Staff Writer————————————————————
THIS WEEKS NEWS SUMMARY
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ANDEM FREED AFTER WITNESS COPS OUT – January 28, 2005
The notorious gangster and alleged murder of many Joel Andem has been freed of murder charges because the lone witness refused to testify for fear of his life. Andem was freed of the shooting death of 20-year-old Lennox Ffrench on Old Hope Road in June 2000. The lone witness said he was afraid for his life and did not want to spend the rest of it looking over his soldiers. He said he lived in the community where the crime was committed and thus was afraid of reprisal from Andem gangs…
GANG WAR CLAIMS LIFE OF 4-MONTH OLD BABY!
A four-month-old baby’s life was snuffed out because of warring factions in Falmouth on Thursday. Following the incident, a tense calm was maintained in the two communities, Compound and Race Course. Two other persons lost their lives from these communities, the first being a seventeen-year-old man called Fabian Gayle. The four-month-old baby Candy and her father are suspected of being killed in reprisal for the murder of Gayle. The mother of the baby was also shot in the incident and taken to an undisclosed hospital…
BRAETON SEVEN MURDER TRIAL CONTINUES
The trial for the seven young men killed by a police party in March 2001 continues with the testimony of Acting Deputy Superintendent Dwight Phipps, one of the five policemen charged with the murders. Phipps testified that orders of the operation carried out in Braeton on March 14 were approved by the commissioner’s office in a meeting held the day before. Phipps explained that acting upon orders from the commissioner’s office and armed with warrants for the arrest of two of the seven teens. On their first stop the police arrested one of the two suspects and was led to a second location in search of the other suspect. However, their second stop led to them to yet another location, 1088 Seal Way where the incident occurred. Phipps said they got intelligence with said that men were held up in a house in Seal Way Braeton and they were heavily armed. On the team’s arrival, shooting commenced from the house and the police returned fire. At the end of the gunfire exchange, the seven youngsters were found dead and four firearms recovered including one belonging to Constable Gibson one of the victims allegedly killed by one of the seven…
JLP CONTINUES IN TURMOIL – January 28, 2005
The Jamaica Labour Party continues to operate in turmoil, the latest incident involving Deputy Leader Horace Chang and ex-caretaker Norman Horne supporters. Horne resigned as caretaker of South East St. Elizabeth constituency last week, but refused to give up his seat in the Senate. Chang said he had gone to the constituency to hold a meeting organised by the constituency and was forced to end the meeting because it was getting out of hand. He said that on his way to his vehicle an angry mob consisting of Horn’s supporters followed him. He pulled his firearm to disburse the crowd, no shots were fired and no one was hurt. The police are investigating…
22-YEAR OLD PRINCETON STUDENT TO GIVE LECTURE
A 22-year old Jamaican student at Princeton University in the United States is set to give this year’ Buxton Thompson Memorial Lecture on February 2 at Kings House. Nyron Shane Burke left Jamaica at the age of five to join his parents in the US. At the age of seventeen, he became an elected member of the Prince George’s County Board Of Education, where he represented nearly 140,000 students attending a score of schools in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. He secured a US$80,000 scholarship and was chosen to analyse and identify areas for reform in the U.S. Intelligence Community under the guidance of former CIA Inspector-General, Frederick Hitz. He also received the Woodrow Wilson School’s Van de Velde Award for a policy paper on ‘U.S. Policy in the Greek-Turkey-Cyprus region’…
ANDREA LEVY WINS BIG FOR SMALL ISLAND
A British author, Andrea Levy has won a second literary prize for her book called ‘Small Island’. The book is about Jamaican immigrants in post-war Britain. Sir Trevor McDonald, a Trinidadian chairing the Whitbread judging panel described the book as “ A slice of life from the West Indian Diaspora, people who came over here in the 1940s to fight for the mother country against the tyranny of Hitler’s Germany,”. Andrea Levy grew up in North London and her parents themselves are immigrants who came to Britain in 1948. She describes her books as having to do with people and history and not race…
EDUCATION REFORM NEEDS TIME TO IMPLEMENT – January 26, 2005
The reform of Jamaica’s Education system will need at least three years before it can be effectively implemented. Education minister Maxine Henry Wilson, told reporters that changes to the system will not be evident any time soon as changes to fundamental behaviours and attitudes will have to be made. Ms. Wilson said that she would need the assistance and co-operation of teachers in the process of reform as well as nation building…
CIVILIAN TESTIMONY AT BRAETON TRIAL
A civilian giving testimony at the Braeton murder trial said she could hear a barrage of gunshots and cries for help and murder coming from the house in Seal Way Breaton on the morning of the incident. The witness said she lives about twenty feet away from the house where the seven youngsters were killed. The sixty-two year old woman said she was up making her tea around 4am and 5am when she heard shots and cries for help, she opened her back door to ascertain where the cries were being heard and confirmed that they were coming from 1088 Seal Way. According to the witness, the occupants of the house were crying out and it sounded like school children making noise. She reported that she also heard voices crying out “whoa, whoa, help me, Mr. Corpie help me.” She said she heard “bif, bif, bif” like when you are knocking something. Corpie was a man who jerked chicken in front of 1088 Fifth Seal Way….
