Courts
Canadian writer stays in jail over isolation breach
(CNS): The Grand Court, acting as the summary appeal court, has upheld what is believed to be only the second jail sentence handed down to a person breaching COVID-19 home-isolation rules. Thomas Michael, a screenwriter from Canada who arrived in the Cayman Islands in March to work on a film project, was given 30 days […]
Deputy to act as top prosecutor
(CNS): Candia James-Malcolm, the current deputy director of public prosecutions, has been confirmed as the temporary director following the sudden and still mysterious departure of Patrick Moran, the former top prosecutor. James-Malcolm was appointed by Governor Martyn Roper on advice from the Judicial and Legal Services Commission. The appointment is effective from today, 19 May, […]
‘Toxic’ relationship led woman to kill
(CNS): Olga Elizabeth Smith (37) from North Side, who has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 27-year-old Marvin Xavier Conolly Armendarez last year in March, expressed her deep remorse through her attorney when she appeared in court Thursday to be sentenced for killing her lover and the father of her child. Smith’s lawyer, Charles Miskin […]
Prosecution boss makes sudden departure from job
(CNS): The director of public prosecutions, Patrick Moran, has suddenly resigned from the job for what officials say are “personal reasons”, but officials are refusing to comment on allegations that it was driven by an internal complaint. A short press release announcing Moran’s imminent departure as the chief prosecutor was issued Wednesday afternoon, stating that […]
Man guilty of hatchet attack over $20 loan
(CNS): Gioser Acosta Gonzalez has been found guilty of wounding with intent after he attacked a man with a hatchet, wounding him in the head, during an argument over a $20 loan. Justice Roger Chapple convicted Gonzalez on Monday after hearing the case without a jury in a short trial at the end of March. […]
GT man refuses to answer gun, ganja charges
(CNS): Dencle Vic Barnes (51) from George Town refused to answer charges in Grand Court Friday after claiming that his rights had been violated. Barnes is facing serious charges, including the possession of two unlicensed guns and 60 rounds of ammunition as well as importing around 70lbs of ganja, in relation to an incident in […]
Conviction sticks against former cop
(CNS): A former police officer with the RCIPS who was convicted of misconduct in a public office after he conned an old lady into signing over half of her family home to him was returned to jail Friday, after the Court of Appeal rejected his appeals against his conviction and three-year jail term. Daniel Meeks […]
Suspect bank burglars all deny RBC break-in
(CNS): All three men charged with an audacious burglary, in which more than half a million dollars was stolen from the Royal Bank of Canada’s George Town branch, have now denied the allegations and will face trial in November. Statan Omar Clarke was the third man to answer charges in the case in court on […]
Footballer denies violent rampage against women
(CNS): Derrin Kennedy Ebanks (32), a former player with the Cayman Islands national football team who has represented the country on the world stage including the World Cup, has pleaded not guilty to ten counts including GBH and other assault charges against three women that took place over the course of one Sunday night in […]
US man dodges jail, fined $30k for gun & ammo
(CNS): David Meadors (56), a US national who illegally imported a handgun and 240 rounds of ammunition into the Cayman Islands, has avoided the mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in jail for possession of an unlicensed firearm after the judge said he found there were exceptional circumstances. Meadors, who left the jurisdiction in 2018 […]
Chief justice appoints QC to look into JR secrecy
(CNS): Chief Justice Anthony Smellie has appointed a Queen’s Counsel to look into why documents relating to a judicial review challenging the governor’s use of his constitutional power to implement the Civil Partnership Law were withheld from the public. According to a letter seen by CNS from the Attorney General’s Chambers, CJ Smellie has appointed […]
