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Nephews accused of killing uncle

Lisa Brown
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Nephews accused of killing uncle

Two brothers accused of butchering their uncle with a cutlass during a family feud have been remanded to prison on a murder charge.

Albert Mortimer, 35, (left) and 31-year-old Albrion Mortimer are accused of stabbing George Smith to death at the family homestead at Lawton Street in Nassau Village.

According to family members,  Smith lost his life in an argument over who had the right to live in the home just four days after his release from prison.

Chief Magistrate  Joyann Ferguson-Pratt did not require the brothers to enter a plea to the murder charge at their initial court appearance.

She denied them bail. They make their next court appearance on December 7 to receive a voluntary bill of indictment.

At that time, prosecutors will fast-track the case to the Supreme Court for trial.

Defence lawyer Keevon Maynard asked the court to order a psychiatric evaluation for the younger Mortimer.

According to his lawyer, Albrion Mortimer suffered from severe depression after the deaths of his mother and brother.

The court directed that the testing occur while he’s on remand at the Bahamas Department of Corrections.

Foreign fishermen in limbo with lawsuit pending

Lisa Brown
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1
Foreign fishermen in limbo with lawsuit pending

NASSAU-Twenty foreign fishermen, with a right to work in the country, have been shut out of a second crawfish season.

The Dominican and Honduran divers filed a class action lawsuit in December 2019 accusing the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources of violating immigration laws by refusing to renew their dive compressor permits.

But the season ended and reopened without a judge hearing their complaint.

Now, with Justice Keith Thompson about to retire, the case will be assigned to another judge.

During the 2019/2020 season, the plaintiffs’ lawyer Dion Smith asked the court to direct Minister Michael Pintard to issue the permits so that they can continue to harvest crawfish for their Bahamian employers.

The plaintiffs have Bahamian spouses and hold either permanent residence or spousal permits, which allow them to work without restrictions, the lawsuit alleges.

At a press conference held before the crawfish season opened on August 1, 2019, Pintard said, “The government is taking a policy decision to go back to the practice of protecting this sector for Bahamians. And while this minister is awaiting the written Cabinet approval with respect to it, we have no intention from this ministry’s standpoint to issue any compressor permit to any person, unless otherwise directed by the Cabinet of The Bahamas.

Smith says the minister’s decision has caused hardship for the plaintiffs.

Meanwhile, local crawfishermen fear that their profits will take a hit due to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Copyright © Bahamas Court News 2020.. All rights reserved.

Justice Bethell heads to Appeals Court

Lisa Brown
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Justice Bethell heads to Appeals Court

NASSAU- Justice Carolita Bethell will become the country’s newest appellate judge when her tenure on the Supreme Court ends this week.

The 65-year-old jurist has served on the Supreme Court since 2013.

High profile matters that she presided over include the bribery trial of former PLP Cabinet Minister Shane Gibson and the retrial of convicted child killer Kofhe Goodman.

Originally from Guyana, Justice Bethell came to The Bahamas in 1985. She served as Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court before she became a magistrate in 1988.

As a magistrate, Justice Bethell presided over the Drug Court. She ordered the extradition of kingpins Samuel “Ninety Knowles, Austin “Ozzie” Knowles, and Dwight “Sider Brown” Major to the United States.

Justice Bethell, the wife of Ferron Bethell QC, was appointed Deputy Chief Magistrate in 2005.

Man fined for assault, threats to ex

Lisa Brown
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Man fined for assault, threats to ex

NASSAU-A man who hit and threatened to kill his ex-partner has avoided jail time by paying fines.

Wisler Joseph, 40, appeared in court on assault and threats of death charges.

The court heard that Joseph went to the woman’s house to see their child on July 27.

He hit the woman in the face with a Kalik bottle, causing her to bleed and threatened to kill her, the court heard.

Joseph admitted the charges when he appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain.

However, his lawyer Ian Cargill said the incident happened at a neighbour’s home.

According to Mr Cargill, Joseph has primary custody of the former couple’s one-year-old daughter. He said Joseph had brought the child to see her mother.

Nevertheless, Mr Cargill said that Joseph, a father-of-four regretted the incident. Mr Cargill asked for leniency since Joseph had no prior convictions or pending cases.

Magistrate Swain ordered Jospeh to pay $800 in fines to avoid six months in prison. He had to pay $1,000 in compensation to his ex-girlfriend so he wouldn’t spend an extra 30 days in prison.

