Skylar and VJ stay in jail but time halved
(CNS) UPDATED WITH LAWYER’S STATEMENT: The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal handed down a reduced sentence on Tuesday, when they cut the jail time for Skylar Mack (18) and Vanjae “VJ” Ramgeet (24), who were convicted for breaching quarantine regulations, from four months to two. The justices did not explain the reasons for the change, but after listening to arguments from Ben Tonner QC, representing Mack and Ramgeet, and prosecutor Greg Walcolm, they said a written judgment would follow.
The local competitive Jet Ski star and his American girlfriend, who is a pre-med student from Georgia, were remanded back into custody and taken to HMP Northward and HMP Fairbanks respectively, where they are expected to serve a further four weeks of the now reduced sentence. All prison sentences under one year are automatically cut to 60% for inmates provided they maintain good behaviour.
Tonner had argued that the original community sentence order imposed by Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez should be reinstated because it was within the sentencing guidelines. He further argued that, as an experienced judge of quarantine related issues, the magistrate had weighed all of the circumstances of the case.
Tonner told the appeal judges that Justice Roger Chapple, who had imposed the jail time, had taken undue notice of the public clamour and, allowing the general fury to override other sentencing considerations, made an example of the young couple and imposed an unduly harsh sentence. Tonner also said the summary appeal judge had failed to consider additional material that was presented to him which was important to the case.
Much had been made of Mack’s premeditated behaviour in having officials loosen her geofencing bracelet before the Jet Ski event, which was the reason why she broke quarantine. But Tonner pointed out that the public health officials who came to Mack’s isolation residence to loosen it had noted that the band was cutting into her arm and agreed it was too tight before refitting a new band.
In his defence of the judge’s sentence, Walcolm argued that Justice Chapple was not overly influenced by the public anger. Although he was aware of it and the importance of reflecting the will of legislature, his focus was on the deterrent power of the sentence, which was especially important in this case, the lawyer for the crown said. He pointed out that Mack was subject to the same conditions as returning residents and workers here, but as a visitor it was a privilege for her to be allowed in.
Walcolm argued that it was the magistrate who had taken little notice of the need for the deterrence and the change in the regulations by lawmakers, which had multiplied the existing punishment by four times to show how seriously a breach of quarantine here is taken.
Following the appeal court’s decision, Jonathon Hughes from Samson Law, who represented the couple and had instructed Tonner, said they were all grateful to the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal for agreeing to hear this case with such urgency and for the consideration they gave to it.
“The court allowed our appeal and agreed with our submission that the four-month sentence imposed by the Grand Court was not appropriate in the circumstances of this case,” Hughes said.”Whilst it was our hope that Skylar would be able to return home to resume her studies in January,
we accept the decision of the Court and look forward to receiving its written reasons in due course.”
Hughes added that Mack and Ramgeet continue to express remorse for their actions and ask for the forgiveness of the people of the Cayman Islands.
The sentence has divided the Cayman community. Some people were shocked that the courts would send a couple with no previous convictions to jail for a first offence, while others see the case as critically important in preserving Cayman’s safe bubble. It has also attracted much media attention in the United States, where Mack’s family has been petitioning the Trump administration to intervene.
Given the huge difference in approach towards the COVID-19 pandemic between the Cayman Islands, which has the virus largely contained, and the United States, where many see even mask mandates as an affront to personal freedoms, it is appears to be very challenging for some in the US to appreciate the decisions made by the authorities here to keep the islands safe, which have considerable public support.
The case was heard by appeal court justices President Sir John Goldring, with Sir Richard Field, and Sir Alan Moses.
Based on some of the statements being made by Mack’s grandmother I doubt that she is genuinely asking for the forgiveness of the people of the Cayman Islands. Also, from where I stand it does not appear that VJ had any meaningful legal representation that was looking out for his interests first and foremost.
Is Skylar a “proxy” for all the. “ugly American” tourist. Is there a history of Americans coming to the Caymans and disrespecting Cayman citizens. I’ve never been to the Caymans. I would like to think most Americans, obey the law, when visiting.
The vast majority are law abiding and more than 90% of Cayman’s tourists (including cruise shippers) come from the US. However a few rotten apples … well, you know what they do.
Sadly most of the tourists are Trump leaning fly over staters who think they can do what they want.
3:23p You are a complete dolt. Why mix politics with this? She is a fool on her own, completely independent from her (and grannyās) political leanings.
What a stupid thing to say. You lose all integrity of anything you could say now.
So, hopefully this is the end of this situation. She does her time, and she is kicked out of the country. Why haven’t we seen pictures of her boyfriend. What will happen to him? Is he a Cayman citizen?
He is Caymanian, so unfortunately he will not be kicked out with her.
Unfortunately? You people really lost your minds.
Awww, would you look at that! This right here is the face you make when your privilege card is only HALF as good as you’d expected it to be.
Poor thing, maybe next time don’t break the law and have your crazy family members call down all this negative publicity on yourself and the country you chose to break the law in! It really is that simple.
You notice how Mr. Ramgeet’s family is silent? They know he did wrong and they are not encouraging him the foolishness.
Yes, young adults make mistakes everyday however – they have to live with their choices. If VJ can live with his, Skylar can live with hers too.
