Devon Anglin acquitted of murder
Devon Jermaine Anglin was found not guilty of murdering Jeremiah Barnes, 4, at the Hell Service Station on the night of 15 February, 2010. The boy was in the back seat of a car driven by his father, Andy Barnes, who was said to be the gunman’s actual target.
Anglin chose to be tried by judge alone and Justice Howard Cooke said he found the identification evidence of Jeremiah’s parents unreliable. The judge accepted the evidence of a pump attendant, saying that witness had no interest to serve. He did not comment on the evidence of a forensic CCTV analyst, who showed the court enlarged photos from the CCTV camera outside the station.
The Crown later confirmed the decision would be appealed.
No confidence motion fails
Leader of the Opposition Alden McLaughlin filed a private member’s motion on a lack of confidence in the government in April and debate began at lunchtime on 7 September. The vote was taken just before 2.30am the next day and was defeated, 5 to 9, with Independent MLA Ezzard Miller joining the opposition.
Mr. McLaughlin said he had brought the motion so that Premier McKeeva Bush could respond to numerous issues.
New road to West Bay
Representatives of government and Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd. ceremoniously broke ground on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway after Cabinet approved the new road.
The road is the first project to get under way as part of the arrangement of the public/private sector collaboration known as the ForCayman Investment Alliance. It will continue the present road from Raleigh Quay to Batabano Road in West Bay.
The ground breaking occurred before the main agreement was finalised, but Premier McKeeva Bush indicated both sides wanted to get people employed on the project.
Minimum wage
Lawmakers voted in favour of a $5 minimum wage for workers in the Cayman Islands. The vote was on a private members motion brought by MLA Ezzard Miller. It asks for an amendment to the Labour Law enabling the minimum wage to be introduced and then reviewed every five years.
The minimum will be a basic wage, below which no one can be hired, whether Caymanian or a person on work permit. It would not apply to school-age juveniles.
Homicides
From Thursday, 15 September until Friday, 23 September, every front page of the Caymanian Compass carried news of fatal shootings in Grand Cayman, five in all. The first three occurred in West Bay every other night, followed by one in George Town and the fifth homicide in East End.
The victims were Robert Macford Bush, 28; Andrew Anthony Baptist, 24; Preston Rivers, 18; Jason Christian, 18; Asher William McGaw, 21. Details in the year’s Top 10 Stories.
Concern about the violence led the Cayman Islands Football Association to move two league matches out of West Bay.
Rollover and Work permits
Cabinet temporarily suspended Cayman’s term limit on foreign workers’ residency. The suspension is for one year initially, but will be extended for up to two years, to allow form a comprehensive review of the policy.
Typically, there is a seven-year limit for work permit holders unless they are granted “key employee” status. The suspension allows foreigners to remain employed under a new category of authorisation called a Term Limit Exemption Permit.
Later in the month, Mr. Bush announced he would propose legislation for the creation of work permits that will be good for 10 years “for certain very senior occupations.” He also said the temporary suspension of what has been called the rollover policy did not automatically allow every worker to remain beyond their seven years.
$11 million to tackle crime
With six robberies and one attempted robbery occurring between 11 August and 5 September, followed by five homicides in nine days, government committed $11 million to measures designed to halt the surge in violent crime.
The sum includes $4.6 million to the police, which will allow creation of 50 additional posts within the police service, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Commissioner David Baines said.
This sum has been added to $2 million for a CCTV system, $3 million for a scanner used by customs officials, and $500,000 to remove the prison antenna.
What I See Happening
As grim as September news was, the subject on one story had thousands of people smiling. A talented young resident created a video parody and posted it on YouTube. The artist arranged music and incorporated graphics to accompany words from a speech by Premier McKeeva Bush with the memorable chorus, “What I see happening is pure unadulterated bureaucratic harassment
…”
Mr. Bush made his comments on 25 August, when speaking about the results of the financial performance of government and the wider public sector.
When the producer/composer was interviewed in early September the item had just under 6,000 hits, which the reporter described as “viral on a Caymanian scale.” Close to year’s end, the video had attracted 12,061 hits, 115 likes and three dislikes.
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