COSTLY WAIT A 15-month transcript delay has cost the Crown its chance to challenge the 26-year minimum term before parole imposed on Andre Thomas for the 2016 killing of two American missionaries in St Mary. The Court of Appeal last month ruled that the Crown’s appeal against the sentence was statute-barred because it was not heard within the 12 months prescribed by law. The court also rejected a subsequent attempt by the prosecution to revive the matter by filing a renewed application for leave to appeal.
Caregivers need to take care of themselves, too CONCORD, New Hampshire (AP): For Jessica Renda, the breaking point was a particularly chaotic Christmas season. Consumed by her eldest daughter's mental and behavioral health struggles, she stopped exercising or doing anything else that brought her joy. Forget holiday magic, she was barely hanging on.
Chuck: Ministries dragging feet on updating archaic fines Several government ministries have not yet submitted lists of offences with “absolutely ridiculous” monetary fines that fall under their purview, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has disclosed. The revelation comes years after the Government, through the justice ministry, began legislative reforms targeting nearly 700 mostly archaic laws with outdated monetary fines that have not been adjusted for decades.
‘A watchman may not be enough’ WESTERN BUREAU: The St James police are urging the Ministry of Education to put adequate security measures in place at schools to address a spike in break-ins in recent weeks. Speaking at the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) meeting on Thursday, Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, who heads the St James Police Division, said schools should include provisions in their budgets for security systems that will reduce or prevent burglaries.
Management hearing in ‘Buju’ murder case rescheduled WESTERN BUREAU: The case management hearing in the murder case against Constable Andrew Wilson, who is charged with the May shooting death of Latoya ‘Buju’ Bulgin, has been rescheduled to December 4. The hearing was scheduled to begin on Friday morning following Wilson’s previous appearance in the St James Circuit Court on July 13.
StJMC mulls action against companies for hanging wires WESTERN BUREAU: The St James Municipal Corporation is calling on telecommunications companies with low-hanging wires, which were displaced by Hurricane Melissa a year ago, to address them immediately or risk legal action in the interest of the public safety. Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon issued the warning on Thursday at the St James Municipal Corporation’s (StJMC) City Hall 2026 Municipal Budget Presentation at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre, where he outlined plans for the corporation’s $2.8-billion budget expenditure for the 2027-2028 financial year.
OUSTER LOOMS - PNP caucus plans to boot May Pen mayor, deputy; tackle permits, water The minority caucus in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation says it will move a no-confidence motion against Mayor of May Pen Joel Williams and his deputy, Clive Mundle, at a special sitting it has requested following a dramatic end to Thursday’s monthly meeting. Minority Leader Scean Barnswell, the councillor for the Hayes division, has declared that the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is poised to take over the majority and steer the parish in a new direction.
JLP rift rocks Clarendon MC with councillor, MP at odds Soured relations between Councillor Tanyalee Williams and Clarendon Central Member of Parliament (MP) Delroy Williams have boiled over, triggering her dramatic resignation from the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The decision signals a bruising blow to the party’s control of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (CMC) and will break an 11-11 deadlock to hand the opposition People’s National Party a 12-10 majority.
May Pen mayor puts brakes on move to hand PNP majority An announcement by May Pen North division Councillor Tanyalee Williams that she would be crossing the floor to join the opposition People’s National Party caucus triggered an abrupt end to the monthly meeting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation as it descended into chaos. The move would have shifted the balance of power to 12-10, with the PNP breaking the 11-11 current deadlock with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
Wildman seeks Sykes’ intervention over clash of court dates Attorney Hugh Wildman has called for Chief Justice Bryan Sykes to intervene in conflicting court commitments that he says are making it difficult for him to attend the multimillion-dollar fraud trial involving former Education Minister Ruel Reid and his co-accused. Wildman, who represents former Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) President Professor Fritz Pinnock, has missed several days of the trial in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court because of his commitments in the murder trial of six policemen accused in the 2013 killing of three people on Acadia Drive in St Andrew.