10:32, I noted the same thing, the Ramgeet family has been sensibly silent. However, we can’t expect better from her white privileged family. From the interviews we can tell who she inherited her ways from…
White privilege..lol..Translation I can blame every single failure I have in life on white people..GTFOH..lol
Oh, found another racist who believes white privilege does not exist.
@4:14pm – I am actually WHITE you invalid piece of trash! Keep your racism in Merikkka! The privilege I am referring to social status and add to that – the fact that if she were not white – no one would in your racism filled country would bat an eyelash at this case. Just ask your beloved FAUX news anchors!
I thought Cayman had become a zero tolerance island for lawbreakers but the same old story one law for one and a different law for others depending on who you are and who you know. How come big Mac didn’t receive a custodial sentence the US media and the rest of the world will have a field day with this Cayman your not doing yourselves any favors here.
The Mac case is embarrassing and stupid but he didn’t breach national security and put a whole country (including the thousands of American citizens living in Cayman) at risk of dying from a disease which is terrorizing the USA due to this same, exact, careless behavior!
Why the US didnāt convict Big Mac for the same thing when they had a chance?? Trust me we would have all been thrilled.
Caymankind at its best! These comments are beyond embarrassing. She broke the law, we all have. She’s young just like we all were and we all made stupid decisions. Caymanians are kind and caring people, but the arrogance and hate on here is beyond embarrassing.
when your stupid mistake has been proven the world over to cause death, a society can’t just pat you on the shoulder and say do better next time. you don’t get to play with people lives like that.
She tested negative. This is a complete overreaction. Why are none of the people in the photos wearing masks? If you are so concerned about life, then that basic preventive measure should also be used consistently.
CNS: Because of the strict measures here to contain the spread of the virus there is no community spread, which is why the police officers do not have to wear masks. This required great sacrifice by the local population and we are now enjoying the results. The fact that you think that this is overreaction is irrelevant. She agreed to abide by the laws in the Cayman Islands and then didn’t. Visitors to the US are not allowed to break US law because they don’t agree with it.
So this will change the past?
As another Caymanian, your comment is what is embarrassing. There is no excuse for what this girl and VJ did. They were reckless, selfish, and dishonorable, period. The people of these island have every right to be angry and want justice. We were blessed that their selfishness did not cause our community to be infected with this virus again. Could you imagine having to be like the UK, going into lock down for the holidays all because of this ignorant couples poor decision?? No, it is not acceptable.
Great comment!!!
And Ontario Canada as of Boxing Day, complete and full lockdown for minimum 28 days
If someone were young and reckless and fired a gun into a crowd, hoping they wouldnāt hit anyone, would we forgive that and just give them a slap on the hand? No, because that is not only reckless but deadly. So is the same applies to what she did. She went out into a crowd and mingled in the hopes that she would not infect others with a deadly disease. I donāt believe that that is being unkind, I think that she got what she deserved. In fact, shouldāve gotten more time to send a message to others. Because she basically was taking the same action as someone firing a gun into a crowd.
Except there was no bullet in the gun. Unlike the 19 year old who had several bullets by visiting several places.
Again, we donāt agree with the19 year old either. We are trying to be a little more patient and understanding because he apparently has an impulse disorder. In his case, we are pissed at the authorities that failed to put in place suitable controls to account for that assertion. You are not comparing apples to apples.
speak for yourself, I have never broken the law.
Also Skylar, broke curfew not even 2 days to go out in public, so no one would know if she were positive or negative.
it is only after the fact that we can say she is a negative case.
Can someone explain why these two were jailed and Mac was not?
Sure. They broke different laws. In considering sentences, judges weigh a number of different factors, among them: sentencing guidelines, the age of the offenders, whether it is a first or repeat offence, what the typical range of sentences are for the crime. Unless the crime related to his job as Speaker, it shouldn’t really be relevant that Mac was the person being sentenced before the court. People are supposed to be equal before the law (of course it’s naive to say that this always happens, but courts have to be mindful of at least appearing to be fair).
The average person who commits common assault as a first offence is not likely to go to jail, even if most of the public is pissed off at him. The reason the judge didn’t jail him is that it would almost certainly be overturned on appeal as being disproportionate compared to what someone would get if they weren’t a “celebrity”.
As for Skylar and VJ, the reason the court sent them to jail was to deter others from breaking quarantine and ruining the freedom we have to move around without the need to lock us down. If they just received a fine it would send a message that if you can pay you don’t need to regard the rules, and that is a dangerous precedent.
Many commenters seem to think that it makes a difference that they are young, or sorry, or they think covid isn’t dangerous, or the government is wrong to quarantine people. Unfortunately none of that is relevant. These are the laws and they were broken.
Well said
Well said! Thank you!
Judge Chappelle is on a role this year. He’s been handing down custodial sentences left right and center, with the exception of Sandra Catron.
That grandmother needs to shut up. She’s making it worse.. I could only imagine me calling my grandmother.
Me: Grammy, I’m in jail in the Cayman Islands!
Grammy: Why honey?
Me: I was supposed to quarantine for 14 days and wear a tracker by law, but I didn’t want to. I had the authorities come and loosen the bracelet so I could slip it off to watch my boyfriend in the jet ski competition and I got caught and now I’m in jail as per the law.
Granny: Call me when you get out. *click*
Me: Granny?? Help!!
