Judge eyes prison tab with deportation order

| 27/06/2017 | 25 Comments

(CNS): A Grand Court judge sent a foreign national convicted of burglary to jail for a shorter time than would otherwise have been the case but ordered his deportation immediately after release. As he jailed Theo Kuldani Samy for one year for breaking into his neighbour’s apartment on Christmas Night, Justice Michael Wood said he was conscious of the $70,000 annual burden on the public purse to keep a man in HMP Northward.

The judge said the prison was full and Samy, a work permit holder from India, would be deported at the end of his sentence, so there was no point clogging up the system and running up the costs to keep him there.

Samy had pleaded not guilty but he was convicted earlier this month after trial by the jury on what the judge described as “overwhelming evidence” and said he had run a “dishonest defence”.

Delivering the sentence ruling on Friday, Justice Wood said there had been a plague of break-ins in recent times and described burglary as a “growth industry in the Cayman Islands”, as he handed down the twelve-month jail term and the deportation order on release.

The judge said he could not suspend the sentence as that would be going too far, but with an eye on the costs he questioned why the people should bear the burden. He said the sentence was not a precedent but a practical solution to saving public funds because of Samy’s immediate post-sentence departure.

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Category: Courts, Crime

Comments (25)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    From what I read he is still costing the public purse $70k as he is being jailed for a year and then he is deported. Why don’t they just deport him immediately? What part of this is helping the public purse?

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  2. Frank says:

    He will be back on the next canoe with drugs, guns and more illegal aliens.

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  3. Messenjah says:

    A conscientious judge! Wonderful! However Sir, please be aware that you are going against the self-appointed decision-makers with your precedent of deportation. They are filling the prison to prove that a “bigger” one is needed in order to privatize the prison system for the benefit of you know who. Lets see how that plays and who will emerge as the players.
    By the way, I am sure that we can decrease the cost of housing a prisoner in Northward. No prison director or the Ministry in charge has ever looked at reducing these costs. Go figure and please don’t bring those excuses as you still don’t have a proper rehab programme. If the country spent more on mental health it would reduce the numbers at Northward. If they were able to teach the youth properly, not the brain -wash education that has lowered our stake in our own country for the last 35 yrs but education that can churn out real critical-thinkers. But alas, which country really wants its citizens to wake up and see that everything that have been told is a lie only to benefit the oppressors (money-makers)

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    • Anonymous says:

      Cayman Brac Bluff would be a great prison site. The economic benefits would be a boon to the dying community which is badly in need of a sustainable project and the prison fits that bill.

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      • Robert says:

        No thank you. The Bluff is for Residential subdivisions. Otherwise we do not wish for you in Grand Cayman to control and manipulate us. We think for ourselves.

  4. Anonymous says:

    I still don’t understand how it can cost 70k per annum per prisoner. Makes me wonder how in the hell I survive on the outside on my 30k salary. I would have a better standard of living in prison!!

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  5. anonymous says:

    We need to begin revoking the status grants of those who commit crimes (or demonstrate outrageously traitorous behaviour in the media – the reader will know what I’m referencing) and make it a condition of future Caymanian status grants that you will lose your status and be deported if you commit criminal offenses. Time to stop pussyfooting around with these no-goods and boot them out like they do in other countries.

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    • Anonymous says:

      It is already a condition of status grants that you can lose your status and be deported if you commit a crime. It is possibly corruption which has stopped that from happening. Of course, I suppose now you will call me a traitor for pointing that out.

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  6. JTB says:

    The more I hear of Justice Wood the more I like

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  7. wawa says:

    the best thing that ever happen in the courts on sentencing, any foreigner who commits an offence that carries a sentence over six months should be deported , no matterwho! black, white green ,or blue.

    send these crimnals back where ever, and you will see a more safe cayman. the ones who marry for convience , get statas and leave the kids to the mercy of social service should also be included. very good job judge.( drain the swamp)

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  8. Sharkey says:

    Sammy did you hear what the Judge said you have to leave the Islands and we can’t waste Taxpayers money on you, hope you got that loud and clear.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Why is this not done more? Often so called Caymanians in are in fact persons originally from elsewhere and perfectly capable of having any status revoked and deported. Anyone checking?

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    • Anonymous says:

      All Caymanians were originally from somewhere else…so if a criminal is Caymanian, should we export them back to Africa?

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      • Anonymous says:

        According to you, no-one anywhere is native to their home. So we should send all the black & white Americans back to Europe and Africa, as the real natives of America are the Aboriginal Indians….

        On to Caymanians, we are a mix of African and European/British. You can’t send us back unless you plan to cut us up in pieces and send some parts back to Africa and some to Europe/England. What is clear is that expats who come to our shores today have zero respect for the fact that we DO have native Caymanians. I am one of those such natives.

        I was born and raised here, my parents both born here and raised as well, their parents born here and raised and so were theirs before and on and on. I have literally spent the time researching and confirming this all the way back to the late 1600’s.

        Back to the article;the judge has done what is necessary. The prison expansion is long over-due….and deporting criminals that fit the criteria makes sense. We have enough home-grown criminals right here and we have no-where to house them.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Another myth here. Myself, my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on all born and raised here.

          People are always shocked when I pipe up and tell them that not all Caymanians have a recent ancestor from another country.

        • Anonymous says:

          2:08pm, and when they are sending them, do what they did in the Bahamas years
          ago. Send them with their 2 long arms, no suitcases. No time to pack nor sell assets.

        • Anonymous says:

          Thank you. A perfect answer to those who deny our existence, history and culture.
          Sincerely
          A fellow Caymanian.

  10. Elvis says:

    Judges need to look at who can be tagged and live in the community if the prison is overcrowded, also a new wing would be good, give them the money to build it the prisoners and works dept can build it I’m sure ,

    Overcrowding =’problems

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    • Anonymous says:

      Another prison is not needed. Pack them in until the door can barely close. Hat is the life thy want, then thts the life they get.

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