Courts
Soto dodges conviction in gun possession case
(CNS): Eric Brian Williams Soto (23), who was recently convicted of manslaughter in the 2022 shooting death of Harry Elliott (63), was acquitted last month of illegal gun charges in relation to another incident. Defence attorney Keith Myers made a successful application during a jury trial that there was no case to answer because the […]
Officer cleared over death of K9 at GT Police Station
(CNS): A police constable charged with animal cruelty following the death in 2022 of Baron, a police dog in the RCIPS K-9 Unit, has been acquitted after a magistrate found he was not to blame. The dog died of heat stroke after he was left outside the George Town Police Station in the sun without […]
Trial delayed after jury discharged in NHDT case
(CNS): The trial of the former chair of the National Housing Development Trust has been delayed due to unexpected connections between jury members and witnesses or the defendant. After the crown prosecutor outlined the case against Geoffry William Ebanks on Thursday morning, two jurors raised concerns about their connections to the case and were both […]
Men charged with burglary appear in court
(CNS): Two men appeared in court Wednesday in connection with two different burglaries. Police said they had charged a 48-year-old man from North Side with burglary following his arrest on Monday in connection with a West Bay break-in. The man is accused of stealing a number of undisclosed items from a residential storage area on […]
Soil scandal trial to open against former NHDT chair
(CNS): A jury of six women and one man has been selected to hear the crown’s case against Geoffry William Ebanks (47), the former chairperson of the National Housing and Development Trust (NHDT), who has been charged with two counts of corruption in relation to a ‘soil scandal’ at the North Side affordable housing site. […]
Three years cut from killer’s minimum life tariff
(CNS): William Ian Rivers (45), who was told he would have to serve at least 35 years in jail for murdering Mark Travis Seymour (39) in January 2017, has had that life sentence tariff reduced by the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal to 32 years. In September 2018, a jury convicted Rivers of gunning down […]
Man denies murder during 2022 West Bay fight
(CNS): Kirk Lindsay Watler (54) from Bodden Town pleaded not guilty to murder when he appeared via video link from HMP Northward in Grand Court on Friday. Watler is accused of killing George Ian Duffell (51) in October 2022 when he stabbed him during a late-night confrontation in a West Bay yard on Birch Tree […]
Double murder trial delayed over forensic evidence
(CNS): Wayne Bellafonte Jr (32), from North Side, who was due to stand trial later this month for the murder of both Mark Andre Ebanks (36) and Eldon Charles Walton (55) in a drive-by shooting back in July 2021, has had the case postponed for at least the third time until later this year. Bellafonte’s lawyers […]
‘New chief, old speech’ as CJ pleads for new courthouse
(CNS): Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale made an impassioned public plea to politicians attending the formal opening of the Grand Court on Wednesday, as she noted that, despite a number of capital projects planned in this budget cycle, there was no money for a new court building. Making the most of the opportunity to speak directly […]
Hernandez now chief magistrate as Foldats retires
(CNS): Angelyn Hernandez has been appointed as the chief magistrate following the retirement of Valdis Foldats after three years in the post. Foldats was appointed as acting magistrate in 1996 and as magistrate of the Summary Court in 2011. As chief magistrate, he advocated for a holistic approach to justice and nurtured collaborative relationships with […]
Burglars hit nine bars over the holiday weekend
(CNS): Police have arrested and charged two people in connection with four of nine separate burglaries that happened at commercial premises between Friday, 22 December, and Tuesday, 26 December. A 30-year-old man from George Town and a 41-year-old woman from West Bay appeared in court Wednesday and were remanded in custody. Investigations into the other […]