And where is her Dad, also a jet skier in all this? Keeping his head down. A lot smarter than his daughter and Mother/in-law.
Iām not so sure…. Also donāt remember the seven people apparently deported for breaking quarantine that week.
https://www.cbs46.com/news/loganville-teen-imprisoned-overseas-for-breaking-quarantine/article_0d135f08-419f-11eb-86c6-bbfcea9f4e3c.html
They are just spreading false information. I wish that someone would straighten the US media out and tell them the truth.
Her dad, also a pro jet ski racer, lost a bunch of his sponsors as a result of his daughters actions
8:49 He is keeping his mouth zipped because his career has already taken a hit from her dishonorable choices.
Shows how little you know! Itās alright dear! We donāt want your sort. Go some place else!
The tribes are still cooking turtle! The turtle abattoir just has a nicer name: Cayman Turtle Centre! What a laugh.
I have 20lbs now. Going to be a great Christmas
If you see the comments on the 19 year old caymanian serial quarantine breacher who is the son of a government official, you see a big difference in the harshness. Americans, take note of this. Do not visit this place. There are far better and friendlier places to spend your hard earned money.
Take note of America and the way their law enforcement kill minorities.
And to borrow from @7:39am “Black people, take note of this. Do not visit this place. There are far better and friendlier places to spend your hard earned money.”
It’s not the worst point. There are extenuating circumstances there so the cases are not exactly comparable, but I certainly agree that there should be charges in that case even if at the end there is no conviction because of mental capacity issues.
That poor child has mental issues so dont be pointing fingers without full facts.
So they obviously used the final criteria, but why?
Inbound flights to the Cayman Islands are currently available for:
Caymanians,
Permanent residents,
Work permit holders and their families,
Persons who own residential property within the Cayman Islands,
Students with a valid visa to study in the Cayman Islands,
Persons with close family ties to residents or work permit holders – spouses, fiancĆ©s, parents, grandparents and siblings
Persons approved on the Global Citizen Concierge Program,
Other visitors approved via the Travel Cayman team.
I would LOVE to see the āwhyā. Either she told some massive lie on her application or someone screwed this up!
I really wish they would stop calling her āpre-medā. Sheās in a US university which means she is a Freshman that wants to be a doctor. Sheās got a long way to go and wonāt even be accepted into a pre-med program until her 3rd (junior) year. Itās crazy how the media will do anything to garner sympathy for this chick.
She is actually a sophomore, not a freshman, graduated high school early at 16. Despite her unwise decision in this case, she is an excellent student.
Mercer University does in fact have a designated “pre-med” track (at its Macon campus) and she is enrolled that track. (They call it “pre-health professional program”, but it is effectively pre-med).
So, just to correct your assertions. Thanks.
She is clearly not cut out to be in the medical field in any capacity if she cannot adhere to protocols during a worldwide pandemic. Also, if Mercer University keeps her on as a student…it speaks volumes about them as an educational institution.
Youāll judge her for the rest of her life for a single rash mistake as an 18 yr old? Give me a break! She learned her lesson, and frankly, because sheāll be wiser, she will be EXACTLY what we want in the medical field! I hope she graduates with high honors, becomes a doctor and saves the life of a member of your family, just to make you look stupid!
Food for thought?! Do you mean the turtle meat??š¤£š¤£š¤£
Itās rumored the grand mother plotted the whole trip to the island. She should be extradited and arrested for aiding and abetting plus for placing the community at risk. We should start a go fund me also ālock her up tooā.
Of course she did. She was sure to know someone in Travel Cayman. (Sarcasm!)
Plenty of time for her to study over Christmas. She needs a head start.
My theory is that this was a all planned by Skylar and here Grandmother. This is a ploy for media attention and for Skylar to gain notoriety in the USA media for political and entertainment purposes.
We’re you dropped on your head as a baby?
Sergio did you read what you
Wrote? Do you hear how stupid it sounds? Basically telling our island to allow criminals to get away with a crime. GTFOH
So Mac actually goes out and physically attacks the public – gets to say at home. These two kids sneak around and 2 months in jail???!
3:13 Both instances deserve jail time.
She broke the quarantine requirement. She didnāt social distance or wear a mask and put people at risk. In short, she did not respect the laws of the country she was visiting. As an American, I am embarrassed by her actions and feel that she does need to serve the sentence their court decided upon. She is an adult. She will not be scarred for life as some people in this post seem to suggest. Hopefully she will learn something and grow from this experience.
When I need a negativity fix, the largest collection of miserable people in Cayman here in the comments section never disappoint.
Well, you are here commenting, so seems the pot is calling the kettle black….
The problem when you give an 18 year old, first time offender, a 4 month sentence for breaking a Covid regulation is that what sentence do you then give someone for a homophobic hate crime, sustained attack on a woman with a weapon, interfering with justice, victim shaming and intimidation?
That’s not to say she shouldn’t have got 4 months. But it does raise the bar for all sentencing that now comes later.
Oh wait … no it doesn’t.
Time for the Cayman Islands to have a rethink about the kind of Cayman you really want to be. Because to those of us in US you should know that we won’t be coming to spend our bucks any time soon.
Good luck with your Mt Trashmore. You have it all to yourselves.
American tourists are not going to care about this at all. They are more concerned that the destination that they are travelling to is safe. Plus they have enough problems with their own court systems to preoccupy themselves with. Or their overcrowded hospitals and morgues.
