#(which was a problem cus i was taking public transport at the time. took a million years to get to school)

[maraschinotopped]

might start writing down my dreams again... ive been having more interesting ones recently tbh

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 6/5/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Tuesday June 5TH2018. Remember you can read full articles by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN), via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS).

WORK BEGINS IN EARNEST ON BRIDGETOWN SEWAGE FIX – Environmental authorities have embarked on a $400,000 emergency fix at the Bridgetown Sewage Treatment Plant, which is said to be on the brink of collapse. Speaking on the sidelines of an official tour of the Lakes Folly facility by Minister of the Environment Wilfred Abrahams today, Safety Specialist at the Bridgetown plant Ryan Als told Barbados TODAY the short term plan calls for the setting up of two decontamination zones – one at Lakes Folly and the other at the River Road Pumping Station. This to facilitate the cleaning next weekend of wet wells, which are the main waste water collection points within the plants, and the transfer of sludge to the Mangrove Pond Landfill in St Thomas. He explained that both areas are to be cordoned off during the exercise following which workers would have to pass through the decontamination zones before they are allowed to leave the facility. “We will have the Fire Service emergency medical station there . . . a decontamination zone as well as personnel to ensure that the public is safe and they stay away from the area. That will be the set up for both wet well operations and we plan to have that done in a 12-hour period to minimize the impact or the nuisance to the public,” the safety specialist said, adding that once the cleaning and repairs are done, authorities would be embarking on a longer-term preventive maintenance process. He also explained that during the two-day cleaning operation, dried material would be transported to the landfill. “It was a two-week process, but the Minister had said he wanted it done in a shorter time period. So we have to work around- the-clock to ensure we make that deadline,” Als said. Earlier, Abrahams warned that the situation there was like a bomb waiting to explode. He explained that the sewage-processing unit was currently operating at less than a quarter of its capacity having been pushed to the edge of a shutdown because of the additional load which had been diverted from the south coast sewage system. To make matters worse at the Bridgetown plant, two other processing units which would have helped ease the problem have been out of operation for the past two years. Abrahams said emergency restoration work, which started today, now had to be completed in two weeks to avoid a possible collapse of the functioning processing unit which he said would lead to a worse crisis than what currently exists on the south coast. “This tank is operating at less than half of its own capacity and failing. A lot of the processes that are supposed to be happening are not happening. The clearest water here is murky and that water is supposed to be as clear as drinking water. So we have a serious problem. It cannot be understated how serious the problem is,” the minister told reporters, adding that all hands must be on deck, 24 hours a day. He also promised that whatever resources were needed to resolve the problem would be allocated “because Barbados cannot afford to have this tank to go down and consequently this plant to go down”. During today’s tour, Manager of the Barbados Water Authority’s (BWA) Waste Water Division Patricia Inniss told reporters the repair work should not result in any undue offensive odour to residents in Bridgetown and its environs. Inniss also said the BWA was in the process of informing residents by letter that the restoration work had started. “We don’t envisage any odour or a number of other problems, but because we need, especially with the waste water and the many problems we have been having, to communicate to them, that a process which has not occurred for years is occurring today. “God willing, in another month, we would have both processing units at the Bridgetown plant completed,” she added. (BT)

SAGICOR AND RBC REACT TO BARBADOS’ SUSPENSION OF DEBT PAYMENTS – Two financial institutions today reacted to Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s decision to immediately suspend payments due to domestic and external creditors. During a teleconference called to report on the Sagicor Financial Corporation’s performance, Chief Operating Officer Ravi Rambarran said the company expected minimal fallout since Sagicor’s investment in Government paper represented only about five per cent of its total investment portfolio of approximately US$5 billion. “These are primarily up to US$280 million. I would say US$260 million represents local dollar debt that is used to back local dollar liabilities,” he explained. In a brief statement today on the matter, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) said they recognized that it was an evolving issue and they were following it closely. “We are proud of our history in Barbados and remain committed to the region and its economic prosperity,” the RBC statement added. Saying that the island’s economy was worse off than previously thought, Mottley on Friday announced the suspension of debt payments, triggering an immediate ratings cut for the island with its credit worthiness being slashed to “poor” compared to its regional neighbours. The devastating commentary came from regional rating agency CariCRIS, which dropped the island ‘CariC’ on the foreign currency rating and ‘CariC’ local currency rating “on our regional rating scale” — its worst rating to date — just 24 hours after Mottley announced she was going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and would restructure the country’s staggering debt. However, in welcoming the IMF move, Rambarran said “it demonstrates recognition of the problem, acceptance of the problem and that you are willing to engage on a path towards fiscal sustainability”. “The IMF playbook has changed considerably. They have quite a successful programme in Jamaica. Jamaica has become the poster child of the IMF. So the IMF is no longer the boogeyman that it used to be. So overall it is a positive development and demonstrates to us the seriousness and the intent to tackle the problem head-on. That is a positive. It brings clarity,” he said. Reporting on the group’s performance, the Sagicor official also insisted that Sagicor Barbados continued to meet its targets despite any economic fallout here. “Barbados actually performed in line with expectations. Our brand is so strong in Barbados that our top line continues to grow and the business stays profitable. So Barbados continues to make a contribution to the group,” he said. Barbados operations account for almost 15 per cent of the group’s business. Pointing out that all countries in the region experienced low economic growth last year, with the exception of Trinidad and Tobago, which experienced a decline, the Sagicor executive said the company was still able to perform at its best since 2008. “All countries in the Caribbean have unsustainable fiscal deficits and debt stocks and they are all trying to manage through various combinations of tax increases, cuts in public expenditure and they are engaging in that fiscal austerity. On the social front, unemployment and crime continue to pose substantive challenges to the region,” he said, adding that the region’s ability to generate foreign investment had also been reduced somewhat. “In all key financial metrics there have been marked improvement. It is our best performance since 2008, the onset of the global financial crisis. We continue to contain the solvency standards significantly above the required levels,” added Rambarran, while pointing out that the company has also been able to maintain its international ratings despite downgrades in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. The Sagicor Group has operations in 22 countries with assets increasing from US$6.5 billion in 2016 to US$6.8 billion last year. The group earned US$115.3 million in net income last year, compared to US$109.3 million the previous year. Its debt also increased from US$395 million two years ago to US$440 million last year. (BT)

