Courts
CPA spent almost $1M in losing battle with NCC
(CNS): A partial release in response to a freedom of information request relating to the Cayman Islands Government’s battle, through the Central Planning Authority, with its own conservation law and the National Conservation Council revealed that it has cost the public purse close to CI$1 million. The request for information didn’t result in a full […]
Bigamist pilot gets greenlight to fly ahead of sentence
(CNS): William Gonzales Bodden, a Caymanian pilot who has pleaded guilty to bigamy, was given permission to travel outside this jurisdiction after the court agreed to a variation in his bail conditions last week. The crown objected because the pilot is based in Florida, where he married a colleague earlier this year despite still being married to his […]
Man denies bribery in DVDL $100 bung case
(CNS): Another individual has pleaded not guilty to bribery of a public officer in the Cayman Islands’ largest prosecution brought by the Anti-Corruption Commission. Around 20 people have been charged in the case, almost all of them for allegedly giving an employee of the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing a $100 bung for getting […]
Man charged with raping woman in parked car
(CNS): Police have charged a 31-year-old man from George Town with rape. The man appeared in court today and was remanded in custody. The charges stem from a report of a sexual assault that took place around midnight on Tuesday in a parked car at Seven Mile Shops plaza on the West Bay Road, north […]
Visiting ‘card skimmer’ jailed for over four months
(CNS): A Bulgarian national was arrested by Customs and Border Control (CBC) officers last month when he arrived at Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) on a flight from Toronto, Canada. During the X-ray of his luggage, officers found suspicious objects concealed inside a laptop that were suspected of being used for skimming debit and credit […]
Jury discharged halfway through murder trial
(CNS): Justice Cheryll Richards discharged a jury of eight women and four men on Tuesday, exactly one week after the crown opened its case against Kirk Lindsay Watler (55) from Bodden Town for killing George Ian Duffle (51) in October 2022. The judge released the jury for legal reasons, and in a brief explanation in […]
Ritz masseur jailed for 5 years for indecent assault
(CNS): A hotel masseur was jailed for five years on Monday following his conviction for indecently assaulting a client during a massage at the Ritz-Carlton just over one year ago. Rahul Manhukumar denied the allegation but was convicted in Summary Court. The case was moved to the Grand Court for sentencing because the magistrate considered […]
Cop acquitted of misconduct in ‘love triangle’ case
(CNS): Police Sergeant Keren Watson (44) wept in the dock with relief on Tuesday after a jury of three men and three women returned a not-guilty verdict, and Justice Cheryll Richards told her she was free to go. Watson was accused of misusing the police database by accessing unauthorised information about a married woman who […]
Watson accuses prosecutor of hidden conflict
(CNS): Canover Watson has filed a formal complaint against the crown lawyer who was part of the team that prosecuted him and Bruce Blake in the CONCACAF football fraud case. Watson, a former businessman, was convicted in 2022 and jailed last year for a long list of offences. But he claims the case was politically motivated and […]
Over a dozen people in court over DVDL $100 ‘bungs’
(CNS): Around a dozen people appeared in Grand Court last month facing corruption charges in relation to $100 bungs allegedly given to government officials at the Department of Vehicle and Driver’s Licensing to get their cars through the inspection process. The case is already presenting problems for the crown as it appears that many of […]
Lawyer says 30 years is punishment enough for double killer
(CNS): Wayne Alphanso Bellafonte Jr appeared in court via video link on Wednesday before Justice Cheryll Richards for consideration of the life sentence tariff the court should pass following his conviction of a double murder in September. Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, who represented him, said 30 years was already a “very severe penalty” as she argued […]
