What a terrible start to 2013. We were all looking forward to hopefully a new beginning but Monday (7) has put paid to that.

Shockingly, H.E. the Governor of the Cayman Islands, Duncan Taylor, makes our headline along with the equally disturbing news of three armed robberies committed here, and ironically all on Monday.

Let’s start with the robberies first:

#1 Kirk Freeport robbery

At approximately 6:45 pm on Monday 7 January 2013 four masked men entered the Kirk Freeport store in the Strand on West Bay Road. One brandished a handgun, held up staff and robbed a large amount of jewelry.

The robbers escaped and the police responded to the scene where an investigation is underway. A search is on for the suspects.

No shots were fired and no injuries have been reported.

Anyone having any information or who was in the vicinity of the Strand after 5 pm this afternoon Monday 7 January 2013 is asked to call the George Town CID at 9494222 or  800 TIPS.

#2 Savannah Liquor store robbery

At 9:15 PM on Monday 7 January 2013 at
Reflections Liquor For Less, Hirst Road, Savannah, Bodden Town, 
an Armed Robbery was reported – two males armed with a machete and gun. No shots were fired, and no reported injuries. The suspects fled on foot.

Police are  investigating the incident.

Anyone having any information or who was in the vicinity of Reflections Liquor For Less, Hirst Road, Savannah, Bodden Town after  8 pm this afternoon Monday 7 January 2013 is asked to call the Bodden Town CID at  947 2220 or 947 2240, or 800 TIPS.

#3  Stabbing and Robbery, West Bay

At about 10:40 PM Monday 7 January 2013, a 60 year old local male attended West Bay Police Station; he was bleeding from a stab injury to the neck.

An ambulance was summonsed and the male was transported to George Town Hospital where he received treatment.

It is suspected that he was assaulted sometime after 10:30pm on Boggy Sand Rd. close to the four way stop in West Bay.

Detectives are currently speaking to the victim, who remains in hospital.

Investigation continues. Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen this gentleman on his bicycle to contact the police, also anyone who has any information regarding the attack is asked to contact police or crime stoppers.

#4 Cayman Governor files FOI legal appeal

I find this the most shocking:

My Editorial in Tuesday’s (8) iNews Cayman relayed my personal thoughts to H.E. Governor Duncan Taylor’s “unfortunate” filing of an appeal to a decision by the Cayman Islands Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

The Governor’s Office did not like the Complaints Commissioner, Jennifer Dilbert’s judgment. Dilbert ruled the Governor’s office must release a report regarding a complaint made by the former UK police officer, Martin Bridger, who headed up the disgraced investigation into police corruption known as Operation Tempura.

The governor claims the commissioner misinterpreted the law regarding potentially defamatory material, which the UK’s representative has claimed as one of the reasons for withholding the document. Taylor says Dilbert jumped to irrelevant and unjustified conclusions about an area of ambiguity in the local freedom of information law and was mistaken with regard to other elements of the legislation which she applied in her decision.

(A full copy of the “Notice of Ex Parte Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review” is attached)

The Complaints Commissioner has completed 26 hearings and this is the very first time Dilbert’s rulings have been challenged.

The timing of such a challenge and for the Governor’s Office to be the one to make it is “unfortunate” and I am using the word in its lightest interpretation. The fact that it involves Operation Tempura is even more “unfortunate”.

Even the filing of the challenge was made at the very last minute, something the government civil service is particularly fond of, and now has set a precedent for both continuing this distasteful practice and challenging the ICO.

Of course, we the people of the Cayman Islands have to pay for all this. We also paid for the “Operation Tempura” debacle. We have paid for all the claims, judgments and out of court settlements made to the injured parties. There are even more claims in the pipeline including one from the previous Police Commissioner, Stuart Kernohan. More for us to pay.

An unqualified independent lawyer, Martin Polaine (a business associate of Bridger) was brought in and employed to advise the investigation. Polaine was later struck off. All of this took place during the time of the previous Governor, Stuart Jack, who left with great relief an opinion shared by the vast majority of the Cayman Islands population.

However, the fights over the release of documents that would give us some insight into what happened and cost us over $8M, although that estimate is most likely very low, have continued, all at cost to Cayman.

Whilst most of the Cayman Islands have found Jack’s replacement, Duncan Taylor, a breath of fresh air and have applauded his excellent job in riding a tumultuous tide of political bashing with great aplomb, it is unfortunate he has enacted this appeal.

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), whom Taylor reports to, have gone to great lengths along with the Attorney General to prevent Bridger from using this document and others in his own pursuit of legal battles against some of the top judiciary of the Cayman Islands.

A very sensitive can of dragons (worms are definitely not big enough) that the FCO would like not to be opened. However, they have tied up the Cayman Islands with rules of transparency and good governance in all our major projects involving government monies with them having the final approval. This, then, is a case of “don’t do as we do, do as we say”.

In 2013, this thinking will not wash, especially when we have to foot the bill.

Therefore, of all the four terrible things to have happened on this Monstrous Monday, for me #4 is the worse. The rock that has been thrown by the governor could turn into an avalanche.We didn’t implement Operation Tempura. We have got absolutely nothing from it of any benefit to these islands. What we have got is a huge bill and no information.

And the UK is becoming less and less popular here. As an Englishman I am unfortunately appalled.