High of 84 Low of 72 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open waters. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 UK PARLIAMENT MUST INITIATE A ‘PUBLIC INQUIRY’ INTO OPERATION TEMPURA LOCAL | PAGE 2 AN ‘EPIC’ NIGHT FOR PARADE OF LIGHTS ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Steve Speirs, a veteran British runner, won his fourth Cayman Islands Intertrust Mar- athon Sunday, while a U.S. surgeon claimed her first Cayman title in the 26.2-mile race following the long-distance runner’s version of a photo-finish. Thoracic surgeon Yvonne Carter and Cay- manian-born Australia resident Lizzy Haines (who is also an M.D.) were neck-and-neck down the stretch, when Dr. Carter – still re- covering from a torn calf muscle – turned on the speed. The American won it at three hours, 28 minutes, 31 seconds. “About two miles from the finish, I caught up to [Dr. Carter],” said Dr. Haines, who fin- ished just 15 seconds later. “But at 10 meters I just didn’t have it in my legs anymore – she had a little something extra.” It was a challenging race for many of the runners, who were facing stiff head- winds toward the finish as Cayman’s Christmas breezes picked up along the George Town waterfront. Dr. Carter was limping a bit afterward. “That was painful, I didn’t know the wind was supposed blow you backwards. “But the event was great, it’s my first time running the Cayman marathon. If you guys are hiring a surgeon, I’d love to move here tomorrow.” Dr. Haines, the second-place finisher, can at least claim bragging rights for coming Police commissioner meets with bikers group BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A group of local motorbike enthusiasts and opposition MLAs were surprised to hear what Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Commissioner Derek Byrne told them during a private meeting Thursday night. Mr. Byrne met at George Town Central MLA Kenneth Bry- an’s constituent office with Mr. Bryan and Newlands MLA Alva Suckoo, as well as five members of the motorbike group who par- ticipated – with legally licensed vehicles – in the Sunday, Nov. 26 ride around Grand Cayman. Mr. Byrne told the group he would support another big ride – sometimes referred to as the Ride of the Century or Ride Out Cayman – at the same time next year, as long as all the mo- torbikes and other vehicles in- volved were licensed for proper use on the roads, and police were notified and could provide necessary security for the event. The vehicles would also have to be operated safely, within the limits of the Traffic Law, the commissioner said. “I said I’d support it 100 percent, If it’s legal, and it’s lawful … and I need to know the roads I’m going to close,” Mr. Byrne said. There has been some discon- tent in Cayman that more mo- torbike riders, some of whom were clearly riding illegally during the Nov. 26 event, had Old hand, new challenger win marathon Byrne: We cannot ‘alienate’ young motorbikers Thursday’s meeting between police and local bikers was described as ‘productive.’ Pictured above, from left, are MLAs Kenneth Bryan and Alva Suckoo, Rawle Hemraj, Commissioner Derek Byrne, Darren McLaughlin, Devonte McLaughlin and Jamie McLaughlin. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Men’s marathon winner Steve Speirs powers his way to first place in the 26.2-mile run. Some 1,200 marathon and half-marathon runners took their marks at 5 a.m. Sunday to start the race. – PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 14 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Daily Matinees Every Day • $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 • Additional charges will apply per 3D/VIP ticket requested SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - MONDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) COCO 3D (PG) 12:35 2D I 4:00 I 7:00 2D I 9:15 WONDER (PG) 1:05 I 6:30 JUSTICE LEAGUE 3D (PG13) 1:00 I 4:20 2D VIP I 7:10 2D VIP I 9:55 2D DADDY’S HOME 2 (PG13) 2:35 I 5:05 I 7:35 I 10:10 TIL DEATH US DO PART (PG13) 1:50 I 4:25 I 7:15 I 9:55 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (PG13) 3:40 I 10:00 VIP THOR: RAGNAROK 3D (PG13) 1:20 2D VIP I 3:30 I 6:30 2D I 9:30 A story titled “Sugar glider case adjourned to 2018,” which ran on page 1 of Friday’s Cayman Com- pass erroneously identified Nicholas Dixey as the de- fense attorney of defendant Jimel Martin McLean. Mr. Dixey represents co-defen- dant Sabrina Robin Walton. Mr. McLean is represented by attorney Richard Barton. CORRECTION Close to 8,000 people turned up for Saturday night’s Parade of Lights, the annual event which is one of the hallmarks of Cayman’s annual holiday season. Ten boats participated in the annual light show, where owners “dress up” their wa- tercraft for the holidays and display them in front of the crowds gathered at the Paseo in Camana Bay. Epic Divers won this year’s best design crown in the “large boat” category. In the smaller boat category, Cool Runnings took the award. Both winners will receive a $2,000 cash prize. The annual event also included the Camana Bay Christmas market, live music performances and fire- works displays.The Epic Divers entry took the prize for large boats at Saturday’s Parade of Lights. The fireworks at Camana Bay during the annual Parade of Lights are always one of the highlights of the Christmas season. – PHOTOS: MAGGIE JACKSON An ‘Epic’ night for Parade of Lights Opposition wants re-do of Honduras elections TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) – Residents of Honduras’ cap- ital were bracing for more demonstrations Sunday after a night of pot-banging pro- tests over the long-delayed vote count in last week’s presidential elections. The sound of bottle- rockets, clanging pots and chants echoed through Te- gucigalpa late Saturday, and the opposition planned new protests against alleged vote fraud against opposition can- didate Salvador Nasralla, who is calling for a re-do of the election. President Juan Orlando Hernandez leads the partial vote count and his govern- ment has imposed a 10-day curfew of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to quell continuing demon- strations. On Saturday, the curfew was dropped for the country’s two main tourist areas, the Bay Islands and the Mayan ruins of Copan. Clashes between pro- testers and troops have killed at least one person, and per- haps as many as a half-dozen. Both Hernandez and Nas- ralla, a television person- ality, have claimed victory in the Nov. 26 vote. Nasralla had been leading in the count until a lengthy delay inter- rupted reports from electoral officials, feeding opposition complaints of irregularities. Officials blamed the pause on technical problems and de- nied any manipulation. “I have asked them to re- peat the elections, but only those for the presidency, with the aim of resolving the crisis that Honduras is suf- fering,” Nasralla told The As- sociated Press.