So sorry about that. Good for you, spend your money elsewhere. We will be ok, not sure about you with 3000 deads a day, but we will be ok. please, do not come and thank you.
Uncle Sam – Your logic is flawed and is a complete failure of an attempt to influence which is why I believe you wrote your letter.
It is a law that she broke and proved her to be quite a conniver. All crime is hate by definition since you’d have to love someone else less than yourself to commit a crime.
Are you a relative or just paid by bimbo’s grandma?
Even if it were true that many Americans actually thought this way (and they don’t seem to, if you read the comments on any of the stories in US media).
And for those who think that it’s reasonable to boycott Cayman for enforcing the laws on the books, great – we don’t want visitors like that anyway.
There is a reason that different crimes have different sentences. And there is a reason that the courts chose a stronger punishment than with a typical crime of robbery, assault etc. It’s because if people don’t respect the quarantine and aren’t afraid of punishment, they’ll break it. And then we’ll have lockdowns again. We’ve decided as a society (through government policy) that that’s not what we want. You may not like that or agree with it, but it’s the law and it’s clear that people have to have to fear consequences or they will behave selfishly.
We’re absolutely loving the COVID-FREE Cayman we have, nothing to rethink there!
Toro! Toro!
What I find concerning is: Our Government was far too slow with mandating stricter laws / penalties. What took them so long? Any thinking person would conclude that some would break the laws related to isolation / quarantine just as some break other laws.
Yet we find ourselves with some poor optics because Government waited until such a late hour to increase the penalties.
I say this because the middle aged Canadian Doctor and his girlfriend broke isolation āmultipleā times and yet were allowed to pay a small fine (I think $1,000) and leave (many said, and I agree, they should have at least been fined the $1,000 for each breach ā as they also intentionally broke the law āmultipleā times.
Months earlier we also had the Health Ministerās girlfriend break isolation laws by allowing her personal trainer in to their home for exercise. And when the āHealthā Minister was asked about this he came to the briefing the following day and attacked those asking why?ā¦and the Premier backed him?ā¦while the Governor sat quietly and looked on?ā¦saying nothing!!??
At the very least the Minister should have apologized and given assurances that a repeat would not happen! And the Premier and Governor (behind the scenes) should have made sure he did so!
Now the Speaker of Parliament (a 60+ year old “Christian” and long time politician) gets barely a slap on the wrist for being drunk and disorderly and violently assaulting a woman?!
And here we have a teen and an adolescent jailed for 4 months! for breaking isolation laws?!
If the Government and the Courts held everyone to account, including supposedly more mature persons and powerfully connected persons to account, the optics would not be nearly as bad.
Everyone intentionally breaking, or aiding and abetting, the breaking of the laws should be held to the same standard! Actually powerful “lawmakers” should be held to a higher standard of expectations!
Great post, except for the use of āadolescentā. Sheās not. She is legally an adult.
WHO defines an adolescent as “someone between the age of 10 to 24”.
I was merely stressing the differences in age of those mentioned and also the vast difference in sentences. So while I agree she (the 18 year old adult / teen) deserves a custodial sentence, so do the others.
The law is there for a reason. If the girl had been found to be infected and had effectively spread the virus to anyone (including your child, a friend or relative) who then ended up in the hospital and died what would this story and comments be??
What would the parents, the grand parents and indeed our government, judges and lawyer comments be??
The bottom line is if you are 18 or 40 it does not matter, the law applies to you. It was not a suggestive law. No one dragged this young girl to do anything she did not choose to do on her own. You do the crime (and yes it is a crime, therefore cuffs) you do the time!! Now stop all this BS about poor lil child… When she goes back home what do you think she’s going to say about Cayman? “Oh.. they put me in jail because I could have possibly infected everyone and put the entire country in full lock down?” Guaranteed see will run this country down for the rest of her life.
As a born Caymanian, I have no issue with them doing time. I feel bad for VJ because, yes he too should have known better, but similarly he too must do the time.
American’s always feel that they are above any country’s laws. It’s time we put a road block on that crap just an quick hour from their door. When I walk through their immigration I am aware that I must abide by their laws (which I do) if not I will have to pay the consequences whatever those maybe. No different here!
“American’s always feel that they are above any country’s laws.” That isn’t a fair statement because all do not feel that way. When I am in any country I respect the laws of that country. Please do not assume every non-Caymanian feels they are above the laws of the Cayman Islands. This girl made a bad decision, she should have consequences just as ANYONE breaking the law should suffer the consequences of their actions but as pointed out by nauticalone345 the punishments for breeching quarantine have been all over the board.
Silly threats from an entitled bully who knows nothing. There are plenty of good and law abiding Americans that will still want to come here. We don’t want your kind.
Exactly. If she was coming to watch a jet ski competition that was going on during her quarantine period then what the hell? If she was coming to the island to visit her boyfriend during a pandemic then, again, what the hell?
BF was probably like, “Don’t worry babe, Cayman’s a joke, just say you are coming to visit your sick Grandma and then just take your wrist band off. It’s ok, everyone’s doing it.”
And I have connections that will make you āgone clear.ā
Boo!!
Who?
You!
Why are people complaining. She is a criminal who openly and blatantly broke the law. The law says up to 2 years jail… Iād say she has done well to get 2 months.