IMF BACKING – Barbadians have given the thumbs up to Government’s decision to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial rescue package. Following talks with the island’s Social Partners, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced during a press briefing at Government Headquarters on Friday that Barbados’ economic situation was currently so dire that her week-old Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration was really left with no choice but to seek international help. In fact, Mottley said a major economic restructuring was now necessary in the face of an out-of-control debt of 175 per cent of gross domestic product, an estimated $15 billion which is said to be $9 billion more than what the previous Democratic Labour Party administration inherited in 2008 when it took office. And with a team from the Washington-based lending institution due to arrive here on Tuesday, the move by the ruling BLP administration appears to be welcomed by the public. “To be very honest, we have no choice but to take the route of the IMF. What we are seeing in terms of what the other party has left, we are in so much debt we have no choice,” said 52-year-old Vernon Lowe. He pointed out that neighbouring Caribbean countries that have recently opted to go to the IMF for support were now on the road to economic recovery. “I believe it is the wisest choice because other countries who were in more debt than us went to the IMF and their economies have moved from zero at least up to five per cent in gross domestic product. We choose this Government and it is the only thing we can do to get back on a path of recovery. Once everyone is behind our Prime Minister and her Cabinet we will ride out this storm,” Lowe said. And while in the past, the IMF has been associated with job and salary cuts in the public service, he said: “I don’t think that going to the IMF means that we will lose jobs because we will have to do with different plans than previous. “I am hearing that investors are looking to come back into Barbados and that will be a good thing. I expect that whatever they put forward must be beneficial to the country,” he added. Also supporting the move by the less than two week old Barbados Labour Party led administration to go to the IMF for help was Rosalind Davis who told Barbados TODAY it was critical to ensure the island did not sink any deeper into debt. “For me what I would say is if going to the IMF is the initiative that has to be done, then we have to take it and I am supporting it,” she said, while strongly suggesting that efforts should be made to prevent persons from losing their jobs. However, she said there was a definite need to bring the country out of debt. Betty-Ann Taylor was also concerned about the country’s high debt, which she blamed on the former DLP Government. “Going to the IMF would have to work for us because right now the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has the whole country in debt so therefore she [Prime Minister Mottley] has to go to the IMF for help because there is nobody else to help her out,” the elderly woman said. However, while describing the current economic situation as a do or die one, 20-year-old Gharryn Parris was worried about what would be the likely terms of the IMF programme. “I really believe that Government should go to the IMF at this stage. . . [However], what I am really concerned about is the conditions under which we will go. Normally when governments ask the International Monetary Fund for help, they have to abide by certain rules,” he said while expressing concern about possible job losses and a dollar devaluation. The last time Barbados entered a formal programme with the IMF was back in the early 1990s when the then Erskine Sandiford-led DLP Government opted for a stabilization and adjustment programme that led to job losses and an across-the-board eight per cent cut in public sector wages. The bitter medicine proved too much for ordinary Barbadians to bear and resulted in massive streets protests and the eventual demise of the Government. Since then, there has been a general reluctance to go that route again, with the just ousted Freundel Stuart administration stubbornly refusing in recent months to ask the Fund for help even though the IMF has clearly said it stands ready to assist. Several leading economists, including former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, had also been imploring the former Government over the past two years to do so, with Arthur using the March 2017 Estimates debate in Parliament to suggest that the move was inevitable, while warning that the island simply could not tackle its multi-billion dollar debt crisis on its own. “A debt refinancing obligation of that order or magnitude cannot be accomplished without the help of the international financial community. “And Sir, there is a powerful reason for us to engage with the International Monetary Fund. We are not going to get over the debt unless there is some institutional arrangement that gives credibility to the creditors of Barbados that the Government of Barbados is not acting unilaterally on the matter,” he said at the time. Noting that Caribbean countries that engaged in debt refinancing or debt exchanges were doing so under the auspices of the IMF, the former Prime Minister, who recently assisted Grenada with its IMF programme, said while a relationship with the Washington-based lending institution would not be easy, Barbados had nothing to lose. “When I hear of all the things that we need to do I say to Parliament that Barbados cannot turn its back on having its debt restructured under a Fund programme . . . . It cannot turn its back on the $750 million it can borrow under the Fund at one per cent.” Since then, Mottley had announced during the recent May 24 election campaign that her Government would be prepared to go to the IMF if it has to and just one week after assuming the reins of Government, it decided to bite the bullet, as per Arthur’s advice, except that it is also prepared to default on its foreign debt payments at the same time. Bert van Selm, the IMF Resident Representative in Jamaica, is leading the delegation to Bridgetown to start discussions on how the Washington-based financial institution can support the Government’s economic plan.  (BT)

