brighter ones. Supposed.
Yup. Quite a few of them in that position. Indefensible.
I see. Perhaps the Attorney General and Chief Justice could comment on the contributions he hade made to these islands that would warrant such exceptional and generous treatment?
Three words Mackeeewa status grants
Hmmm, yes 7:39, but as well as the heinous ones (a minority though they should never have happened) a large number of deserving, long resident contributing people got Status too. But it was far too many all at once.
And far too many undeserving.
And probably illegal and in any event, seemingly tainted by corruption.
So what does the Court of Appeal decision mean in terms of expected actions by the police and the DPP? Are they now obliged to investigate whether either of the offences of ‘common nuisance’ contrary to s.154 of the Penal Code or ‘stalking’ contrary to s.155 of the Penal Code occurred, or something else? Asking for a friend.
I’d be very surprised if Mr Myers is still in Cayman…
So if this person submitted invoices to Legal Aid claiming payment for the provision of a proper legal defense whereas in fact he failed to provide that defense, does any criminal liability attach to that?
It is unsettling (though disappointedly not surprising) that the kangaroo entities that are Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association (CILPA) and Cayman Attorneys Regulation Authority (CARA) sit in silence and have issued no pre-emptive public statement on disciplinary or sanction actions against such a senior member of their profession – one that has been conferred the public trust to be seated on major government boards. What does it say about the profession that they don’t even register a problem with his conduct and judgement?
They don’t actually have much (if any) jurisdiction in respect of professional conduct complaints: those are still a matter for the Chief Justice.
They should initiate the complaints.
In this case, as Myers, his conduct and existence on the roll as a solicitor is regulated by the SRA in the UK, where this would be taken further and could lead to him being struck off. Further, he is legally required to declare this in his annual conduct statement when renewing his practice certificate.
https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor
As others have pointed out they don’t really have the power to sanction but even if they did, it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to make a “preemptive” public statement. After going through due process, usually a hearing and allowing both sides of a story to be told and considered, a regulatory body then would make a decision and issue a public statement if appropriate.
CILPA and CARA, who have no legal authority, need to stay out of this.
Bullshit. You don’t get to call yourself a professional without accountability.
because they would never take the initiative to do it otherwise. The DPP has been one of the lamest run departments of the government for the last 20 yrs. Yet no one is fired, replaced or disbarred. FRANZ is asleep at the wheel as usual and so are the other heads of government. This is pathetic and people should start asking their MP’s when campaigning who do they plan to replace the entire DPP’s office with and WHEN?
Well at least he didn’t do anything like lying on official forms about personal cocaine use, refusing to disclose Caymanian applicants for positions, establishing fronting structures for clients or engaging in the unqualified and unlicensed practice of Cayman Law. Then our regulations would have spun themselves into a frenzy. The profession can accordingly maintain some semblance of dignity.
You sound bitter? And drunk.
Did Walkers and Maples (and all the other decent firms) reject you?
No. Just do not consider that the conduct alluded to should so prevalent and widely accepted amongst members of an illustrious profession.
Totally agree but there was no investigation when another attorney straight up misappropriate clients money a mere suspension and now he is back practicing de Law????
I believe they used the Legal Aid Scheme which means the money was misappropriated from public funds.
So is gambling with a government credit card, but nothing became of that either
Something did come of it – there was a trial, remember? But a Cayman jury acquitted him.