Bahamas
A man who was on bail for the 2007 murder of Anthony Woodside was shot to death near his Fox Hill, Bahamas home recently.
Police said Ricardo Edgecombe, 30, of Fox Hill was shot in the early hours of the morning.
Investigators said Edgecombe was hanging out under a tree when a gunman approached and shot him multiple times.
When police arrived his body was discovered in a yard.
Residents said he was recently released on bail.
Edgecombe is accused of killing Anthony Woodside, 35, on Feb. 28, 2007. His body was found in some bushes a short distance away from where Edgecombe was killed.
His murder comes a day after Kirk Nash Hall, 33, of Adelaide was killed.
Police have recorded 24 murders so far for this year compared with 24 last year for the same period.
Jamaica
A man committed suicide recently in Comfort District, Manchester, Jamaica after earlier attempting to murder the son, boyfriend and grandmother of his former lover.
The reign of terror began around 3:00 a.m., according to the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper.
Vendor Deslyn Gordon, 59, a man, who is the father of Gordon’s grandson and Jahleal Steers, 15, suffered cutlass wounds. The attacker Kevin Hollingsworth, 28, of no fixed address, later hanged himself.
St. Kitts
Education Minister Nigel Carly is seeking the implementation of legislation to allow testing of school children in the early stages for use of illegal drugs.
He said a series of consultations on the matter will begin shortly.
Carly said the increase in criminal activity is thought to have some correlation with the use of and addiction of narcotic drugs.
“The nature of some of the recent crimes also suggests at least mild psychotic disorder among criminal elements,” he added.
In explaining his reason for seeking drug testing in schools, the education minister said, “research suggests a correlation between the early use of drugs, criminal behavior and psychosis.”
St. Kitts
The St. Kitts and Nevis government is proposing stiffer penalties for masked criminals.
Legislation will soon be brought to parliament to send a person found guilty of using a mask to assault, beat or rob an individual, to jail for up to two years and a fine of $5,000.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Patrice Nesbit will seek the support of the St. Kitts and Nevis Assembly to amend the legislation by substituting Section 6 of the Small Charges Act to read “every person, who being masked or otherwise disguised, unlawfully assaults, beats or rob other person, or commits any offence, commits and offence shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.”
St. Lucia
The St. Lucia government has replaced Senator Gaspard Charlemange with Dr. Gayle TC Rigobert.
According to the press secretary, as reported in the St. Lucia Star Online edition, the government, in a statement said: “As part of its policy on periodical review with respect to representation in the senate, the government of St. Lucia is pleased to announce its latest adjustment within the upper House of Parliament. Effectively immediately, Gaspard Charlemange has been replaced as a senator by Dr. Gayle TC Rigobert.”
Dr. Rigobert will bring to the senate new energy and experience as a woman and an expert in international relations.
In terms of working experience, Dr. Rigobert taught for several years at the Corinth Secondary School. She performed the role of a business analyst applications developer, tenfold; Abbey National-United Kingdom.
St. Lucia
St. Lucia Police Commissioner Vernon Francois has denied a cover-up in the recent police killings of four bandits recently.
Human rights activist, Mary Francis has described as “alarming” the recent killings by law enforcement officers, which she said appears to be “traditional” and is also worried that there have been 10 killings so far over the past three months.
Police shot and killed four men and injured a fifth after they robbed a business place in the southern town of Vieux Fort.
Francis warned that the government’s crackdown on crime, dubbed Operation Restore Confidence, cannot restore confidence unless it also includes the duty to account
But Francois said all the police killings so far have been investigated.
He said that people who are critical of the police and are calling for an inquest have a duty to pay a close attention to the court process where these inquiries are taking place.
St. Vincent
Two Barbadian men were recently jailed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for entering the country illegally.
Fernando Myers of St. Michael was jailed for four years after he pleaded guilty to possession of 60 pounds of marijuana.
He also received a six-month sentence to run concurrently for illegally entering the neighboring Caribbean island.
Curtis Braithwaite, of Christ Church got three months for illegal entry.
They entered the island by boat.
Trinidad
National Security Minister John Sandy has admitted there is human trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago.
Addressing the senate on the Human Trafficking Bill, he explained there are reports obtained from the International Organization of Immigration (IOM), which indicated that last year there were six cases of human trafficking compared to ll in 2009.
With the lack of requisite legislation to prosecute offenders of this crime, Sandy said it opened T&T up to international scrutiny.
In fact, he said, in 2009, Trinidad and Tobago was placed in tier two of the Trafficking in Persons Reports 2009 – U.S. Department of State for failing to fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
The report added that the Trinidadian government made limited efforts to assist trafficking victims during this period, relying on international organizations and NGOs to provide care and services for identified victims.
Compiled by Azad Ali