SAGICOR HAULS IN US$115M PROFIT – Sagicor Financial Corporation is flourishing while Barbados and other Caribbean economies battle fiscal and debt problems. Group chief operating officer Ravi Rambarran yesterday reported that last year Sagicor recorded its best overall performance since 2008. The good financial outcome has continued into 2018. Last year Sagicor earned a US$115.3 million profit, compared with US$109.3 million in 2016. In the first quarter ended March 31, its net income was US$38.9 million. It earned US$27 million in the same period in 2017. Rambarran and group president and chief executive officer Dodridge Miller said Sagicor’s hard work, including reducing reliance on its Caribbean home market, was key to the performance. Rambarran also said Sagicor was performing well in Barbados despite the economic and fiscal difficulties the island was encountering. “In all key financial metrics there has been a marked improvement. It’s our best performance since 2008 and the onset of the global financial crisis,” he said during a teleconference with Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados media. “We continue to maintain solvency standards significantly above required levels and we have maintained our international ratings from [Standard and Poor’s] and AM Best despite ratings downgrades in Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica.” Regarding the company’s Barbados performance, he said: “Barbados actually performed in line with expectations. Our brand is so strong in Barbados that our top line (revenue) continues to grow and the business is profitable, so Barbados continues to make a contribution to the group.” Miller said about 14 per cent of Sagicor’s business was in Barbados. Jamaica accounts for 32 per cent, the United States 24 per cent and Trinidad and Tobago between 11 and 15 per cent. Sagicor plans to reduce its reliance on Jamaica and increase its business in the US, a market where the economy is performing well. Rambarran said their performance in the region last year was noteworthy considering that all Caribbean countries had low economic growth, except Trinidad, which had a decline. He also said Barbados and its neighbours had unsustainable fiscal deficits and debt stocks, and were trying to manage through various combinations of tax increases, cuts in public expenditure and engaging in fiscal austerity. This was on top of social problems such as unemployment and crime which continued to pose substantial challenges for the region. (DN)

OZONE FACING POSSIBLE TAKE OVER – Less than a year after setting up shop in Barbados, telecommunications company Ozone Wireless faces possible take over by its competitor Flow. When contacted Flow’s Director of Communication and Stakeholder Management Marilyn Sealy said she could neither confirm nor deny the reports. Ozone’s new Head of Marketing Natalie Hartman was also tightlipped on the matter even though Barbados TODAY has been reliably informed that the two sides have been actively engaged in negotiations. In the meantime, Ozone, which officially began operating here last July, has either severed or lost several key staff members since April, with Managing Director Mark Conway, Chief Executive Officer Sylvain Tassé and Head of Marketing Dianne Squires among those who have parted ways unceremoniously with the telecoms provider. Hartman also declined to comment on those developments. However, well placed sources say the company has been experiencing severe financial challenges over the past several months and was forced to lay off at least two batches of workers, the latest of whom were given their ‘green papers’ last week and were drawn from mainly the retail and administrative staff. Ozone was granted a licence to operate in Barbados in 2014 and had pumped about $20 million into its operations up to the point of opening. Officials had promised at the time that the company would hire over 50 people – over 90 per cent of whom would be Barbadians – while promising over 600 locations across the island where customers could recharge their credit. However, it has since found the going quite tough and has had to entertain purchase bids from both Digicel and Flow. However, the Digicel discussions did not amount to an agreement. (BT)

