Tag: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Anti-Corruption Commission has 7 active cases
(CNS): The annual report of the Anti-Corruption Commission reveals that at the of June this year it had seven active cases. The body that is tasked with dealing with corruption allegations against public officials and members of the public who attempt to corrupt public officials keeps a tight lid on the details of investigations until […]
Attorney describes legal aid bill as band-aid solution
(CNS): A local lawyer has described the new legal aid bill as an “attempt by the attorney general to put more band-aids on the legal aid system” that will only oppress those charged with crimes and undermine the ability of defence attorneys to fairly represent them. The new legal aid bill is being debated in […]
Crown ends pursuit for bank robber’s cash
(CNS): The director of public prosecutions has given up her efforts to try and seize assets from four men convicted of armed bank robbery. While it is not clear what assets that David Tamasa, Rennie Cole, George Mignot and Andre Burton have that the crown could have confiscated, the men stole more than $500,000 in a […]
Review of DPP statement on the Pines
Peter Polack writes: The recent and rare statement issued by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) came more in the form of an extract from the UK Crown Prosecution Service manual than a believable explanation to the public of the Cayman Islands.
Prosecutors break silence over Pines case
(CNS): As the public outcry mounted Wednesday over the decision by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) not to pursue the theft case against the former manager of the Pines Retirement Home, the office issued a rare statement. Raising eleven points of consideration that it said would be weighed in any case […]
Ex Pines manager dodges theft charges
(CNS): The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will not be pursuing charges against the former manager of the Pines Retirement Home, who is suspected of stealing over $300,000 from the old-folks’ home. Sue Nicholson was sacked in 2013 and left the country, going to the UK, before a probe into the missing cash began. […]
Justice expert IDs systemic problems
(CNS): An expert from the crown prosecution service in the UK has identified a catalogue of measures to improve efficiencies and outcomes in Cayman’s criminal justice system. From simple changes, such as better communication between the police and prosecutors, to new practice directions, Claire Wetton has recommended a list of more than a dozen systemic […]
Report on legal review under wraps
(CNS): A report by a UK prosecutor who came to the Cayman Islands earlier this year to review the local criminal justice system will not be made public anytime soon. The governor’s office has refused to release the document by Claire Wetton, which examined the way criminal caseloads are being handled by the crown and […]
Police face ‘difficult circumstances’
(CNS): The commissioner of police has said the men and women of the RCIPS “continue to operate in difficult circumstances”, not least because of the closeness in the local community and relationships between parties involved in serious crimes. Following the recent release of a West Bay man charged with the murder of Victor Oliver Yates because the crown […]
Murder suspect freed as witnesses withdraw
(CNS): A West Bay man charged with the murder of Victor Oliver Yates (22), who was gunned down outside a local bar in the early morning hours of 3 January, has walked away from court before his trial even started after the crown withdrew the case Tuesday. The deputy director of public prosecutions dropped murder […]
Lawyer presses for cop probe ahead of trial
(CNS): A local defense attorney has accused the police commissioner of hiding behind court contempt laws to avoid investigating a complaint against one of his officers due to give evidence in a forthcoming drug trial. Peter Polack has filed a complaint about the behaviour of the officer in the case and wants to see that […]