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 CaymanCompass.com/Contests CAYMAN COMPASS MARATHON PHOTO CONTEST Cayman Compass C.I. Marathon Photo Contest Dec 3, 2017 Cayman Compass C.I. Marathon Photo Contest Dec 3, 2017 Cayman Compass C.I. Marathon Photo Contest Dec 3, 2017 CI$1,000 Prize Package A Camana Bay Flavour Tour for 4 including food and drink pairings. Kitesurfi ng lessons for 2 with Kitesurf Cayman Kite School. A Fitbit Charge 2 from Cayman Health. MOST FACEBOOK REACTIONS WINS! VO TE B Y 10 A .M . FR ID AY , DEC EM BE R 8 TH !The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass offi ce. After more than 10 years and the expenditure of more than $15 million of Cayman Islands’ money, Oper- ation Tempura remains a book which will not close. The latest chapter was reported on the front page of this newspaper Nov. 24 with the announcement that former Chief Investigator Martin Bridger and his one-time second in command, U.K. police officer Richard Coy, had been cleared of any wrongdoing in the case. The announcement followed a four-year investi- gation into Mr. Bridger’s activities and, according to a statement from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, “The case is now closed.” Well, not quite. In fact, not at all. The facts and circumstances surrounding Operation Tempura comprise one of the most sordid sagas in modern U.K./Cayman relations. The magnitude of the wrongdoing – and the clumsy attempts to cover it up – would be worthy of a Greek tragedy. Too many millions of dollars have been spent, too many lives have been left in shambles, and too many of the U.K.’s and Cayman’s most prominent public officials are yet to answer for their roles in the Tempura affair. Nothing less than an impartial public inquiry, con- ducted ideally under the chairmanship of an august British magistrate, will ever be able to remove this stain from Britain’s and Cayman’s historical record. The readers of this newspaper may believe that anything that is relevant or signifi cant about the Tempura affair has already been reported and is well known. But they are wrong. At every juncture, major participants in Tempura have been silenced or dissuaded from telling their stories through “confi dentiality clauses” built in to set- tlement agreements or other means, such as exten- sively redacting documents obtained following long- and hard-fought Freedom of Information battles. The decision by Cayman’s Offi ce of Public Pros- ecutions not to move forward (again we reiterate for emphasis, after four years) with charges against Mr. Bridger raises two possibilities: First, there was no case to be made. If that is so, the investigation over time became more punitive than probative. Eventually, the time had come for the pros- ecutors to either put up or shut up – and they decided to shut up. Or second, no one in the Cayman Islands or the U.K. had the appetite to put Mr. Bridger on the witness stand where he was likely to “name names” and reveal all he knew about this sordid affair. Now that Mr. Bridger is out of legal jeopardy, he, too, is calling for a public inquiry. He told the Compass last week: “I would be a willing witness, give evidence under oath and answer any question asked of me.” Most readers are aware that Operation Tempura was initiated in 2007 following an after-hours entry into the offi ce of publisher Desmond Seales (now deceased) who ran the now-defunct Cayman Net News. While only one reporter actually entered Mr. Seales’s offi ce, he and a colleague were in search of documents they suspected Mr. Seales had in his pos- session relating to sensitive ongoing police operations. Then-Police Commissioner Stuart Kernohan initi- ated a request to then-Governor Stuart Jack to bring in an undercover team from the U.K. Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) to investigate the leaks. Mr. Bridger led that team. The investigation metastasized from there. Despite the massive allocation of financial resources and interminable and multiple investigations, Opera- tion Tempura yielded no convictions but did lead to the arrest of a sitting Grand Court judge, Alex Henderson. Shortly after his arrest, Justice Henderson settled his case, receiving more than $1.275 million in damages. Many of the most sensational issues regarding what actually took place during Operation Tempura have been purposely withheld from the public. The documentation detailing the roles of U.K. and Cayma- nian offi cials participating in Tempura still exists and must be preserved – preferably by court order. The fi nancial cost, the cover-up and the reputa- tional carnage engendered by Operation Tempura remains unaddressed on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a tale that many powerful people do not want told. But it must be told, and a full public inquiry, initiated by the U.K. Parliament, is the proper forum for its telling. UK Parliament must initiate a ‘public inquiry’ into Operation Tempura MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS When is making a cake protected speech? WASHINGTON – The conver- sation about a cake lasted less than a minute but will long reverberate in constitu- tional law. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear 60 minutes of speech about when, if at all, making a cake counts as constitu- tionally protected speech and, if so, what the impli- cations are for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s contention that Jack Phil- lips violated the state’s law against sexual-orientation discrimination. Phillips, 61, is a devout Christian and proprietor of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., where he works as – his description – a cake artist. Charlie Craig and David Mullins entered his shop to order a cake to celebrate their wedding. Phillips said that although he would gladly make cakes for gay people for birthdays or other celebrations, he dis- approves of same-sex mar- riage on religious grounds, and so does not make cakes for such celebrations. (He also refuses, for religious reasons, to make Halloween cakes.) To be compelled to do so would, he says, vio- late his constitutional right to speak freely. This, he says, includes the right not to be compelled to contribute his expressive cake artistry to a ceremony or occasion cele- brating ideas or practices he does not condone. Well. The First Amendment speaks of speech; its pres- ence in a political document establishes its core purpose as the protection of speech intended for public per- suasion. The amendment has, however, been rightly construed broadly to pro- tect many expressive ac- tivities. Many, but there must be limits. Phillips was neither asked nor required to attend, let alone participate in, the wedding. Same-sex marriage was not yet legal in Colo- rado, so Craig and Mullins were to be married in Mas- sachusetts. The cake was for a subsequent reception in Denver. But even if the cake were to have been consumed at a wedding, Phillips’ cre- ation of the cake before the ceremony would not have constituted participation in any meaningful sense. Six decades ago, the civil rights movement gained mo- mentum through heroic acts of civil disobedience by Af- rican-Americans whose sit- ins at lunch counters, and other challenges to segrega- tion in commerce, produced the “public accommodations” section of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. It established the principle that those who open their doors for business must serve all who enter. That principle would become quite porous were it sus- pended whenever someone claimed his or her conduct was speech expressing an idea, and therefore created a constitutional exemption from a valid and neutral law of general applicability. Photography is inher- ently a creative, expressive art, so photographers have a strong case against compul- sory documentation of cer- emonies at which they must be present. Less clearly but plausibly, fl orists can claim aesthetic expression in fl oral arrangements, but their work is done before wedding cere- monies occur. Chauffeurs fa- cilitate ceremonies, but First Amendment jurisprudence would become incoherent if it protected unwilling chauf- feurs from their supposedly expressive participation in ceremonies to which they de- liver actual participants. It is diffi cult to formu- late a limiting principle that draws a bright line distin- guishing essentially expres- sive conduct from conduct with incidental or negligible expressive possibilities. Nev- ertheless, it can be easy to identify some things that clearly are on one side of the line or the other. So, re- garding Phillips’ creations: A cake can be a medium for creativity; hence, in some not-too-expansive sense, it can be food for thought. However, it certainly, and primarily, is food. And the creator’s involvement with it ends when he sends it away to those who consume it. Phillips ought to lose this case. But Craig and Mullins, who sought his punishment, have behaved abominably. To make his vocation com- patible with his convictions and Colorado law Phillips has stopped making wedding cakes, which was his prin- cipal pleasure and 40 percent of his business. He now has only four employees, down from 10. Craig and Mullins, who have caused him serious fi nancial loss and emotional distress, might be feeling vir- tuous for having done so. But siccing the government on him was nasty. Denver has many bakers who, not having Phillips’ scruples, would have unhes- itatingly supplied the cake they desired. So, it was not necessary for Craig’s and Mullins’ satisfaction as con- sumers to submit Phillips to government coercion. Evi- dently, however, it was nec- essary for their satisfaction as asserters of their rights as a same-sex couple. Phillips’ obedience to his religious convictions nei- ther expressed animus to- ward them nor injured them nor seriously inconvenienced them. Their side’s sweeping victory in the struggle over gay rights has been decisive, and now less bullying and more magnanimity from the victors would be seemly. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will fi nd their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 OR Grand Prize US$2,000 Second Prize US$1,000 #MyHoliday †Conditions apply. Subject to credit approval. @Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Apply today at your nearest branch and enjoy: Flexible terms • Affordable payments • Any purpose Go to ky.scotiabank.com/myholiday for contest details. Hurry! Contest ends January 15, 2018. Get a Scotia Plan Loan for the holidays and you could win!† Judge accepts submission of no case to answer CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A judge on Friday directed the jury in the case of a Feb. 4 shooting and assault outside a West Bay Road nightclub to find one of the five defen- dants not guilty. Jurors were told why defendant Leshawn Sha- heem Forrester was leaving the dock, after Justice Roger Chapple explained the legal meaning of “No case to answer.” Trial was scheduled to continue on Monday for the remaining four defendants. The jurors had been se- lected on Friday, Nov. 17, and began hearing evidence the following week. Witnesses included Daniel Alexander Bennett, who said he was struck with a pistol and shot at, but the bullet missed; and Carlney Campbell, who described being assaulted and shot in his shoulder. It had been alleged that Forrester kicked and/or punched Mr. Campbell while he was on the ground. He was never charged with any offense relating to a firearm. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran closed the case for the Crown last Tuesday and the jury was released early that afternoon, returning on Friday after a break of two days. Justice Chapple told ju- rors there had been submis- sions of no case to answer and that he had upheld some. He said, “The law re- quires me to apply this test: Has the prosecution failed to establish an essential ingre- dient of the offense that they must prove, or is the state of the evidence such that no reasonable jury prop- erly directed and applying the law could find the de- fendant guilty?” Justice Chapple empha- sized that he was not de- ciding whether a defendant was guilty or not guilty. His decision was “whether the prosecution has estab- lished the basic foundation on which, if you heard no further evidence and were driven there, you could find the defendant guilty. It’s no indication of what I think. What I think doesn’t matter two hoots,” he said. For defendant Forrester, the judge decided there was no case for him to answer. Forrester had faced a single count – causing grievous bodily harm to Mr. Camp- bell with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. Other defendants charged with this same count were Malik Wilford Mothen, Ta- shika Makeba Mothen and Kashwayne Hewitt and they remained so charged. The judge then directed the jury to return a verdict of “not guilty” for Forrester, which the foreman did. The judge discharged Forrester and told him he was free to leave the dock. Mr. Moran provided copies of a revised indict- ment for the four defen- dants remaining. On count one, Tashika Mothen is charged with making to Mr. Bennett a threat to kill a named person. On count two, her hus- band, Malik Mothen, is charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm in the vicinity of Fete Night Club on Feb. 4. Tashika Mothen had orig- inally been charged with him, but Justice Chapple re- minded jurors that it had not been suggested that she was ever in physical possession or control of the firearm. The Crown’s case was that pos- session of the firearm started with her husband and passed to Hewitt, so he had de- cided there was no case for her to answer. Hewitt was also origi- nally named in this count, as well as a later count alleging possession of the firearm six days after the shooting. What happened, the judge explained, was that Hewitt pleaded guilty to possessing the gun on Feb. 10. He sub- mitted a written basis of plea which effectively ex- tended the period of his pos- session, on the basis that he came into possession of the handgun on Feb. 4 and had it continuously in his posses- sion until Feb. 10. For that reason, the jury was not required to re- turn a verdict for Hewitt on this count. On count three, Malik Mothen is also charged with assault causing actual bodily harm to Carlney Campbell. On counts four and five, the Mothens together are charged with causing ac- tual bodily harm to Mr. Ben- nett and attempting to cause his death. As an alterna- tive to attempted murder, they are charged on count six with attempting to cause him grievous bodily harm with intent. The judge ex- plained that for attempted murder, there must be an in- tention to kill. If jurors were unsure about intent to kill, they could go on to consider the attempt to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. Malik Mothen, Ta- shika Mothen and Kash- wayne Hewitt are charged on counts seven and eight with attempting unlawfully to cause the death of Mr. Campbell and causing him grievous bodily harm with intent to do so. The final count on the indictment relates to Dan- iella Tibbetts. Details of the charge are that she, to- gether with Hewitt, on Feb. 10 in West Bay, had in their possession an unli- censed firearm. Tashika Mothen was giving her evidence when court adjourned on Friday and she was sched- uled to continue when the trial resumed. Justice Chapple emphasized that he was not deciding whether a defendant was guilty or not guilty. Jury directed to acquit one of five shooting defendants6 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Residents clean up Prospect Members of the Prospect Community Group cleaned up roadsides in an area of their district recently. Residents joined district MLA Austin Harris, RCIPS Community Officer PC Chris- topher Donaldson and Premier Alden McLaughlin’s personal assistant Frank Cornwall to rid Marina Drive, Omega Drive, Mahogany Drive and Victory Avenue of discarded plastic, old food containers, bottles and beer cans that had been strewn along the road- side or in the surrounding ditches and bushes. By the end of the effort on Saturday, Nov. 24, they had collected 24 bags of garbage, which Mr. Harris transported to the landfill. “Littering is not only thoughtless and unsightly, it can also create a hazard,” said Mr. Harris. “For example, flooding is a particular con- cern in parts of Prospect, and as a result of this clean- up effort, we have been able to clear a storm drain in Vic- tory Avenue that was pre- viously blocked with over- grown vegetation. “As soon as the litter and vegetation was cleared, you could hear the water gushing through the drain where it is supposed to go. This will hopefully lead to residents ex- periencing less flooding in the immediate area.” Executive committee chair- woman Sabrina Turner, who helped organize the cleanup, said the Prospect community has a WhatsApp group with close to 200 members, through which such cleanups and other activities are organized. The group had also scheduled another cleanup for Sunday morning, Dec. 3. She made special mention of husband-and-wife team Carol and Rolphie Braggs, who not only assisted with the cleanup, but provided sandwiches and refreshments for the volunteers as well. “That’s the kind of spirit we have in our community,” she said. “We are also very grateful for the support received from the National Roads Authority, which provided us with gloves and garbage bags that have been a great help in our effort to get Prospect spruced up for Christmas.” To contact the Prospect Community Executive Committee, email prospectcommunity345@gmail.com or visit the Prospect Community Facebook page.Kara Coe and Mark Rickman assist with the cleanup. Eric Turner, Loretta Ramoon and Insp. Courtney Myles clean up a roadside area. Level playing field requested by applicants MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com No decisions have yet been made on pending li- quor license applications that would allow retail stores to sell beer, wine and spirits on Sundays, as the licensing board awaits a hoped-for change in the law. “We’ve sent a letter to the government to request that the law be changed quickly,” said Deputy Chairwoman Lynn Bodden when the board met Friday. She was responding to complaints from Robert Hamaty, of the Tor- tuga Rum Company. Mr. Hamaty was arguing against not only a change in the law, but the exploi- tation of what he called a mistake that has allowed some retailers to sell pack- aged alcohol on Sundays, which has traditionally been prohibited. In March, the previous li- censing board approved a re- tail license – normally only issued to bars and restau- rants, which are allowed to serve liquor on Sundays – to Peanuts convenience store in Red Bay. That board then at- tempted to rescind that li- cense by changing the min- utes of its meeting. An audit later revealed that change, and in September, Peanuts was granted the license. Since then, Mr. Hamaty and other package retailers have applied for similar li- censes. Their argument is that Peanuts has an unfair advan- tage and the rules should be uniform. “The law is clear,” Mr. Hamaty said. “And to be quite honest, the board is not following the law. “I’m arguing against my- self. I don’t want to sell on Sunday and I don’t want to open a bar. I’m here only be- cause I’m looking for a level playing field.” Board Chairman Noel Wil- liams said he understood Mr. Hamaty’s frustration. The board, he said, is struggling with trying to fix a problem it did not create. “We’re aware of the posi- tion we’ve been put in and we’re going to address it,” Mr. Williams said. “A mistake happened. We have to bring it all together and be fair to everyone. We’re going to do what is within the law. Just give us some time.” “How can you refuse a li- cense to me and [Johnny Brown] and Jason Brown, when Peanuts keeps selling?” he said. “The liquor license has become a joke.” Johnny Brown has ap- plied for a license allowing him to sell packaged liquor by the case on Sundays at his Esso service stations in Red Bay and George Town. Jason Brown has asked for a sim- ilar license for the Esso sta- tion in West Bay. Mr. Williams said he and other board members hope to be able to make decisions on the applications soon. “Moving forward,” he said, “we’re trying to make sure we’re following the law.” Liquor Board delays license decisionsThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 VIP package for two includes: • Round-tripairtravelandaccommodation • ProfessionalmakeoverbeforetheGRAMMYAwards® •Ticketstoattendthe60thGRAMMYAwards® • PrivatetourofNewYorkCity • Andmore! 186904-Ad-CompassJRpg-4colx12-MC-60th-Grammys.indd 111/7/17 5:57 PM not been arrested during the rowdy and sometimes dan- gerous ride, where streets were blocked, stunt riding in opposite lanes of traffic occurred and a police road- block was stormed and breached. Mr. Byrne said po- lice are still investigating the incident and more arrests and motorbike seizures may be forthcoming. “There is a rogue ele- ment that doesn’t want to comply, they still have to be tackled,” Mr. Byrne said. “But for the people who want to come into the tent, they’re the people we’re trying to cater for and try to work with them. It’s going to take loads of dialogue. [The Thursday] night [meeting] didn’t solve anything, but it demonstrated a willingness to participate and it identi- fied a lack of understanding by the police over what this is about. “If we alienate that com- munity of young people, we’ll be years trying to get them back on board.” Mr. Bryan, not always a fond supporter of the RCIPS in the past, said he appreciated the commis- sioner’s approach to this thorny problem. “I really think this com- missioner is doing a great job, in particular the commu- nication and open minded- ness to it,” he said. Mr. Suckoo asked local motorbikers to support the commissioner’s efforts and not “make him look bad” after he extended the olive branch Thursday. “There’s a lot that has to be done,” the Newlands MLA said. “The next annual ride out should be something people want to come out and watch and should be supported by the community – not what we saw on Sunday [Nov. 26].” Mr. Bryan and Mr. Suckoo said they would assist the local bikers group to form an association and sign up as many people as they could to participate. Mem- bership in such a group could require things like properly registered vehicles and training for those who wished to ride on the roads. For off-road activities, Mr. Bryan said resources could be pooled to transport non- street legal motorbikes to off-road sites. Efforts have been made to find either a racing track fa- cility or off-roading area for dirt bikes. Thus far, no single location has worked out and Mr. Bryan suggested that the motorbikers might work with the Cayman Motorsports As- sociation (car racing club) to find an area that both groups could use. For some riders, espe- cially the younger ones, cost becomes an issue and Mr. Byrne said he is aware of this problem. “They see themselves with a lot of difficulties,” Mr. Byrne said. “They see that they have to pay, for private tuition, $1,200 so they can go and get a license. Other- wise, they’re restricted to a 125cc [lower-power motor- bike] for a year before they can ride the higher [power] bike. In most jurisdictions, you don’t have that restric- tion, you’re certified to your level of competence.” Local motorbike rider Brevon Scott, who rides com- petitively in the U.S., said the year-long wait period does not make much sense anyway, if all one is allowed to ride during that time is a lower-power machine. “Riding a 125cc bike for a year still doesn’t really prepare a new rider to then jump on a 1000cc bike, for example, with five times the power,” Mr. Scott said. The lengthy licensing process and unavailability or high cost of insurance is one issue, Mr. Byrne said. Another is the different re- quirements for riding mo- torbikes on-road and off- road. Bike riders cannot be “street legal” without a