POLICEMAN INVOLVED IN MISSING MEN CASE MAKES BAIL
The policeman involved in the disappearance of two men on December 23 has made bail in the sum of $150,000 with three sureties. Corporal Lawrence Clayton is attached to the Organised Crime Investigative Division (OCID) and is one of three policemen arrested in connection with the disappearance of Kemar Walters and Oliver Duncan from the plaza on Washington Boulevard. Corporal Clayton was ordered to surrender his travel documents. In the meantime, Scotland Yard cops continue to investigate the incident…
NO TAX THRESHOLD INCREASE – January 25, 2005
The government has shelved its plans to increase the income tax threshold in light of the fact that it has just approved a twenty percent increase in the National Minimum Wage. Minister of Information Burchell Whiteman told reporters that there were several implications to the lifting of the income tax threshold, which would not serve to dissolve the problems of the poor. However, come January 31, the order to increase the minimum wage by twenty percent will prevent employers from deducting income tax from employees receiving the minimum wage of $2,400 per week…
EXODUS OF TEACHERS BEGINS AGAIN – January 25, 2005
The nightmare for the Jamaican society is beginning yet again as an advert in Saturday and Sunday’s newspaper soliciting the services of teachers was made. Michael Clarke, president of the Jamaica Teachers Association however, warned the teachers to be careful of contracts entered into with overseas companies employing their services. Mr. Clarke said that pay and conditions would force some teachers to take up the offer, but he emphasised that they should exercise caution…
CURFEW IMPOSED ON SPANISH TOWN – January 24, 2005
As a resident of Spanish Town Ellersie Pen received news of the death of her son Omar Williams, eight other families are receiving the same news about their families. Reports are that men dressed like police officers attacked the community in broad daylight killing nine persons. Among the nine victims, two were children aged nine and thirteen. Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, councillor for the area has asked the police high command to increase their presence in the area. Additionally, police has reported that despite regular checks and searches, they are have been unable to stem the violence in Spanish Town…
ARMY MAN HELD IN CUSTODY
A soldier who discharged his firearm at family members and his ex-girlfriend has been remanded in custody. He will remain in custody until his trial on February 18 where his case will be mentioned in the Gun Court. Mr. Justice Horace Marsh refused him bail. He is charged with several counts of shooting and wounding with intent. Among his victims was a three-year old girl…
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SPORTS
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ARNETT VS HARVOUR VIEW January 25, 2005
Arnett Gardens’ Kwame Richardson secured a powerful win over Harbour View in a nail biting finish at the Tony Spauldings Sports Complex on Sunday. Harbour View, the Caribbean champions lost hopes of winning. The win puts Arnett Gardens on nine points in the second round, one ahead of the rejuvenated Constant Spring and more importantly, only one point behind Harbour View – which have two games in hand – and three points behind overall leaders Waterhouse…
JAMAICA UNDER-20S LOST TO HONDURAS – January 28, 2005
The under-20 Reggae Boyz went down 4-2 against Honduras in their opening bid for a place in the CONCAF World Cup Qualifying Final Round. The Jamaicans The Boyz played at Estadio Francisco Morazan and was behind 3-0 at half time. However, despite two goals in the second half the Jamaicans were unable to make a comeback, with Honduras scoring a final goal to hammer the nail in the Boyz coffin…
Honduras and Canada Victorious
Jan 28
Host Honduras and Canada opened the 2005 CONCACAF Under-20 Group B Final Round games with victories over Jamaica and Mexico respectively on Wednesday. Two goals each by Cesar Guity (45th and 72nd) and Ramon Nunez (45th and 72nd) led Honduras to a 4:2 win over Jamaica whose goals came from Akeem Priestley (55th) and Obrion White (69th). The Young Reggae Boyz will face CONCACAF giants Mexico on Friday with hopes of keeping their Group B qualifying campaign alive in a match slated for 6:30 at the Estadio Francisco Morazan in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Group B ends on Sunday when Canada meets Jamaica and Honduras faces Mexico. The top two teams will join Panama and the USA as the CONCACAF representatives at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. Jamaica’s team for today’s game: Ryan Thompson, Kemar Munroe, Rodolph Austin, Keneel Moodie, Nicholy Finlayson , Luton Shelton, Horace Howell, Akeem Priestley, Obrian White, Jermaine Taylor and Seon Givens.
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