SIX INDEPENDENT SENATORS SWORN IN – Six of the seven independent senators chosen by Governor General Dame Sandra Mason have been sworn in. They all gave their oaths of allegiance in a brief ceremony at Government House, this morning. The list was headed by general secretary of the Barbados Workers Union (BWU), Toni Moore, and includes attorneys-at-law Monique Taitt and Kevin John Boyce, Reverend Michael Bruce St John Maxwell, Lindell Elon Nurse, Christopher Maynard and Alphea Margot Wiggins. Dame Sandra apologised for the absence of Wiggins, saying she was currently in London, England, and would be sworn in immediately upon her return. The Governor General also said Wiggins would play special interest in the country’s business sector as part of her remit. This morning’s ceremony was attended by numerous visitors and friends of the six Independent senators. (DN)

MOORE: A VOICE FOR THE VULNERABLE – Less than ten minutes into her role as a senator, trade unionist Toni Moore said every breath would be spent protecting Barbados’ most vulnerable. And she will be fighting any attempt to make workers the scapegoat in any adjustment to get the country back on solid financial footing, the Barbados Workers Union (BWU) general secretary said yesterday after being sworn in as one of the seven independent senators. The senators were all chosen by Governor General Dame Sandra Mason. “One of the things I will be trying to ensure in any contribution I make, whether in the Partnership or the Senate, is to ensure workers are not put on the front line of any adjustment,” Moore told a media gathering after the swearing-in ceremony at Government House. “There has to be adjustments, and all of us in some form or fashion will have to shift our modus operandi, but one of the things I will be emphasising for sure, is that those who are the most vulnerable are the ones most protected. All of us need protection, but there are some of who are more vulnerable than others,” Moore said. The Social Partnership, Moore and social stakeholders met twice with new Prime Minister, Mia Mottley last week, and the union boss said she was quite aware of the issues facing Barbados and the effort needed to improve the situation. “Barbados is at a very delicate stage right now. The country is well aware of the myriad of challenges which have to be tackled, some of them simultaneously, and there are issues that relate to the public sector. “I’m happy for the opportunity to influence outside of the Social Partnership. I’m particularly honoured to be able to continue my representation for the constituent base I have, and I’m proud to serve my country in this new role. “The Barbados Workers Union has served in this capacity for some time with my predecessor Sir Roy [Trotman]. I’m honoured to continue, and even expand that legacy,” the BWU boss said. Moore said it would be difficult to balance being general secretary of the BWU and an independent senator, but then quoted the Bible, saying her mantra is she does all things through Christ, who strengthens her. Moore said that her solid team at the BWU would also assist in allowing her to take the Senate challenge head on. (DN)

NOT QUALIFIED – Two Government Senators announced by Prime Minister Mia Mottley are still not in a position to take their places in the Upper House. They are Kay McConney, who had been named as Minister of Innovation, Science and Smart Technology, and Rawdon Adams, son of the late Prime Minister Tom Adams. It has emerged that McConney and Adams have not satisfied the requirements under Section 37 B of the Constitution of Barbados which specifically states that “subject to the provision of Section 38, any person at the date of his appointment (A) is a citizen of Barbados of the age of 21 years and upward, and (B) has been an ordinarily resident in Barbados for the immediately preceding 12 months, shall be qualified to be appointed as a Senator”. The two were specially brought in from their overseas bases to be part of the parliamentary lineup following the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) clean sweep of the polls on May 24, which has since resulted in one defection. Member of Parliament St Michael West Bishop Joseph Atherley has since crossed the floor to become the Leader of the Opposition, leaving Mottley with the remaining 28 seats under her command. However, official sources have confirmed to Barbados TODAY that Adams and McConney will not be among those taking their places in the Senate during tomorrow’s sitting marking the official opening of the two Houses of Parliament. Commenting on the development, newly sworn Opposition Senator and trade unionist Caswell Franklyn criticized Mottley for overlooking several other qualified BLP members to import Adams and McConney. However, Government has made known its intention to amend the relevant section of the Constitution which is currently at issue with Franklyn also serving notice that when the proposed amendment reaches the Senate, he will vote against it. “Why is this necessary? I find it offensive that they would come to amend the Constitution at a time like this when there was no notice . . . . The people didn’t know . . . they didn’t campaign on it; it was not in their manifesto. You don’t just come and amend the Constitution just like that . . . because they can,” he said, while acknowledging that “they have the power to do it because they have the majority”. The outspoken trade unionist said the development was evidence that the 30-nil victory given to the BLP amounted to a dangerous precedent, which has put too much power in the hands of the Prime Minister, especially since she has no backbench. “We are now fast approaching the stage where we are going to have a Prime Ministerial dictatorship. They could amend the Constitution to do what they like. “When the House meets, I am going to oppose it because I believe it is wrong. You do not tamper with the Constitution. The Constitution is a very serious document. Amending the Constitution is becoming too flippant,” he said. Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs Lucille Moe could not be reached for comment and when contacted today Attorney General Dale Marshall declined to speak on the issue. (BT)