You know who did really well? Bush.
Completely unrelated for grammy to continue to harp on.
Why is it that only Skylar Mack Grand Mother is speaking out for her… Where are her parents ( Mother and father) and where are
Ramgeet Mother and father..
Very strange..
Ramgeet is an adult 24 yr old why do his parents need to come out to defend an action they know is wrong to begin with. They got sense not like skylar family. Period.
Preach! notice how his family is silent? They gah sense!!!!!
If the attorney is representing both Skylar and VJ, as he has stated, then VJ is getting .a raw deal. I donāt believe the lawyer has even mentioned his name in the case, heās just silently dragging along behind the spectacle that is the āpoor-little-rich-girlā spoilt brat, āSkylarā.
Bottom line, America and Americans simply do not respect the sovereignty and laws of other jurisdictions.
See the sad case of Harry Dunn where all sorts of high level shenanigans were pulled to allow the perpetrator to evade UK justice.
Yeah, the 95 million Americans that travel abroad every year mostly end up in trouble with the law. Dip shit.
Why was she allowed into Cayman in the first place?
The million dollar question right there! I hope one of the reporters will get the answer to this and share with us!
Yes please!
The real scandal being overlooked in all the hysteria is that someone with no real connection to the islands was given permission to travel here. The entire incident is a failure on the part of the Cayman Islands Government.
Who pulled strings to get this girl here and why were they able to? It speaks to the ineptitude and casual corruption that pervades CIG.
You are absolutely right and have wondered that myself? Sheās obviously not qualified to be a Global Citizen, so who pulled strings at Travel Time for her to land? Enquiring minds want to know!
This is like someone getting caught with a cleared cargo container with guns in it, then never hearing about which customs officer turned a blind eye at the X-Ray screen.
I truly hope this matter at Travel Time is looked into and explained! Rooting for you CNS.
A very observant point! And relevant / important question?
The hate and vitriol directed against these two young people, in particular, against the young lady is indeed sad and concerning. This is certainly unbecoming of a country known for its friendliness to others. This has nothing to do with their race or nationalities and quite frankly I cannot understand why this is an issue. At the end of the day this was just two young people exercising poor judgement, which, I put down to youthful indiscretion. They should not be smeared and treated like common criminals. End the nightmare; free VJ and Skylar now.
As a tourist destination, this could have serious negative consequences.
@Cayman Mon
Indeed, negative consequences to persons who would think they could come to cayman and get away with a crime. To law abiding persons, itās sensible.
Anon @5:03am Just to be clear, I did not say that what they did was not wrong but to try and smear and destroy them for their youthful indiscretion is a total disgrace. As a God fearing, law abiding citizen of the Cayman Islands, I wish I could just turn a blind eye to good and evil, right and wrong but I cannot. Two wrongs do not make a right! It could have been your or my children who exercised poor judgement. The punishment do not fit the “crime”. Set them free!
Sure your not Skylars delusion granny?
Youthful indiscretion?? That would be going over the speed limit, they are BOTH ADULTS and deliberately broke the law. They deserve everything that is coming to them. Stop making excuses for horrific behavior
I believe she should serve all the time. She is not entitled.
So… there seems to be something about that name, S. Mack reduced sentence, while Mack B. Suspended sentence, lucky āMā. Huh ….?
If it was a number, I would play it…
All I learned from this is to charter a fishing trip to Jamaica at the first sign of trouble and get out of dodge.
If by “trouble” you mean you committed a crime for which the law allows a custodial sentence, you are guilty of that crime, there was premeditation on your part, and the crime is not mitigated by extenuating circumstances, then yesā¦.perhaps running from the law is one of the options open to you. On the other hand, you might just be better off adhering to the law.
Yea because Jamaica is so much better these days. Seriously. š
Way better than shit hole America.
America is a big country with many nice parts and many shitty parts. Jamaica is a relatively small island and almost all of it is shit.
Having just watched granny on Fox News, you can see where Skylar got her sense of entitlement. Apparently, before the jail sentence Skylar had set up her 40 hours of community service helping out at the Humane Society. Yes, because that sounds like a real punishment. Not picking up trash by the roadside, then. Playing with puppies and walking the dogs.
Granny’s stretching of the truth is really sickening. And the Fox interviewer thinking that the US consulate can get her out of jail. Such ignorance. Not like we have a legal system or anything.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/georgia-student-jailed-in-cayman-islands-update
Who made you a judge of peopleās characters?
Leave granny alone. Or you wonāt be satisfied until you humiliate and traumatize Skylar for life?
Karma is a bxxch, you know.
If tbis traumiizes Skylar for life, perhaps she is looking to pursue the wrong career. Perhaps in next few weeks she should spare a thought for the doctors, nurses, carers that must be genuinely and sbould be genuinely traumatized during the past year and the families lost their loved ones without being able to see, hold and hug them, regardless of age. Maybe she should volunteer when she goes home in an A&E, trauma or cancer hospital ward. Then maybe something good may come of this.
Bless Skylarā grandmother! Free Skylar!
So she would have been playing with puppies during the day, socializing with her boyfriend at night and relaxing on the beach on the weekend??? That sounds more like an incentive than a punishment! At least even a reduced prison sentence is more of a deterrent than that.
OK mor.n, they are at two different locations! So no socializing. I don’t approve of the sentencing (too lenient), but get the facts straight.
