ABACO- A man was killed Saturday when officials say he was thrown from the back of a moving truck.
The incident happened in the Cooper’s Town community on the S C Bootle Highway around 3pm on April 3.
The driver of a Ford F-150 told police that he stopped when he noticed debris flying from the truck. That’s when he noticed that the 55-year-old had been thrown from the truck and received serious head injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the Marsh Harbour Clinic.
NASSAU- A judge has refused to strike out an artist’s copyright claim against The Bahamas government for the use of the national flag.
James Alexander Darling began proceedings against the Attorney General for copyright infringement by a writ of summons on March 10, 2010.
Darling says he has held the copyright for the design called Fun in The Bahamas since 1964.
As he was just 10 years old, his sister wrote the letter to the Registrar General’s Department requesting the copyright his behalf.
According to Darling, The Bahamas flag is an exact replica of the design for which he holds the copyright and patent.
He said the government has used his design without his authority or permission.
Darling is seeking an injunction from further use and damages. Reverend Dr Hervis Bain, now deceased, has been credited as the creator of the national flag and the coat of arms.
The government entered an appearance on June 19, 2020.
Soon after, Kenria Smith, on behalf of the attorney general, asked the court to strike out the action because the statute of limitations had long passed.
However, Acting Justice Tara Cooper-Burnside disagreed.
She reasoned that the alleged tort “continued daily, a fresh cause of action accrued on a daily basis.”
Richette Percentie appeared for Darling.
NASSAU- A former business administrator at Evangelistic Temple was unlawfully forced into retirement, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Lauriette Lightfoot had worked at the church for over 13 years up to her retirement on February 14, 2018 at age 65.
Lightfoot’s duties included preparing monthly financial statements and the church’s budget. She earned over $50,000 per year.
Her Honour Marilyn Meeres ruled that the church had unilaterally changed Lightfoot’s employment contract without her consent when it introduced a mandatory retirement age for non-pastoral staff.
Lightfoot testified that when she joined the church on January 3, 2005, there was no mention of a retirement policy in her contract.
But that changed on October 15, 2015 when she received a letter advising her of the board’s decision to implement a retirement policy.
Lightfoot was 62. Up to that point, Lightfoot said she had intended to work as long as she remained in good health.
Lightfoot said she never thought the policy was retroactive. She believed it applied only to those hired after it came into effect.
However, Lightfoot said she didn’t question the policy change because new job prospects were low due to her age.
Lightfoot remained on the job until February 14, 2018 when she was retired pursuant to the 2015 policy.
Senior Pastor Vaughn Cash said that Lightfoot had received adequate notice of the retirement policy. He added that Lightfoot raised no objection when informed about it.
However, Her Honour Meeres ruled against the church.
She said, “The Court is of the opinion that there was a unilateral variation of the applicant’s contract of employment without her consent. This is clearly unacceptable even though the applicant made no objection to the same.”
The Court ruled that Lightfoot was “not lawfully retired” and wrongfully dismissed and entitled to $52,905.18 in compensation.
Rawson McDonald represented Lightfoot and Keith Major appeared for Evangelistic Temple.
NASSAU- A man shot by police in Nassau Village today has died.
Police said officers from the Operations Unit opened fire on the man when he allegedly shot at them during a foot chase around 1pm.
The officers allegedly recovered a black handgun and rushed the man to hospital, where he died.
Authorities said the officers were pursuing two men. However, they did not say what happened to the second suspect.
NASSAU- Seven people caught with bogus COVID-19 test results were collectively fined $13,200.
After imposing the steep fines on Thursday, Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt called on police to track down the creators and sellers of the counterfeit tests. She said the fake test ring had “compromised the entire Bahamas.”
The convicts were due to travel to Abaco, Andros, Exuma and Eleuthera last month.
They presented bogus Doctors’ Hospital Health Systems COVID-19 results in order to travel from Lynden Pindling International Airport.
They were arrested after officials determined that their negative results were forged.
Edroy Rolle, 30, was headed to Exuma on March 25 to deejay an event for his cousin.
Marilyn Crosdale, 33, and Alicia Stuart, missed their March 31 flight to Abaco to attend the funeral of a cousin who “died suddenly.”
Theran Evans, of St Andrews Beach Estates, was headed to Eleuthera on March 31.
Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt fined each of them $2,400 or eight weeks in prison.
Samuel Colebrooke, Janae Jolly and a 17-year-old girl were headed to Andros on March 26. The magistrate fined them each $1,200 or eight weeks in prison.
Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt condemned the use of the fake tests and said the scam had smeared the reputation of Doctors’ Hospital, which she described as a “premier health institution.”