CLARKE ASSURES HE HAS NO PLANS ON JOINING ATHERLEY – Member of Parliament for St George North Gline Clarke says he remains a staunch member of the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and has no desire to join his former colleague Bishop Joseph Atherley in Opposition. “No, I never thought about joining him because I have been in this party for well over 40 years . . . so I am quite happy to continue to be a member of the party and do my best,” Clarke told Barbados TODAY after taking the Oath of Allegiance at Government House today. He however said he had no hard feelings towards Atherley, who won the St Michael West constituency on a BLP ticket but almost immediately decided to cross the floor following the May 24 election, in which the Mia Mottley-led party claimed all 30 seats at stake. “My view is that a person can make his or her decision based on what their prospective is. So I can’t really comment on that because I have never had a discussion with him [Atherley] on that matter, but a person is entitled to do the best that they can,” said Clarke, adding that “it is left to be seen what happens over the course of the next five years”. Clarke, who is due to be elected Deputy Speaker when the House of Assembly convenes tomorrow, has earlier expressed his disappointment over not being given a Cabinet position. However, today the six-time representative appeared much more accepting of the Prime Minister’s decision, which he said also did not go down well with many of his constituents. “I try to make the best out of every situation that I’m placed in. When you are given something, even if you do not like it, you try your best to work with it,” he said, while assuring that the Mottley Government was stable. “As far as I am concerned there is no divisiveness right now, [although] you don’t know what people have in their hearts but right now, the party is solidly behind the Prime Minister.” Clarke said he was focused on giving his constituents the best representation and was also confident that his party would honour the promises made to the electorate on the campaign trail. “Obviously we won’t be able to do all that we say at once . . . . The country is going through some stringent times but we have to be able to do our best. It will be very difficult for us to rush head on and just do programmes that the country can’t afford right now. I think the country understands, once you speak to them, the country understands what is happening,” he said, adding that “people must not expect to have everything at the same time but we will try our best to honour or commitments to ensure that we protect the most vulnerable”. Among the promises made by the new Government are to increase the contributory and non-contributory pensions, as well as invalidity and survivor’s benefits; eliminate tuition fee payments for Barbadians attending the University of the West Indies, scrap the National Social Responsibility Levy, provide trust loans for Barbadians and eliminate pit toilets. However, all of this may well depend on the outcome of urgent discussions, which are to begin here tomorrow, on a formal balance of payments support programme for the country which has a national debt of 175 per cent of gross domestic product and critically-low foreign reserves, which, as of May 31, 2018 stood at only US$220 million, or the equivalent to seven weeks’ worth of import cover.  (BT)

SARGASSUM OVERLOAD – Miles of sargassum seaweed stretching from Tent Bay,St Joseph, to the Atlantic Ocean, caught the attention of scores of onlookers yesterday. Residents, people visiting the area and tourists gathered along the bay from as early as 5 a.m. to watch the seaweed that had enveloped the beach. Though a volume of seaweed washed up over the past few weeks, residents said this was the biggest influx of algae they had ever seen. A number of marine animals were also tangled in the seaweed and brave citizens with the help of fishermen and representatives of the Bellairs Research Institute in Barbados,a field station for McGill University of Canada, risked their lives going through the thick seaweed to rescue and catch the marine life. Among the niggerhead and other pot fish caught, about six hawksbill sea turtles were rescued. An undisclosed number of flipper dolphins, eels and congo snakes were also spotted but were dead. Tent Bay resident Caryl Barrow said the bay was a recreational spot for children who lived in community and feared that the sargassum seaweed would disrupt the resident’s way of living. Barrow said it was common to see children bathing in the bay after school and during the summer vocation, adding that they would be forced to go elsewhere to have fun. When contacted general manager of the National Conservation Commission (NCC) Keith Neblett said an usual amount of sargassum seaweed washed up across the beach over the past two or three days. He said he was aware of volumes of the algae on Crane beach, Bathsheba, Long beach and other beaches along the South Coast and East Coast. He said a lot of the seaweed was in the surf of the water and the state agency was monitoring how the seaweed settled to conduct clean ups. Neblett added that a team of NCC workers have been cleaning the South Coast from the time the algae started to wash-up there. (DN)

PSYCHIATRIC NURSE SUSPENDED – A nurse at the Psychiatric Hospital who Is the subject of a video being circulated on social media depicting the abuse of a patient has been suspended pending investigations into the incident. The Ministry of Health, in a statement today, condemned the abuse highlighted in the video, and disclosed that the matter had been referred to the Royal Barbados Police Force. “The Ministry of Health abhors this type of behaviour and is treating this matter with the utmost urgency,” the statement emphasised. Hospital director David Leacock further revealed that the patient’s next-of-kin had been notified of the incident. (BGIS)