He was given a curfew but she could have gone anywhere she wanted when not doing her community service. Originally there was no custodial sentence.
4:16
Are you too old and hate youth? Have you ever been loved? Have you ever loved someone? Did you mom and dad punish you a lot, verbally and physically, and now is your turn? Do you have friends and family who would stand up for you and try to reach President if it comes to that? Or you are just lonely, bitter and grouchy?
What a childish response! You must be family to Skylar. There is a lot of love in my family, all five generations, but we are expected to take responsibility if we do wrong, which is taught to us as children. That does not seem to happen in Skylar’s family, judging by her grandmother.
All five generations? They must certainly be a lot of loving going on. God bless.
LMAO!
No, they were going to put her on poop detail at the Humane Society. It’s a smelly job, but somebody has to do it.
4:16 I think your Granny would do the same for you!
Wow I wish I didn’t watch that. “She has already paid thirty one hundred American monies in what they call fines.” Stupid runs in the family. Granny is ensuring that this incident will haunt Skylar for the rest of her life.
Yeah… Granny played that one wrong. Thought theyād garner sympathy from fellow Americans to try to embarrass Cayman to let Skyler off, but that backfired big time.
Almost everything Iāve read proves that even her fellow Americans agree that she should have followed the law or take her punishment and stfu.
Granny made it worse.
Am I understanding this correctly?….. The jail term has been cut from 4 months (120 days), but they were never expected to do 4 months anyway as everyone gets a 60% reduction for good behavior. So they were only ever going to do one and a bit months (48 days). But now they will only have to 40% of two months……so it now becomes less than one month (3 to 4 weeks).
What a joke….. what does this say to others contemplating breaking the law in the Cayman Islands? I think it says the judges are weak willed and afraid to stand firm and enforce appropriate penalties. It also says that the Cayman legal system is a pushover if you can get enough publicity for your case!
Can the Government appeal it again?
No, you used to serve 60% of your sentence with good behaviour. Not 40% and get 60% off. The law has changed now, it is not an automatic out after you serve 60% but I cannot recall how it has been changed and do not know how it would be applied to such a short sentence.
Well the article says:
“All prison sentences under one year are automatically cut by 60% for inmates provided they maintain good behaviour.”
So, to clarify a few things, under the new law is that it depends on whether or not the individual/s plead guilty, they will, at least most times, give a 3rd in reduction to the sentencing guidelines.
Once the sentence has been handed down, inmates generally will end up serving 60% of their time and then they are reviewed by the Parole Board. In that Parole review, then and only then will your behavior be reviewed.
Early release from your sentence really does not happen. However, the Director of Prisons’ has some leverage to play with. He can approve at his discretion an early release ranging from 5 days to 3 months.
To address the handcuffs and the issue with persons stating that she (Skylar) should not be in handcuffs, it is mandatory to be cuffed as she is a ward of the “State”.
To be honest, Skylar would much rather be shacked up at HMP Fairbanks than in a state or federal prison in her own country.
The Parole Board doesn’t get involved in sentences of less than 1 year. For shorter sentences, release is automatic after serving 60% of the sentence unless the prisoner has acquired any additional days for misbehaviour in prison. The article has a slight typo when it says that sentences are cut “by” 60%- they are actually cut “to” 60%.
So a 2 month sentences results in 36 days of time to actually be served.
Hope that clears things up.
CNS: You are quite right about the typo. I have changed that now.
Yes. If I’ve been correctly informed, there are 10 staff and about 15 inmates at Fairbanks. She will not be doing “hard time”, but make no mistake about the dire punishment for a woman her age; to not be free is possibly the worst thing she can imagine.
I hope Ms. Mack takes the life lesson from this. She is enrolled in a pre-med curriculum and as such might consider how health professionals in the U.S. might view her actions. I hope she turns it to her benefit and makes a life change.
I think her sentence was light, however appropriate. I’m glad she wasn’t a spreader.
It says we should take guidance from Highness Bush; who is appalling, but gets elected again, and again, and again. Who are these fools?
Don’t complain about this injustice, we have more serious injustices to deal with!
Will Highness Bush get ousted..? Nope! Very sad.
But if you’re local and especially black…you will be serving FULL SENTENCES!!
No you wonāt. Same rules.
Like Canover! Oh, wait…
Suck it up, buttercup! Youāre embarrassing the law-abiding Americans! We donāt want to be lumped into a group with your entitled self. Do your time, come home and then remember always that laws apply to you….even if your Granny has taught you otherwise!
Love this comment! Sound mindset and sense of respect!
As an American, I have to say the four month sentence seemed perfectly reasonable. Your country has laws, those laws were blatantly violated and therefore she should face consequences for that.
I get that you have a tourist industry and you do need to protect it, but a country that is fair is always inviting.
Why is she being dragged by handcuffs? Why does she have to be handcuffed in the first place?
My heart goes out to the girl! She is being traumatized for life. Needless demonstration of power. Stay strong Skylar, not everyone has lost their mind.
CNS: More hyperbole. She is not being “dragged by handcuffs”. She is wearing handcuffs, like every other inmate being taken to court for a hearing.
What about the homophobic woman beater? Why wasn’t he in handcuffs? I hope Americans boycott that 3rd world hole of shite!