NASSAU-Prosecutors have filed child pornography charges against a man and a pregnant woman accused of forcing two teenagers into prostitution.
Shamika Rolle, 28, of Wilson Track, and loan officer Jamalaya Roberts, 40, of Allen Drive, were arrested on March 18.
Days later they appeared in court charged with conspiracy to engage in trafficking in persons and transporting persons for the purpose of prostitution. The offenses allegedly occurred between February 1, 2021 through March 4.
Now prosecutors allege that Rolle made nude videos of the teenagers at Smith’s Motel between February 28, 2021 and March 4 and published them.
Both Rolle and Roberts are accused of possession of child pornography after the nude images of the teenagers were allegedly found stored on their mobile devices.
As a result of the new charges, prosecutors renewed their objection to bail for the pair.
Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt has set trial dates of May 19 through 21.
She will hear further arguments for bail on April 6.
Man, woman deny trafficking missing teens for sex
NASSAU- A pervert has admitted to flashing a 10-year-old girl because he was “attracted to the size of her butt.”
Joel Griffin, 29, was so captivated by the sixth grade student of Palmdale Primary that he followed her on March 24 and pulled down his pants to expose his erect penis.
Fortunately, motorists on Madeira Street stepped in before Griffin could act on his sick fantasy.
Police arrested Griffin soon after and took him to the Wulff Road Police Station.
During an interview later that day, Griffin said the size of the child’s butt motivated him to walk alongside her and expose himself.
Griffin said because his “hip was already showing he thought it would be sexy for his penis to show as well.”
Griffin pleaded guilty to indecent exposure on March 25 and was remanded to prison, pending sentencing.
Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt has further deferred sentencing to May for a psychiatric report.
NASSAU- Reverend Julian Johnson is presently in police custody.
ASP Audley Peters said that Johnson surrendered to the Criminal Investigation Department today in connection with a criminal libel complaint made by Police Commissioner Paul Rolle.
Johnson made serious accusations about the commissioner in a Facebook broadcast.
The video has since been removed.
NASSAU-Authorities are investigating after a loaded gun was found in a former employee’s desk.
Police were called to a business on Gregory Street around 1pm Wednesday, March 31.
When they arrived, they were handed a silver and black pistol loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.
An employee told the officers that he discovered the weapon while cleaning out a former employee’s desk.
The circumstances of the employee’s departure from the company are unclear.
NASSAU-A Nassau Village man who cut his ex-partner on the back in a jealous rage has been jailed for one year.
Leon Chase, otherwise known as “Smiley”, broke into the woman’s home on March 28 and accused her of having an affair.
Chase entered the home at Bishop Street after 2am and attacked the woman in front of their children, the court heard.
He pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous instrument, entry by night and criminal damage. Chase caused $15.12 in damage to a lock on the woman’s bedroom window and ruined her 32-inch Toshiba television, valued at $398.
Magistrate Rolle-Davis on Wednesday ordered Chase to reimburse the woman for the damage to her property to avoid spending an extra month in prison. The prison sentence will run concurrently with a nine-month sentence imposed for a probation violation.
The magistrate also told Chase not to bother his ex after he’s released from prison.
Chase, of Matthew Street, has a long arrest history for domestic abuse against the woman. But, in the past, she refused to prosecute.
The couple called it quits for good in January when Chase was placed on probation after he punched the woman for flirting with a “sissy girl” in a neighborhood bar.
Chase said he was sorry for breaking a bottle of coconut rum across the woman’s back, which resulted in her getting stitches.
However, he didn’t think he should be held responsible for the break-in and damage.
According to Chase, the home and the television belonged to him.
Magistrate Rolle-Davis allowed the victim to respond to Chase’s claims.
The woman said that Chase helped to build the home on her lot, but she said had purchased the building material.
Chase, however, still laid claim to his gifts.
He said, “Who tile out the house? I do every work. Everything in the house is mine.”
“Whatever the court tell me do, I gone do. If the court tell me stay from there, I will stay from there. If the court tell you pay me, then pay me.”
The woman asked, “What I have to pay you for, Leon?
Chase replied, “I have receipts for my things, you know. I get proof for what I done do for you.”
The woman said, “All those things you were doing was because we were in a relationship.”
The prosecutor, Inspector Claudette McKenzie, interjected. She said, “He must understand what a gift is. That’s not his wife. They did not purchase this property together. He must understand that does not give him a right to enter the property, cause damage and cause harm to [name omitted].”
Man punches girlfriend for flirting with gay girl
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