Condensed from the Cayman Net News, and the Cay Compass
Two men accused of killing Cable and Wireless communications manager Estella Scott–Roberts, appeared in Summary Court Thursday facing numerous charges including murder, abduction and robbery. One of the suspects, 27–year–old Kirkland Henry, was charged with an additional count of rape in connection with Mrs. Scott–Roberts’ murder. Kirkland Henry worked as a gardener and lived in George Town . The other murder suspect, 25–year–old Larry Prinston Ricketts, worked as a carpenter and also lived in George Town.
Solicitor General Cheryll Richards told the court that police obtained detailed statements from both men admitting to the allegations during police questioning. As well, they were both in possession of two of Mrs. Scott–Roberts’ cell phones; one found on each man. She said there was also forensic evidence connecting Kirkland Henry to the deceased. Mrs. Richards recommended that both men be remanded in custody on the charges. Mrs. Richards stressed that “these are serious charges against them", and Magistrate Margaret Ramsay–Hale agreed, stating “charges of this nature…by two foreigners, there is no doubt they are a flight risk,”.
The men were interviewed at length by police prior to Thursday’s court appearance, and neither had retained Counsel by the time of the proceeding. Both of the accused were remanded into custody and are to appear before the court again on November 6th, 2008.
Solicitor General Cheryll Richards told the court that police obtained detailed statements from both men admitting to the allegations during police questioning. As well, they were both in possession of two of Mrs. Scott–Roberts’ cell phones; one found on each man. She said there was also forensic evidence connecting Kirkland Henry to the deceased. Mrs. Richards recommended that both men be remanded in custody on the charges. Mrs. Richards stressed that “these are serious charges against them", and Magistrate Margaret Ramsay–Hale agreed, stating “charges of this nature…by two foreigners, there is no doubt they are a flight risk,”.
The men were interviewed at length by police prior to Thursday’s court appearance, and neither had retained Counsel by the time of the proceeding. Both of the accused were remanded into custody and are to appear before the court again on November 6th, 2008.
6 comments:
I just pray that these two are the real killers. If they are, may they get taken care of in the worst way by the hardened criminals in prison.
Not saying that she deserved it, but she probably disrespected one or both of these men at some point, and they took revenge. Caymanian's seem to have a real hatred towards Jamaicans, and just dark-skinned people in general. Goes to show you how psychologically polluted this "Christian" island really is.
Darren The Expat,
For those of us who knew Estella and know Rayle please know that you are way off base here but then, you will likely say that you were playing devil's advocate - no you won't - but anyway please stop perpetuating an ignorance that is ubfortunately found in all societies to some degree and recognise that the past, present and future of both nationalities (Caymanian and Jamaican) are interwoven - as was Rayle's and Estella's...
From Sandra Canton:
CRIME IN CAYMAN
In recent years we have seen the crime rate in Cayman continue to rise at an alarming rate. This year alone we have experienced a record number of homicides. It is my personal opinion that no political candidate can seriously hope to represent the people of these islands without addressing this important problem.
Firstly, allow me to preface my comments by saying that most of what I have to say is not original and should come as no surprise to those who have careful considered crime in Cayman. Secondly, I am no proclaimed expert on the matter and have relied on research methods that are available to just about anyone out there. In addition, I have relied upon my own experiences and background. As many of you will know I place a premium on returning to some of our values of days gone by. This is a direct result of my being from a broken home and realizing how close I myself have come to being another unfortunate “statistic”. In my particular case, early intervention and a complete change of environment with constant positive reinforcement has made all the difference in my life.
Holistic Approach
If we are going to address crime in Cayman it cannot be seen simply in terms of punishment alone. We have to look at underlying reasons, ideologies and contributing factors. More importantly, we have to put sufficient energy into crime prevention and deterrence. Furthermore, crime cannot be seen in isolative terms and we can no longer take an ad hoc or piecemeal approach. If we are to address issues of juvenile delinquency we have to realize that there are many contributing factors such as the effectiveness of the home environment.
The typical answer to crime is to build bigger prisons and put burglar bars around your house, and perhaps add a security alarm. Politicians will often advocate hiring more police officers. These suggestions sound nice, but they are only addressing the symptoms to a far greater problem and not the causes. We need individuals who recognize that we have to invest in our children before they become criminals.
We also need to realize that we cannot continue the single minded approach of only focusing on our tourism and financial sector. The need to put social issues high our agenda of policy development is ever increasing. We must become more proactive when it comes to ensuring that our children have an opportunity to excel in Cayman. Furthermore, we need to guarantee that the interests of Caymanians are of paramount importance. The less our youth feel disenfranchised the less likely they are to turn to criminal activity.
The crime rate is Cayman directly reflects other social ills that have gone unaddressed for far too long. A society that is well balanced in education, health and social welfare will be less prone to criminal activity.