CRICHLOW OWNS UP TO DRUG HABIT – Allan DeCurtis Junior Crichlow is fighting “a cocaine monster”. That was what the self-confessed drug user told Magistrate Douglas Frederick today when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. However, the 40-year-old unemployed man, of South District, St George, will have nine months to fight that battle at HMP Dodds. Crichlow pleaded guilty to stealing one $1, 800 cell phone, one car key worth $275 and a $50 pants belonging to Marcia Burrowes on May 16, 2018. Along with having to struggle with “his monster”, the accused said he had also been burdened by the death of his father. “I had to deal with my father who was suffering from strokes and I was also fighting my own monster in cocaine. I really need help with this problem. I tried to beat it by myself but it is not working,” he told Magistrate Douglas Frederick, adding that his father had passed away in April. “I’m a cocaine addict. I saw the things and I took them up because I have a serious drug problem.” When a check of the records was made, it was revealed that Crichlow had an outstanding $300 fine from February 9, which had not been paid. That fine carried an alternative of six months in prison. “I will give you nine months in prison. If when you get out of prison you still want help, come to me,” the magistrate told him before sentencing him. The nine months will run concurrently with the six-month sentence. The court heard from prosecutor Rudy Pilgrim that the complainant drove her Suzuki Vitara to Browne’s Beach. She changed and made her way to the beach and placed her possessions on the sand before going into the water. When she returned, she realized her possessions were missing and made a report to the policeman who was on duty in the area. The officer informed her that he had reason to search the accused and had found the car keys on his person. He was subsequently arrested and charged. (BT)

STEPSON PAYS – Honour your father and your mother! That stern warning was given today by Magistrate Douglas Frederick to Jamal Omar Freeman, who now has to look to compensate his stepfather who he assaulted almost three years ago. Freeman, 28, of Forde’s Road, Clapham, St Michael, was found guilty by the magistrate of unlawfully assaulting Ronald Harewood on October 6, 2015. In a strange occurrence, Freeman chose not to cross-examine any of the witnesses called by the prosecution and remained silent throughout the duration of his trial, which ended today in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Harewood, who was present to hear the verdict, told the magistrate he had raised Freeman from a little boy and would prefer to be compensated rather than to see the accused jailed. He told the magistrate he would be willing to accept $4, 000. However, Freeman, who told the court he worked “on and off” on a truck, said he would “need six or seven months” to come up with that amount. In the end, the magistrate reduced the amount to $2, 500, but gave him half the time – three months – in which to pay it. If he fails to pay the fine he will have to spend six months in prison. Today the magistrate also had some words of advice for Freeman. “This should never have come to this because this man helped you. You should always honour your mother and your father. In this case even though he is not your biological father he would have helped you and this is not a kind way for you to repay him.” Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim was the prosecutor in the case. The court had heard that the complainant was married to Freeman’s mother and they lived together. On the day in question, the accused who was upset with his stepfather, accused him of being a bully. The complainant ignored him and went into his home, but was followed by the accused. As Harewood entered his bedroom, the accused slapped him in the back of his head and cuffed him. The complainant tried to walk away, but was again followed by the accused, who took up a small vodka bottle and threw it at him but missed. While he was walking away, the accused walked up to him and cuffed him in his right eye. He fell to the ground and Freeman got on top of him and continually cuffed him in the back of the head until two persons came to his aid. The complainant suffered injuries to his right eye and also had a fractured nose. (BT)

HEADLEY ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING WOMAN – A St Michael man, accused of assaulting a female, was granted $2,500 bail today. When he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, Mario Ricardo  Headley, 25, of #4 Bayview Avenue, St Michael, denied assaulting Tori Elibox on June 3, 2018, occasioning her actual bodily harm. He also pleaded not guilty to destroying a fan, DVD player and a TV box. However, there was no objection to bail by the prosecution and Headley was given October 31, 2018,  as a return date by Magistrate Douglas Frederick. (BT)

