Baines sued by Catron

Not surprising, since the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) are pursuing their case against local activist Sandra Catron of harassment, she has filed a lawsuit against Police Commissioner, David Baines.

Catron’s suit is for assault when she was handcuffed, verbal and psychological abuse plus court costs and legal fees when she was arrested at her home. She had her car, home and workplace searched through a warrant that High Court Judge Alex Henderson threw out after the Justice of the Peace admitted he had signed it without knowing what or why.

Cayman Islands Humane Society in turmoil

CITN/Cayman27 have reported that an Extraordinary General Meeting has been called by members of the Cayman Islands Humane Society who are seeking the removal of five of the directors.

Minds Inspired HS Scholarship Programme awards two scholarships

The Minds Inspired High School Scholarship is a comprehensive programme that funds and mentors scholars through their high school education and into tertiary study. The focus is on math and science as it is rooted in Dart’s belief that these two subjects are fundamental building blocks for both academic and career success. Two scholarships are awarded each academic year to students entering Grade 9 (Year 10).

Minds Inspired embodies the Dart family’s approach to, and philosophy of, pursuing educational excellence.

The two recipients this year were Daniel Nicholson and Drew Milgate. Nicholson will be attending the Cayman International School and Milgate the Cayman Prep and High School.

Three other finalists, Alexander Slocock, Jacie Mascarenhas and Haley Wilhelm, each received the new Apple iPad as well as the two aforementioned award recipients.

A grant of CI$1,000 will be awarded to the math and science departments of Cayman International School and the Cayman Prep and High School at the first assembly of the 2013-14 academic school year.

Mother suing HSA over negligence during birth of child

A mother, who claims her child is now brain damaged and suffering from severe cerebral palsy because of negligence at the hospital during labour, has filed a lawsuit against the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA).

The writ accuses a doctor who delivered the baby in July 2005 of not communicating effectively with the rest of the medical team when the baby’s heart beat dropped during labour. The writ also says the doctor failed to execute a C-section quickly enough that it deprived oxygen to the baby and he applied “undue force to the baby’s head and neck” causing the deformities.

The mother is seeking damages in addition to CI$154,115.95 for medical costs.

This story was first reported by CITN/Cayman27.

RCIPS files charges against ship’s captain for assault against passenger

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service have confirmed they have filed three counts of indecent assault against a 43-year-old cruise ship captain after one of his passengers accused him of sexually assaulting her.

The incident is alleged to have taken place in mid-September 2012 in a downtown building in George Town, Grand Cayman.

The victim, a woman from New Jersey, USA, who was on board a seven-night Western Caribbean cruise, said she had asked the ship’s captain for directions to a bathroom when he assaulted her.

The man was arrested by the RCIPS and his trial is scheduled for the end of October.

Two religious leaders have different accounts of how NBF cash was spent (or not)

Following the return of $720,000 to the Cayman Islands Government from an original grant of $1.3M from the controversial National Building Fund (NBF) the Wesleyan Holiness Church, West Bay’s Pastor Denis McCoy said US$125,000 of the NBF grant was used to pay off the church’s mortgage.

However former church elders have shown documentation that the church had received the NBF cash after the loan had been paid off.

In a letter to CNS and published on their website, former pastor of the church, Pastor John Case, said the decision to pay off the loan with existing church money was made in November of 2009. On 7 January 2010 US$46,428.57 was transferred from the regular church account to its hurricane fund to make a final payment of US$124,686.72 to the loan company and bank fees of $202.81, making a total expenditure of $124,889.53 on 15 January, after the money from government had been received and paid into another account.

Case’s letter says, “While this depleted the hurricane fund, it did not deplete the CI funds the church and school had and none of these funds were from the government grant. The funds transferred were collected for the pay-off or were reserved CI funds. If the pastor and current board would do an audit they would find that the Government funds (from the initial nation building grant) of $250,000.00, which was what we had received of the Government Grant up till that time, were still in the accounts and that there were plenty of funds left in both the church and Wesleyan Christian Academy CI accounts for operational expenses.”

From the article in CNS it would appear the church did not need the NBF grant to pay off their loan but to build a much-needed hurricane centre for West Bay.

So what has happened to the money? It is still sitting in the church’s coffers.

Governor defends his decision for Judicial Review on Tempura

Outgoing Cayman Islands governor, Duncan Taylor, said on Thursday (1) at his departing press briefing he had sought legal advice in relation with everything to do with Operation Tempura.

Defending his decision to seek a judicial review of the Information Commissioner’s order to release the details regarding a complaint by the senior investigating office [Martin Bridger], he said that his office had continued to fight its release because he believed it contained defamatory material that should not be published.

More inter-island travel sought

Increase in inter-island vacation travel by Grand Cayman residents to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman is being sought by The Sister Islands Tourism Association, which represents business interests there.

Part of the new strategy will be a focus on the two destinations for long weekend breaks for Grand Cayman residents, especially during the slow summer season.

President of the Sister Islands Tourism Association, Neil van Niekerk, said there was also going to be a big push to market Cayman Brac as a shore diving destination.

“The Cayman Islands does not have a lot of shore diving,” he said. “There are a couple of spots in Grand Cayman. Little Cayman does not have too much, because of issues with access, but there is much more opportunity in the Brac. We have identified 25 separate dive sites and we have a book coming out in November that will be a guide for tourists.”

The association has also launched a website, www.sita.ky, which it hopes will drive business to the islands.

RCIPS grows in strength

Not surprising, since the increase in violent crimes especially on Grand Cayman, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, has increased its employment of police officers and civilians, from 406 in 2010 to 475 in 2012 according to government records released last week.

However, the number of Caymanian employees has remained almost the same.

Non-Caymanian workers increased by 30% from 183 to 253.

The good thing is that these additional numbers have shown a notable positive impact.

The ladies of West Bay win round 1 but accuse government of stalling

Four West Bay ladies, Alice Mae Coe, Annie Multon, Ezmie Smith and Betty Ebanks, won their date in court on Thursday 25^th July when Justice Alex Henderson allowed their law suit in connection with the closure of the West Bay Road to go forward. This was after the attorney general’s office decided not to fight the motion.

The date set for the motion to be heard is December 11^th 2013. The judge also set a case management conference for the first week in October to ensure that all parties would be on track for the December file.

Now, however, the West Bay ladies have said the Cayman Islands Government is stalling. They have said they are still waiting for an answer to a letter they had sent to the previous government in March why they had gazetted the closure of the road despite the pending court action. The action contends there are serious irregularities with the whole NRA/DART agreement signed by former premier McKeeva Bush in December 2011.

“It is now possible that the Plaintiffs will file and serve their own summons to address the fact that the National Roads Authority et al feel they can continue with the NRA Agreement despite the delays in the Writ Action, which are not the fault of the Plaintiffs in the matter,” the ladies warned in a statement released Friday.

Although the government campaigned they were unhappy about the road closure deal they appear to be trying to fight the claims made by the ladies that the road closure is unlawful.