CNS: If you are referring to McKeeva Bush, he is not an inmate. If you want to know what many people here think about that, read the comments. Back to Skylar… she is not being treated any differently to any other inmate on a court visit. These are court rules.
But she should be treated differently. She is not a criminal.
She IS a criminal. Breaching quarantine is a criminal act.
why do people like you think that just because a law exists it suddenly becomes moral/ethical? If they made a law tomorrow saying slavery is legal, would that made slavery alright? Government locking up people for going to the beach due to a virus with a 99.997% survival rate for people under 40 is evil.
People over 40 were at the event she left quarantine to attend.
So uuuuuuuhhmmm I guess our laws here in Cayman don’t apply to her? She is a criminal.
She really kind of is.
The whole pleading guilty and being jailed thing is a big give away
I hope people like you stay well away
Carnival wonāt be back for quite some time. They canāt afford it anyway.
Don’t worry folks, they’ll be plenty of us Americans staying away after this kind of overreaction to one of our own.
Might be a deterrent for folks not to break quarantine laws but it’s also a hell of a deterrent not to ever visit Cayman.
With all the publicity promoting the Cayman Islands as a law abiding place to visit, which has a strong appeal to law abiding Americans, we won’t be needing those who think they’re entitled to come here and break our laws. PLEASE stay away.
asking wealthy Americans to stay away isn’t too smart
be careful what you wish for …
With all due respect, there are no grounds for her to be here. So one of our corrupt or incompetent own, let her in.
A good portion of Americans apparently arenāt deterred by anything that doesnāt affect their money or worldly possessions – and certainly nothing as noble as principles.
Guess what , do whatās best for you we will do whatās best for our country. You might be doing us a favor with your entitled mentality by not coming to Cayman.
This is this same mentality that has your country in the pristine state itās in.
Continue…
The fruits of a country speak for itself. What are your fruits saying right now???
Oh please! U and many others wish that you were living in these blessed islands. Our government chose the protection of their people lives, both caymanians and noncaymanians, above any other gain, hence why we are striving againts this pandemic. Can you say the same about yours?! Be quite!
8:06 America sucks and we do not want any of you like minded individuals, so good riddance!
Good. When I travel to the U.S., I do it legally and with full intention of obeying all laws and regulations. Why? One, because I am accustomed to obeying the law, and two, because my greatest fear is to be prevented from coming home. The rules Ms. Mack agreed to were not ambiguous. I get it that she’s sorry.
You also, are free to not come here. What you call an “overreaction” is more correctly characterised as a thoughtless action which put a great many people at risk needlessly. An action that was also illegal.
But he should have/should be an inmate!
That’s ok, no doubt the prosecutors office is typing their appeal for a harsher sentence right now.
I mean they should right? Because if they don’t then this starts to look like the anti-American misogynistic sentencing that it really is by a bunch of pitchfork carrying locals who’ll be back to living in huts by 2030 without our dollars.
You are both the only country in the world whoās people visit Cayman 10:18. We do not need your dollars…hell your dollar is only
With .80 here at conversation anyway. Letās not get too big for our britches.
Stay in 3rd world America where thousands of your people are dying by the day. We are good here without you and your kind.
Needless to say she will not be making this mistake again.
All of you folks enjoying the schadenfreude. Just remember that the customer demographic that comes to the Cayman Islands matches Skylar and her family exactly. You are transmitting a very detectable and strong anti-tourist feeling to all of these people by over-punishing Skylar and not punishing Mckeeva for assault. These are the people who come and pay for extremely expensive vacations and real estate, and they will not like the idea that they might be singled out for ridiculous punishment. And, who knows if Skylar has some relative in a powerful position in the US Government that can cause all kinds of problems for Cayman. How would you like it if the US decides later on to ban all flights from Cayman for some silly reason. A large fine and community service would have been sufficient.
We have a disdain for tourists who break our laws and are prepared to lie and risk our lives and economy. If that is the demographic you think we need then they, and the industry, can go screw themselves.
But you have no distain for politicians you elect who beat women…??????????????
Letās also not forget how that same politician allegedly sexually assaulted a casino worker in Florida. What a role model for young Caymanians.
https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/jose-lambiet/article162672133.html
Watch. He will be voted in again.
Trust me. We not finished wid him yet!! You need to go to that article and read those comments before you say things you know nowt about.
If only 1% of Americans reading and watching this decide not to book the vacation to Cayman that they were planning in 2021 then that sentence is going to cause more harm to Cayman than if they had given her community service.
Talk about shooting yourselves in the foot.
Donāt worry; most Americans donāt read – they only watch Fox News or CNN.
You really overestimate your importance to our economy. We can happily shed those Americans (and others) who believe they live in a bubble of exceptionalism. There are many others who respect and appreciate the countries they visit and the trade-off to have proportionately more of them instead of you visiting when we reopen our borders is well worth the loss of selling you some trinkets in our craft market before you need to tender back to the ship.
If Mack reflects the customer demographic coming to Cayman then perhaps Cayman has to make a decision on if they should be allowed!
Finally someone with some common sense! Just so you know, there are many of us Caymanians who think this is ridiculous! They made a mistake…they are kids.
18 legally isn’t a kid. I wonder sometimes who did such a bad job raising some of you…
Nor is 19.