WOMEN ‘NOT COMING BACK’ FOR BROOMES MATTER – The two women accused of assaulting former Parkinson Memorial Secondary School principal Jeff Broomes want the matter brought to an end. Helen Louise Gill, 59, of Forde’s Road, Clapham, Christ Church, and Danissa Shontelle Foster, 26, of 2A North Close, Wildey, St Michael, were also charged that having lawfully entered the premises of the school, they misconducted themselves by behaving in a threatening manner. Foster is also accused of intentionally damaging Broomes’ vehicle. Both women had been released on $5 000 bail by Magistrate Deborah Holder in 2013. Yesterday, they once again returned to the District “A” Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant. Gill told the DAILY NATION afterwards that the matter had been going on for the past six years and it was beginning to frustrate both her and her daughter. Foster, pregnant with her third child, is due to deliver anytime soon. “It’s taking a lot out of my work. I do private security work, and my boss tell me if I have to take another day to go to court, look for another job. Is only me working and I have my child, my two grandchildren and this one on the way to look after,” Gill said, as tears streamed down her face. She was so upset, she was adamant she would no longer attend court. “I want it deal with it once and for all. Nobody sending a summons for Broomes and he not coming to court. Well, I not coming back to court again. Find me because I ain’t coming back. He ain’t coming, I ain’t coming neither. We ain’t coming back to this court; find me and charge me and everybody would know why I get send up,” she said. Foster said she too was very frustrated. “This is a whole six years this going on and he not coming to court, and if we don’t come they will send a [summons] for we,” she said before exiting the courtyard. The women are scheduled to return to court on August 28. (DN)

LGBT TAKING AIM AT BUGGERY LAWS –Three Barbadians from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community will be challenging two of Barbados’ “onerous” laws which they say criminalise intimacy between consenting partners. A transgender woman, a lesbian and a gay man will be making a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. While both the gay man and lesbian preferred to remain anonymous, Alexa Hoffmann, a 24-year-old transgender woman, told the DAILY NATION that although Barbados was a signatory to international conventions, including the American Convention on Human Rights, these laws remained on the books and nothing was being done about them. Hoffmann said there were two areas being challenged. One was Section 9 of the Constitution which dealt with buggery and the other, Section 12, relating to serious indecency. She said the latter spoke to “any act which involves the use of genital organs for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire”, but was not gender neutral and was used to target lesbians. Hoffmann said while Section 9 did not have a specific definition of buggery, the way the law was applied in the courts, it usually targeted gay men, or men who have had inappropriate relationships with children, making an erroneous link between gays and paedophiles, causing confusion. She said, however, that the buggery law could apply to two men or a man and a woman engaging in anal sex, and “under the legislation both are a crime”. Hoffmann said these were acts between “consenting adults” but the laws, which were more than 200 years old, were “very archaic and very draconian” and “have no place on the books” in a modern society. The launch will be held tomorrow at the moot courtroom, Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies  Cave Hill Campus. Joining the petition will be Trinidadian Westmin James, deputy dean, Faculty of Law, Cave Hill; Maurice Tomlinson, senior policy analyst, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, a Jamaican, and Yvonne Chisolm, pro-bono litigation counsel. Tomlinson has been active as an attorney or claimant in cases which challenge anti-gay laws across the Caribbean. (DN)

15 YEAR PENALTY – The footballer who threw stones and a beer bottle during a domestic match at the Wildey Turf nine days ago has been slapped with a 15-year ban by the Barbados Football Association (BFA). University of the West Indies (UWI) Blackbirds striker Corey “Santa” Barrow was hit with the penalty after he, as a spectator, attacked Abrahams United Silver Sands’ goalkeeper Jamal Moore in a Premier League match on May 27. Following an emergency meeting of the BFA’s executive board last week, the 34-year-old Barrow was slapped with the ban, which would see him prohibited from all football-related activities until he turned 49. When contacted yesterday, BFA president Randy Harris said they were sending a clear message to players, and hoped the incident would act as a deterrent for any persons who would want to attempt such behaviour at football. “We did our investigations and the board came up with the punishment, which we thought was fitting for the way the incident unfolded. We are sending a clear message as to how we view this type of behaviour at the facility. It’s the only facility we have available at the moment, and we have to ensure that the players and patrons attending football are safe. It is unfortunate, but we had to take decisive action,” he told NATIONSPORT. “When we improved the facility up here, we set up a perimeter fence to prevent this type of incident from happening. However, the culprit breached the security and scaled the fence, which we thought was unbecoming of a registered player of the BFA.” According to reports, Barrow, who was present during the nightcap game between Paradise and Silver Sands, got into an argument with Moore. Barrow then hurled a beer bottle at Moore who was on the field during play. An enraged Barrow subsequently jumped the fence and went onto the restricted area, armed with two rocks and threw them at the goalkeeper. While one missed, the other struck Moore on a hand and a fight ensued, bringing the game to a halt after police and players had to part the two men. A clip of the alter-cation has since gone viral on all social media platforms.  The 34-year-old Clapham, St Michael resident saw himself hauled in front the District “A” Magistrates’ Court last week Monday, before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant, who placed the first-time offender on a six-month bond to keep the peace. If breached, he would be fined $750 forthwith or spend six weeks in prison. The BFA has been on a drive to eradicate all forms of violence throughout football, with the introduction of their Stop The Violence campaign, which was introduced in 2016.  Head coach of UWI’s Academy of Sport, Roland Butcher, said he was out of the island, and unaware of the BFA’s decision. “I presume there are appeals to deal with this type of thing, so I will deal with the matter when I return next week,” he said. Barrow is also coach of Pro Shottas Soccer School and president Greg Castagne said the executive of the school were looking further into the matter to determine the way forward. “We are in correspondence with the BFA, and it is a matter still to be concluded. We are looking into the matter a bit further, before we make a final decision. Prior to the BFA making their decision, we had suspended [Barrow] for four weeks,” he said, adding that he would “have a better idea later this week”. (DN)

