Police turned a blind eye as three American tourists enjoyed a beach ordered closed over the Independence Holiday, a court heard yesterday.
Mariam Mohamed Hassen, Ikrame Kanane, and Rana Mohamed Kenway made the shocking revelation when they appeared in court accused of violating an emergency order.
As a result, Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes acquitted and discharged them of violating an emergency order designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Police arrested the women at their Airbnb on Wednesday following public outcry sparked by a viral video of them scaling the fence to Cabbage Beach on Paradise Island on July 10.
The women, of Palestinian descent, flew from Boston, Massachusetts, to enjoy the island’s pristine beaches to find access denied.
Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis had ordered all beaches closed on Paradise Island, New Providence and Grand Bahama closed for the Independence Holiday weekend.
Magistrate Andrew Forbes dismissed the charges after the women claimed that an Officer Smith gave them permission to go on the beach.
They told the court the officer wore a brown uniform similar to that of a police inspector in the courtroom.
The women claimed Smith and a female officer “turned their backs” as they enjoyed the beach.
Magistrate Forbes found that the charge unfounded since the women had the “tacit consent” of police.