head- lamp, for instance, but riding on a bumpy dirt track is likely to shatter those lights within minutes. The commissioner said off-roading dirt bike events are commonplace in many jurisdictions, but those events must have proper safeguards, including med- ical crews on standby and liability insurance, all of which costs money. Yet, that is what Cayman will re- quire for such event, he said. “If you come along and say that you want to ride, fine. But you have to get there legally,” Mr. Byrne said. The commissioner, who is in his late 50s, said he un- derstands the younger bikers to some extent because he rode motorbikes for years in Ireland. He’s also seen firsthand the tragedy that can occur when bikes are operated unsafely by un- trained riders. “There’s no joy in knocking on a door at 1 a.m. to tell a parent they’ve lost a child,” Mr. Byrne said. “I don’t think the young people see that. They’re full of adrenaline, they’re full of mischief – some of them – and they don’t look at the risks.” It is partly for that reason that Mr. Byrne does not want his officers “chasing down” illegal mo- torbike riders in traffic or attempting to corral groups of them during a large ride out, such as the one that oc- curred Nov. 26. “It can be very dangerous to adopt a strong-arm tactic and one person gets killed or injured,” he said. “I have a real genuine con- cern about that.” Imports Another issue the com- missioner said he wanted to address is importation of bikes, particularly non-street legal dirt bikes. Mr. Byrne said he does not believe the government should halt the import of such vehicles altogether, but he said more needs to be done to keep track of the dirt bikes which cannot be registered for use on Cayman’s roads. “I want to know who is importing them and for what reason,” he said. There is no legislation in place at the moment to re- quire this, but Mr. Byrne compared the issue to cur- rent laws related to firearm registration, where a firearm license for the prospective owner must be approved by police and certain safety conditions met. “What we’re trying to find out is, if you bring a bike in the country, have you regis- tered it? And to whom? So if we come across problems we can go and track down that person,” the commis- sioner said. “We don’t want phantom bikes on the island.” Byrne: We cannot ‘alienate’ young motorbikers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Three vehicles burned in Windsor Park The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service is in- vestigating three car ar- sons in the Windsor Park area of George Town. Officers responded to three vehicle fires early Friday, two on Wil- liams Drive and one on Anthony Drive. No injuries were re- ported as a result of the fires. Police have asked any residents in the area for in- formation about the inci- dents, particularly if they witnessed anything be- tween the hours of 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Friday.8 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Personal Insurance BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, P.O. Box 254, Cayman Brac KY2-2101 Tel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. insurance, health, pensions, life Save up to $400 with home and car insurance Car insurance deductibles from $200 and extra free benefits. With your first BritCay buildings insurance policy you will receive a $250 gift certificate. Home insurance also entitles you to a 10% car insurance discount. With the lowest standard deductibles at $200, you also save when you claim. Ask BritCay for a quote! CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky SAVE $250* when you insure your home! 10% discount on car insurance if you have home insurance Free $500,000 public liability (home insurance) Free $10 million liability protection (car insurance) Interest free monthly payment option cgigrp coverwithoutaddedcosts! $250* CERTIFICATE WITH BUILDINGS INSURANCE *$250 BritCay gift certificate applies to new buildings insurance policies only Secondary school spelling bee tied JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com After an epic duel and spellmaster Jessica Jackson running out of words, the Lions Club Spelling Bee Competition at Red Bay Church of God ended in a tie on Thursday. The spelling bee tested the mettle of secondary school students from throughout the Cayman Islands. John Gray High School’s Jelani Hanson, 11, and Layman E. Scott Snr. High School’s Christon Asa Fer- guson, 11, emerged as co- champions in the spelling contest after correctly spelling the word “glossitis,” which means an inflammation of the tongue. Both boys received tro- phies and brand new Intuos drawing tablets. St. Ignatius Catholic School’s Christopher Lorde, Layman E. Scott Snr. High School’s Sahadeo Ramsaroop Sohan and John Gray High School’s Kaciann Wilson all tied for third place. “The competition was very competitive, and very few kids missed a word,” said Wingrove Hunte, a judge in the competition. “They went up to round 4 and it was a very stiff com- petition between the tie- breakers. There was also a significant number of stu- dents that went into round three,” he said. “We had about 12 words left to keep the two boys spelling and we ran out of words,” added Gloria Bell, also a judge in the competition. Ms. Bell started the spelling bee competition rolling about 20 years ago when she asked RBC Royal Bank to sponsor the compe- tition, with Lions coming on board in later years. The Department of Educa- tion’s senior customer service agent Nickie Samuels was just as excited about the win. “These competitions just excite us every year. Today it was really a battle to the finish, we ran out words for the kids. They are really keeping it up … starting it young and just keeping it going. It was really good,” Ms. Samuels said. Joint-winner Jelani said he enjoyed entering the con- test, knowing that each year there are so many new people to meet, so many words to discover, and his vocabulary gets stronger with each spelling bee con- test he attends. “The prizes are amazing and I just like learning new words,” he said. Christon said he felt good winning but in his opinion, it really was not for the prizes, it