Moral Fiber:
We have to admit that the moral fiber of a community is directly linked to an increase in crime and disregard for the law. History has taught us that if we do not have people that respect the laws that govern them lawlessness will be the natural result. The moral fiber of a community is affected by a variety of different factors. One that I would like to concentrate on dates back to the time of Confucius when he said that “government is an example to the people”. There have been examples where once the leadership and enforcement agencies eliminated corruption and “cleaned” themselves up crime rates dropped. The truth of the matter is many individuals on our islands will look to their leadership as role models and examples of what behavior is acceptable. Therefore, we have to have high expectations of leaders and politicians to make sure that they are not contributing to the moral decay of our society. Young people are always looking for examples to follow – whether positive or negative. Many parents have the motto that children should do as they say and not as they do. The truth of the matter is children will pay more attention to your actions than your words.
To a large extent much of the erosion our moral fiber can be attributed to outside influences. The most obvious and often cited influence is that of television. However, we have also had an influx of many different cultures in Cayman and one has to admit that is also just as influential. In addition, we now have to consider the impact the internet.
Educate Educate Educate!
The amount of crime in a country can be directly correlated to the quality of the education provided. One interesting example that I can across was a comparison between Europe and the United States. In Europe children are given the opportunity to have a trade at a much earlier age and can either enter the work force or continue their studies. In the US children finish school at the age of 18 and often lack the academic basics. The incidence of violent crime in New York is about 100 times that of London.
The importance of educating our people can not be overstated. We have to take the approach that every individual in our country should have a broad educational base. In other words, every child coming out of high school should be able to read, write and have basic computer skills- these are now the requirements to enter the workforce. Many problems such as drug abuse and theft can be connected to the lack of opportunity for our people and lack of understanding and long term vision. If our young people can see where getting involved in drugs and gangs are lost causes they are not as likely to get involved in those activities. Education does not simply include formal education but should also include a general awareness in our communities and practical job skills.
Education is the most successful and cost-effective means of preventing crime. Another area that causes much debate is whether prison inmates are entitled to further their education whilst in prison. While it may pain many of to think that we have to work painstakingly hard to obtain our education and prisoners are given the opportunity to obtain their education for free we have to be aware of the numbers. Prison recidivism is reduced when we prisoners are given marketable skills and educated whilst in prison. Perhaps we could balance the program offerings with what we can realistically managed from a financial perspective.
It Takes a Village!
Perhaps the most important lesson that we can learn is that we all have our role to play in crime prevention. Crime assaults the whole community therefore we should all be concerned. It is not something that the police or government can address alone. There are many community safety initiatives that can be usefully deployed. We need a true sense of community spirit and a realization that we are our brother’s keeper. For example, people can assist by reporting criminal activity and being more proactive in securing personal property. In order to take our neighborhoods back from drugs we need to make all drug dealers aware that they are not welcomed in our backyards. Instead of ridiculing people who have a substance abuse problem we need to reach out to them and offer some sense of hope in their moment of despair. Many of us have the ability to provide positive activities, build self esteem, and work with young men/women who may otherwise turn to a life of crime.
Domestic Violence
No position on crime and violence in Cayman would be complete without touching on this issue. It is unfortunate that so many women, children and men are exposed to violence within the home. It is my personal belief that this issue touches too many of our lives not to be considered as important. We can all think of someone who we know that has either been a victim or the perpetrator of domestic violence.
The only way to attack domestic violence is to educate people and let them know that, even in the face of adversity, they have options. Just because violence is occurring behind closed doors does not make it any less of a crime. It certainly does not lessen its impact on us as a community. I am also most concerned about the impact that an abusive environment has on our children and young people. Many commendable efforts have been made by the Crisis Centre and the Women's Resource Centre to highlight this problem and educate the public generally. I applaud them for their efforts and would wish that everyone should get behind them with full support.
Crimes Against Children: Sexual Abuse
Another area of great concern is crimes against children. It is difficult to understand how anyone would want to hurt an innocent child that has so much potential. However, it has become more and more prevalent that children are becoming the silent victims of sexual abuse. I think that we need to strip away the cloak of secrecy that so many of these cowards are able to hide behind. We need to expose them to the wrath of society/the law and to make sure that everyone know the evil that some people are capable of. In addition, the law has to treat these individuals with the greatest distain and have sentences that truly reflect the crime. Evidence has shown that people who victimize our children and who would be categorized as ‘pedophiles’ are beyond rehabilitation and should be incarcerated for long prison terms and closely monitored after their release. Furthermore, a child that is subjected to sexual abuse is more likely to themselves become perpetrators. This is why we have to protect our children from these types of predators in our society.
Re The Sandra canton article:
"high expectations of leaders and politicians to make sure that they are not contributing to the moral decay of our society"
Well there in lies the problem. The government is too busy lining their pockets with revenue from the 500 registered "banks" on the island, the cruise ship money, and the buy and selling and contracting and renting of land.
Why on earth is everything so freaking expensive in Cayman?
Is it any wonder more people are not being robbed and killed daily?
So sad.
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