RALLY CLUB TAKING FRESH GUARD – A series of accidents over the Sol Rally Barbados weekend prompted the Barbados Rally Club (BRC) to reshuffle their approach to dealing with such occurrences. This was communicated during a statement from the BRC during the prize-giving ceremony at the Boatyard yesterday. “This incident has highlighted the fact that while the club has an established set of protocols set out in the event safety manual and all the necessary people in place to efficiently act in response to such an incident as the one this weekend, we should always analyse any such event carefully,” the BRC said. “In light of the incident the club is working towards streamlining the framework applicable when the severity of injuries requires persons to seek medical attention outside of Barbados. This will establish clear guidelines to be followed by the club, family of the competitor or competitors involved, persons who want to offer assistance and local medical team leader.” It was said that the strengthening of the process would ensure that those receiving aid would do so in a well-organised manner. “This is critical to ensuring resources are channelled through one centralised source guaranteeing the most efficient delivery of the required assistance to the injured. While Sol Rally Barbados has once again been a success, this unfortunate incident has come as a reminder of the dangers we all accept as competitors officials and volunteers while doing what we love.” The action of day two of the 29th annual event was marred by a serious accident involving Russell Branker and co-driver Daryl Clarke. The BRC pointed out that Clarke, who sustained internal injuries, left the island for the United States around 9 p.m. on Sunday. Branker is still on the island and arrangements are being made to facilitate him leaving for a medical facility in Miami. He sustained spinal injuries but according to doctors, the prognosis is good. A Go Fund Me account with a $250 000 goal has been set up to assist with their medical costs and at last check just under $49 500 has been raised. The BRC will also be hosting a fund-raising event for the cause at the Boatyard to assist with the medical costs on a date to be determined At yesterday’s prizegiving, competitors and loved ones showed their support for Clarke and Branker by signing get well wishes on shirts for both drivers. (DN)

NEW COURSES OF STUDY AT CAVE HILL - The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus has rolled out a new range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The nine new programmes which will fall under the faculties of Humanities and Education and Science and Technology, are expected to begin in the upcoming semester which begins in September. The programmes include: BEd Early Childhood Care and Education, Minor in Chinese Studies, Minor in Creative Writing, BSc Major in Environmental Science, MFA in Creative Writing, MSc Information Technology (offered with specialisations in Enterprise Systems, Mobile Applications or Web Development), Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology, MScN Nursing Education and MScN Nursing Administration. Speaking at the launch yesterday morning at the 3 W’s Pavilion, principal Profession Eudine Barriteau said the university’s continued aim was to provide exciting programmes for their prospective students and to assure strategic partners that they were providing a level of education to advance all dimensions of the human resource needs of Barbados and the region. “The Campus aims to satisfy the changing labour market needs of public and private sector agencies and businesses, non-governmental organisations, and individuals in search of new knowledge. We are guided by The UWI’s Mission to advance learning, create knowledge and foster innovation for the positive transformation of the Caribbean and the wider world,” she said. Barriteau added that some of the new programmes being implemented were geared towards strengthening interdisciplinary studies.(DN)

TRAFFIC CHANGES FOR OPENING OF PARLIAMENT – A number of traffic changes will be in effect on Tuesday, June 5, to facilitate the opening of Parliament at 10:00 a.m. From 8:00 a.m. until the end of the event, the following streets in Bridgetown will be closed to vehicular traffic: Lower White Park Road, Palmetto Street, Marhill Street; Wharf Road, from its junction with Bridge Street to the junction with Hincks Street; Rickett Street, Trafalgar Street, High Street, and Upper Broad Street from its junction with Prince William Henry Street to its junction with High Street. In addition, Bridge Street, Charles Duncan O’Neal Bridge and St. Michael Row will be closed to all vehicular traffic except Transport Board buses and event vehicles until midday. Vehicles will not be allowed to park or remain stationary on the following roads, except for the purpose of picking up or setting down passengers: Constitution Road, St. Michael Row, Bridge Street, Marhill Street, Rickett Street, Fairchild Street, Cavans Lane, River Road, Martindale's Road, Spry Street, Wharf Road and High Street.  Members of the Royal Barbados Police Force will be posted at strategic intersections to assist with traffic flows and to enforce traffic restrictions. The public is urged to comply with the instructions of personnel on duty, and any inconvenience caused is regretted. (PR/BGIS)

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