was just a good learning experience for him. “I thought I messed up when I had to spell ‘bimille- nary’ (which means a period of 2,000 years). I thought it only had one ‘l’ in it,” he said. Jelani said he found the word “staphylococci” (meaning a genus of gram- positive bacteria) a bit dif- ficult. “It’s very long and the placement of the letters is kind of hard to remember.” To prepare for the contest, Jelani said he studied and was not too hard on him- self. Easy words first and when it was crunch time he practiced hard on the words he was getting incorrect. He spent roughly two to three hours each day learning words, he said. Christon started studying three to four months ago, with coaching from his Year 6 teacher and his dad. The two boys were also first place winners in previous primary competitions. Jelani won the primary competi- tion in 2015 while at George Town Primary and Christon was last year’s primary school winner, noted the Education Department’s Ms. Samuels. Yvette McField, chairman of the Lions Club Spelling Bee Competition, said, “This is our 34th year and the turnout was amazing, it’s good to see the boys stepped up and took their spots, so we are happy to have a well-rounded event this year and we are looking forward to next year.” Lions Spelling Bee winners Christon Asa Ferguson, left, and Jelani Hanson show off their trophies. Tentative total owed to workers so far is $27,000 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com An employer appearing in Summary Court on Thursday entered pleas to 18 charges of failure to pay the national minimum basic wage. James Moore, operator of Caymanite Bar and Lounge in George Town, pleaded guilty to three charges of failure to pay; guilty “with explana- tion” to nine charges; and not guilty to six charges. All charges relate to pe- riods between June 2016 and July 2017. Nine of those Moore admitted to involve the sum of $1,800 for each worker. Three involve $3,600, for a total of $27,000. The not guilty pleas re- late to allegations that six other workers are owed a total of $12,600. Defense attorney Steve McField explained that the issue for his client was when the individual worker started employment. He did not go into detail as to the explana- tion for the pleas. Senior Crown counsel Candia James said the not guilty pleas would be re- viewed. She asked that Mr. McField write to the Crown the times he was suggesting that each employee started and terminated employment. She asked for two weeks to consider the matter. Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats set the next mention for Tuesday, Jan. 9, to make sure everyone had enough time to do what needed to be done. Ms. James also withdrew charges against a woman who had been listed as a co-defendant with Moore. The woman, who was repre- sented by attorney Prathna Bodden, had said she was no longer a partner with Moore when the offenses occurred. The Crown was satisfied that this was true. The National Minimum Basic Wage order came into effect on March 1, 2016. In general, it sets the minimum wage at CI$6 per hour gross. The basic wage for service employees is CI$4.50 per hour gross where there is a scheme for distribution of gratuities that has been ap- proved in writing by the Di- rector of Labor. Employer admits not paying minimum wageWASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump sug- gested Saturday he may be willing to negotiate changes to a significant portion of the tax overhaul, the corpo- rate tax rate, injecting an el- ement of uncertainty into the tax plan only hours after it cleared the Senate. Trump told reporters at the White House before a trip to New York City that he would consider setting the corporate tax rate at 22 per- cent, compared to a 20 per- cent rate that he has pushed for with House and Senate Republicans during the fall. Pointing to expected talks between House and Senate negotiators this month, Trump predicted “some- thing beautiful is going to come out of that mixer” and the business tax would come “all the way down from 35 to 20. It could be 22 when it comes out, but it could also be 20. We’ll see what ulti- mately comes out.” Trump spoke after the Senate approved a $1.5 trillion tax bill early Saturday that would rewrite the nation’s tax code, cut individual rates and slash the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 per- cent beginning in 2019. If en- acted, the bill would provide the most sweeping changes to the tax system in three de- cades and help Trump deliver the first major legislative win of his presidency. Trump’s suggestion of a higher corporate tax rate than what has been included in legislation approved by the House and Senate rep- resented an about-face after the president and adminis- tration officials maintained a hard line that a corporate rate higher than 20 percent was a nonstarter. Vice President Mike Pence said in a speech to the Tax Foundation in mid-November that the administration would “cut the corporate tax rate from one of the highest in the devel- oped world down to 20 percent – and not a penny more.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who accompanied Trump to New York for fund- raisers on Saturday, said in Sep- tember that the 20 percent cor- porate rate was “not negotiable.” The shift perplexed some Republicans. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tried to pare back the proposed cut in cor- porate tax rates to 20.94 per- cent to provide a more gen- erous increase in the child tax credit. But he was rebuffed. “Senate leaders & White House fought hard to defeat expanded #ChildTaxCredit b/c of 20.94% rate but now 22% is OK?” Rubio tweeted Saturday. White House officials did not immediately respond to questions seeking clarity on Trump’s views of the pro- posed corporate tax rate. Senate and House Repub- licans now head into a new phase of seeking to reconcile differences in the legislation passed by both chambers, a behind-closed-doors pro- cess that could move quickly. Trump has said he wants to sign the tax package into law before Christmas. The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 6.0 earthquake hits Ecuador; no injuries reported A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck along the coast of Ecuador Sunday in the same area where a much stronger tremor left hundreds dead last year. President Lenin Moreno said there were no immediate reports of victims or major damage from the quake. CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY DECEMBER 4, 2017 The family of Linda “Campbell” Haddleton announces her death on Thursday, 30 November , 2017. A private Funeral service will be held. Friends, colleagues and those that knew Linda are invited to attend a wake in her honour, at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 15 December 2017 at Silver Sands Beach, West Bay Road. Dress Code: White or Pastel Colours Tax bill clears Senate in big boost for Trump, GOP WASHINGTON (AP) – Republi- cans muscled the largest tax overhaul in 30 years through the Senate early Saturday, taking a big step toward giving President Donald Trump his first major legis- lative triumph after months of false starts and frustration on other fronts. “Just what the country needs to get growing again,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in an interview after a final burst of negotiation closed in on a nearly $1.5 trillion package that impacts the breadth of American society. He shrugged off polls finding scant public en- thusiasm for the measure, saying the legislation would prove its worth. “Big bills are rarely popular,” he said. “You remember how un- popular ‘Obamacare’ was when it passed?” Trump on Saturday tweeted his thanks to Senate and House Republicans as they now begin trying to rec- oncile differences in legisla- tion passed by both cham- bers, a behind-closed-doors process that is expected to move swiftly. Trump is aiming to sign the tax package into law before Christmas. “Big- gest Tax Bill and Tax Cuts in history just passed in the Senate,” he tweeted inaccu- rately. The overhaul is signifi- cant but far from the largest. Presiding over the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence announced the 51-49 vote to applause from Republicans. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., was the only lawmaker to cross party lines, joining the Democrats in opposition. The measure focuses its tax re- ductions on businesses and higher-earning individuals, gives more modest breaks to others and offers the boldest rewrite of the nation’s tax system since 1986. Republicans said the package would benefit people of all incomes and ignite the economy. Even an official projection of a $1 trillion, 10- year flood of deeper budget deficits could not dissuade GOP senators from rallying behind the bill. “Obviously I’m kind of a dinosaur on the fiscal issues,” said Corker, who battled to keep the bill from worsening the government’s accumu- lated $20 trillion in IOUs. The Republican-led House approved a similar bill last month in what has been a stunningly quick trip through Congress for complex leg- islation. Democrats derided the hastily written, scrib- bles-in -the-margin crafting of the bill in the final hours Friday night. After spending the year’s first nine months futilely trying to repeal President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, GOP leaders were de- termined to move the mea- sure rapidly before opposi- tion Democrats and lobbying groups could blow it up. The party views passage as cru- cial to retaining its House and Senate majorities in next year’s elections. Democrats dismissed the bill as a gift to its wealthy and business backers at the expense of lower-earning people. They played up the fact that the bill would per- manently reduce corporate tax rates, from 35 percent to 20 percent, while offering only temporary tax cuts to in- dividuals, lasting until 2026. Congress’ nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation has said the bill’s reductions for many families would be modest and by 2027, families earning under $75,000 would on average face higher, not lower, taxes. The bill is “removed from the reality of what the Amer- ican people need,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. He criticized Republicans for releasing a revised, 479-page bill that no one could absorb shortly before the final vote, saying, “The Senate is descending to a new low of chicanery.” “You really don’t read this kind of legislation,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told home- state reporters, saying sena- tors focus on the major pro- visions as opposed to the “mind numbing” comparisons to current law. Democrats took to the Senate floor and social media to mock one page that in- cluded changes scrawled in barely legible handwriting. Later, they won enough GOP support to kill a provision by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., that would have bestowed a tax break on conservative Hills- dale College in Michigan. The bill hit rough wa- ters after the Joint Taxa- tion panel concluded it would worsen federal short- falls by $1 trillion over a de- cade, even when factoring in economic growth that lower taxes would stimu- late. Trump administration officials and many Repub- licans have insisted the bill would pay for itself by stim- ulating the economy. But the sour projections stiffened re- sistance from some deficit- averse Republicans. But after bargaining that stretched into Friday, GOP leaders nailed down the support they needed in a chamber they control, 52- 48. Facing unyielding Dem- ocratic opposition, Repub- licans could lose no more than two GOP senators and prevail with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence, but ended up not needing it. Late changes introduced by GOP leaders included helping millions of compa- nies whose owners pay in- dividual, not corporate, taxes on their profits by al- lowing deductions of 23 per- cent, up from 17.4 percent. That helped win over Wis- consin’s Johnson and Steve Daines of Montana. Telling reporters ‘We have the votes,’ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the chamber after a closed-door meeting with Republican lawmakers to advance the GOP overhaul of the tax code, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday. – PHOTO: AP Trump suggests openness to negotiations on GOP tax planNext >