The strange case of The Pines.

Sue Nicholson was the manager of The Pines Retirement Home and was fired in 2013 when it was discovered around $300,000 was missing.

Nicholson quickly disappeared and was thought to have returned to the UK where she was born. That was the story that first appeared in the media,

Her ex-husband is said to have paid back to The Pines all the money in full.

Nicholson was manager of the Pines for FIFTEEN years. There had never been a hint of anything wrong. She did not “disappear” after the money was found to be missing. She left, as has been reported by Colin Shaw, VC of the Pines Board of Directors, to go to the UK to attend her daughter’s wedding. She was not ALLOWED to disappear.

The missing money was discovered AFTER she left. She was asked whilst still in England about the problems in the accounts and could not come up with “plausible explanations for unusual transactions and then stopped communicating”.

After all those years of seemingly exemplary service to The Pines, on April 23rd 2013 Nicholson was dismissed.

Nicholson’s husband, they were still married, at the time, publicly stated that he would make good any misappropriation. He did NOT say at any time his wife was guilty. He was and is a very honourable person.

The Pines board were justifiably upset about the whole matter and the handling of some of the media in its reporting. Especially at some of the malicious blogs that followed hinting at collusion of members of the Board and inequality of the criminal system. If you are rich you can get off and if you are poor the door is slammed on you.

And there are many cases where this premise certainly does hold water.

Now the knives (bloggers) are out again.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) announced they had decided not to pursue the theft and the case against Nicholson.

The Pines Board sent out a Press Release saying they were “disappointed” in that decision.

Quite frankly, although it might have been better to say nothing, they really didn’t have much choice. They had been accused of colluding with Nicholson and letting her leave as long as the money was returned.

Yesterday, in my Editorial, I published a piece from an article from the Law Information website that said, “The present generation seems to be a throwback to the days of the Old West. Merely to be accused is to be presumed guilty. The old mantra from the days of the Gold Rush has been revived. “Let’s string ‘em up!” “Let’s put ‘em away!”’

Reading the blogs on their favourite website that is a clear indication of this current phenomena.

I have not read the same ferocious blogs leveled at a man who escaped justice from rape and is allegedly still operating a business here from an unknown location off island that has been reported as scamming millions of dollars of investors money. These people have actually lost money and he was allowed to leave AFTER being convicted.

In the Nicholson case ALL the money was paid back. To bring back Nicholson she would have to be extradited and charged and prosecuted, with no 100% certainty of conviction. And at what cost to us?

So we can witness blood drawn?

We also have cases pursued when $300 has been stolen and paid back by the accused.

Who said life is fair? It is not. It’s a fact. No one likes it but we all say, “That’s not fair”.

What has made the case of The Pines strange is the ODPP actually produced a Press Release (PR) saying they could not comment on the case but because The Pines had issued a PR they would make some observations. See iNews Cayman story published September 16 2015 “Cayman Islands retirement home “disappointed” over decision not to prosecute former manager of suspected stealing. ODPP reply” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/cayman-islands-retirement-home-disappointed-over-decision-not-to-prosecute-former-manager-of-suspected-stealing-odpp-reply/

The observations amounted to ELEVEN. Then they opened the door a little by concluding:

“In keeping with our ongoing duty, should any of the circumstances giving rise to a decision not to prosecute change, then the decision may be revisited.”

So keep pining, you might get your wish. When a bad dog lies down to die often it is better he does.

Inequality? We are only equal in the sight of God.