After two nights in prison, coconut vendor fined $800

David Stewart
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1
After two nights in prison, coconut vendor fined $800

NASSAU-Coconut vendor Marvin Joseph spent two nights in prison as he awaited sentencing for selling his wares without a business license.

Today, a magistrate imposed a $800 fine for operating his business outside the confines of the law.

Since June, police have arrested the 20-year-old father-of-one for selling coconut jelly and water without a license.

In June, a magistrate gave him a warning. Earlier this month, the same magistrate fined him $25 or one week.

But police found Joseph operating his stand at the same spot just two weeks later.

Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt told Joseph it was honourable that he was trying to provide for his family.

But, she said, he had to do so legally.

The magistrate said that Joseph clearly hadn’t learned anything from his previous arrests.

Attorney Jomo Campbell told the magistrate that the firm of Munroe and Associates would assist Joseph in the application process.

Mr Campbell said this was the only work Joseph could find, given the tough economic climate.

Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt warned Joseph not to resume his business until he gets his license.

Joseph didn’t have the money for his fine. The court directed him to pay $400 by August 14 and the remainder by September 4.

Man, 71, accused of raping 6-year-old girl

Lisa Brown
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0
Man, 71, accused of raping 6-year-old girl

NASSAU- A 71-year-man accused of repeatedly raping a nine-year-old girl over the past year has been denied bail.

Prosecutors say Alexander Cockburn, from Rolle Town, Exuma, molested the child on three occasions between 2019 and July 2020.

Cockburn didn’t have to enter pleas to charges of unlawful sexual intercourse when he appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain today.

Prosecutors plan to fast-track the case with a voluntary bill of indictment that will be presented on October 7.

Unless he gets bail in the Supreme Court, Cockburn will remain in custody.

Addict stole tanks to support drug habit

Lisa Brown
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0
Addict stole tanks to support drug habit

NASSAU-A drug addict who went on a crime spree to fund his habit has been jailed for nine months.

Leslie Clarke, 44, stole from churches and private homes during a string of thefts from June to July.

Clarke stole a water tank valued at $1,018 from Golden Gates Assembly and a 100 pound gas tank from St Gregory’s Parish.

Additionally, Clarke stole eight other 100 pound gas tanks and a car battery during this period.

Clarke pleaded guilty to stealing when he appeared before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain.

Clarke said that he regretted his crimes because he knew the difference between right and wrong.

However,  Clarke said despite previous attempts he couldn’t beat his drug habit.

According to Clarke, he stole the items on request. He claimed his clients paid him with a combination of drugs and cash.

Magistrate Swain ordered that Clarke receive drug counselling while serving his sentence.

Family feud ends in murder

Lisa Brown
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0
Family feud ends in murder

NASSAU- A family feud left one man dead and two others in hospital.

According to police, the victim got into an altercation with his nephews at Lawton Street, Nassau Village around 7pm Thursday.

He was chopped with a cutlass and died at the scene. His nephews also received injuries and are in stable condition at hospital.

The incident takes the annual murder count to 40.

Man fined after clash with police over face mask

Lisa Brown
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0
Man fined after clash with police over face mask

NASSAU-A man arrested after a confrontation with officers enforcing social distancing and mask wearing rules has been fined.

The incident unfolded about 8:30pm on July 22 when officers on patrol saw a crowd gathered outside Da Bing Nightclub in Fox Hill.

The officers dispersed the patrons who weren’t wearing masks and social distancing. Then, they went inside to look for the owner.

As the officers cleared the bar of patrons, they encountered Giovannni Smith.

He wasn’t wearing a mask. The officers asked him where his was mask was. He replied, “In my f******* pocket.”

When warned about his language, Smith continued, “Y’all police is be f******* joking. People can’t have fun no f******* more. F*** the police.”

Smith, 26, of a Bernard Road, pleaded guilty to obscene language and disorderly behaviour at his arraignment today.

He paid a $200 fine so he wouldn’t spend 10 days in prison.

Fined $200 for not wearing a mask

David Stewart
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0

NASSAU-Defying the government’s directive to wear a mask in public cost a construction worker $200.

Tavares Deveaux, 42, paid the fine to avoid spending one month in prison.

The officers arrested Deveaux after they found him walking without a mask around 9am  on July 25 in Redland Acres.

Deveaux told police that he had left his mask at work.

Mask wearing has been compulsory since April as officials try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Under an amended emergency order, wearing a mask will no longer result in arrest.

Instead, police will issue fixed penalty notices requiring fines to be paid within 14 days.

The fixed penalty will serve as a summons to appear before a magistrate if the fine isn’t paid.

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