Would it still be a mistake if she had infected those 700 people, including that baby? Would it still be a mistake if there was an out break and we were all forced to be locked back down? Have you not seen what is happening around the world? Deaths in some places totaling more than our entire population. Bitch, please!
As a local, it baffles me to see the argument that it may harm our tourism product. We don’t advertise our destination as lawless – in fact, we market the complete opposite: the most safe destination in the Caribbean.
It then gets simply hilarious when you suggest that the USA would embargo us to release a quarantine breaker in a global pandemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Trust me that works a lot better on paper for you.
… So Please visit the law-abiding Cayman Islands. Where the Head of the Government can beat women, plead guilty, get no prison sentencing from a ‘Judge’, and get… re-elected!
Law abiding Americans? You mean like your fearless leader? T
But we voted him out. You have repeatedly voted Bush back in!
He not gone yet…
January 20th. Bye orange twit.
So what youre saying is if your economy is reliant on China but they hypothetically created a biological weapon and threatened US lives, you should still bend over to appease them because in the end, money is more important than lives right?
Why do you empty balloons keep bringing mckeeva into this, yeah he assaulted a woman which now a days doesn’t seem that bad due to gender equality, don’t get it twisted that still didn’t give him any rights to put his hands on her but what this entitled brat did was put the whole island at risk should she had spread the virus into the community and had caused a major lock down again, and if that was the case then all of you would be singing a different song today.
Make them pay for the wrong that they did.
Yes, the whole island. 800 are going to die. There is a tremendous correlation between the failure of our government schools and the general populationās ability to understand math and statistics. Also an interesting view of gender equality. Perhaps we should set up a fundraiser match between Rhonda Rousey and Big Mack. Who wouldnāt pay to see that? And justice would be served.
Your opinion is why your electorate is appalling. What a pitiful expression of ignorance. Bush is not worthy of defense. He is an embarasement to the rest of the populace, which sadly re-elects him.
8:05 Actually, only WB votes him back in. You can only vote in your district. If the voices in the other districts could count, he would not be in.
I would say it is even more than anti tourist, there seems to be anti-american element. That ia why it has caused such uproar in usa.
Get used to it. Donald Trump and particularly his followers have completely trashed the perception of Americans in the minds of many around the world. Sad.
Most Americans are NOT in an uproar over this. Those of us with intelligence, instead of an attitude of entitlement, are applauding the Cayman Islands for putting their people over politics when dealing with the pandemic. If people break laws, they need to face the consequences.
Also, on all the articles in my cityās news stations, the comments are pro-Cayman.
The Macks think theyāre some kind of celebrities or something. Bless their hearts! As āgood ole southernersā, they know exactly what that means! š¤£
Let’s be real. America is the beacon of discrimination. Only hypocrites would get up in a roar about something so stupid as this.
How about the American lady that killed a couples daughter in a vehicular accident in the UK but, instead of staying to face the punishment she fled back to the US. Those are the type of people I see getting all worked up over their precious American bieng charged for a crime they actually committed.
How? The local boyfriend got the same punishment. The Canadians were before the law changed. The other local boy is under investigation.
Cayman is so popular because it is considered safe. It is considered safe because of a representative democracy, a strong economy, and a functioning judiciary system.
You’re wrong about that. Nobody is delighting in her misfortune. Far from it. Most of us wish she’d have behaved differently and this incident had never happened.
She was not singled out. She broke a law, endangered people with which she had no connection, disrespected our island, and got off with a reduced sentence.
I don’t wish her ill, and I don’t know anyone who does. We wish her well, and hope this changes her view somewhat to a view more conducive toward her chosen profession.
The rule of law is about fair and equal treatment under the law. The biggest issue to me with this sentence is comparing it to the one for the “Honourable” McKeeva Bush. How can this be a nation based on the rule of law with the one who has decades of experience getting grounded and the spoiled child going to jail? Shameful
What exactly does Mackās family want the Trump administration to do at this point? Any action at this point that would result in Mack going free would upend the rule of law in the Cayman Islands.
I think Trump more worried about saving his own skin. He will do his two terms like he wanted. One state and one federal lol.
liberal idiot
I’m actually a Republican disgusted by what he’s done. The world isn’t as black and white as you and your lord and savior Trump thinks…
Fascist idiot.
Justice system here is a joke
Get the popcorn ready, this comment section is about to light up.
I hope this case is over after being reviewed by 5 different Judges… Time for us to move on
This sentence is also too harsh. What a disgrace Cayman Islands!
What did she expect for breaking the law?
How many times have you gone 1 mph above the speed limit?
Difference is my car won’t take out 1% of the population in one crash.
That assumes you crash.
And assumes she’d spread it (directly or indirectly) to 100% of the population
Actually, she tested negative – Your assumption is incorrect.
Did she know that at the time she broke quarantine? NO. Because she had not yet spent the prescribed 14 days in which the virus could have emerged.
I would say it is even more than anti tourist, there seems to be anti-american element. That ia why it has caused such uproar in usa.
Between the Canucks and Muricans, Jamaicans are getting the Christmas off – for once.
Naw, the Jamaicans hold a special and never to be replaced spot in the cold hearts of Caymanians – even at Christmas. Rice and peas anyone?
Oh the humanity. The angst. The outage. Even hillbillies get the blues.
And even morons can write lame sarcasm like yours.
I didnāt write it, darling