ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 High of 86 Low of 75 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 5 to 7 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ON THE STEPHENS ‘NON-DEPORTATION’: WE GOT IT RIGHT Your “I want my own piece of paradise” loan WE’RE HERE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. From now through 31 March 2018 take advantage of our fixed rate offer.* www.butterfieldgroup.com *Terms and conditions apply. See website for details. Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited is licensed to conduct banking and investment business by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Address: 12 Albert Panton Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited is licensed to conduct banking and Fixed rate offer! 187806_HR-Ad-Strip-Compass-FixedPage 1 2/9/18 9:50:45 AM On the beat with Officer O’Connor JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com George Town waterfront has a new tourist attraction. Officer Fabian O’Connor, known as the “dancing policeman,” is gaining plaudits for his animated style of directing traffic in the capital. With unprecedented numbers of cruise ship passengers arriving in Grand Cayman, there were fears of traffic chaos. But instead of complaints, officials are receiving only praise for their handling of the situation. A big part of that is the white-gloved neighborhood officer, who can be seen pa- trolling the waterfront crosswalks, helping things run smoothly in his own unique way. Now the only serious traffic jams are among the throngs of pedestrians lining up to have their picture taken with Officer O’Connor, who has become a mini celeb- rity in the town. He said his philosophy is simple – safety first, entertainment second and respect for everyone at all times. So far, it seems to be a hit, particularly with visitors. “They appreciate what I am doing. All of them are my VIPs. They love to get the VIP treatment,” he said. Officer O’Connor said he developed his extravagant style – somewhere between a dancer and a drill sergeant – as a way of en- couraging visitors to move swiftly across the crosswalks in a non-confrontational manner. He believes his clear directions, as well as his whistle and white gloves, help him communicate clearly with crowds, including many non-English speakers. “Instead of shouting at them, you have to give them the action, a little flavor and a beautiful Cayman smile. They love it and they proceed with the instruction.” He said he has been surprised by the ex- tent of the positive response. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Officer Fabian O’Connor, the ‘dancing policeman,’ shows some of his moves while directing traffic and pedestrians in George Town last week. - PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY BERMUDA CONTROVERSY PROMPTS CALLS FOR ACTION ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE U.K. reluctant to intervene as Bermuda repeals gay marriage JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The U.K. government is facing a cross-party back- lash for its failure to inter- vene as Bermuda became the first territory in the world to “repeal“ gay marriage rights. The governor of Bermuda, John Rankin, last week rat- ified a decision in the coun- try’s legislature to replace gay marriage with “domestic partnerships.” The decision attracted international condemna- tion and calls for the U.K. to step in and make same- sex marriage legal across its territories. The furor over the Ber- muda decision is also bringing fresh international attention to the rest of the U.K.’s Caribbean territories – where there are even fewer rights for same-sex couples. Bermuda is the only British territory in the region to have any formal frame- work for same-sex unions. The Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, An- guilla, Turks and Caicos and Montserrat do not recognize the rights of gay couples, though many legal experts believe the laws in those PARKING TICKET LEADS TO LEGAL NIGHTMARE FOR BODDEN TOWN MAN BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Caymanian man was arrested, asked to give fin- gerprints and a DNA sample, and taken to court twice last year, all because of a vehicle that was registered to the wrong person. Speaking to the Cayman Compass last month, Win- dell Scott said he hopes his story will become both a cautionary tale for local resi- dents and a learning experi- ence for government officials. “In a summary of the en- tire situation, a law abiding citizen with a clean police re- cord was located and arrested for a parking ticket that was for someone else,” Mr. Scott told the Cayman Compass. In late February 2017, Mr. Scott learned he was a wanted man for parking in a disabled space at the Fos- ter’s Food Fair airport store. From the Bodden Town resident’s perspective, there were two problems with this situation. First, the ve- hicle involved did not be- long to him – it never had. The second problem was that Mr. Scott’s son, who had been the owner, sold the ve- hicle involved – a black Toyota Windom – six months before the parking ticket was issued in October 2016. Nonetheless, Mr. Scott re- ported to the Bodden Town PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » LOCAL | PAGE 7 SEAMAN TO RECOUNT STORY OF ILL-FATED SCHOONER GOLDFIELD2 LOCAL NEWS TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 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. - TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) SHAPE OF WATER (R) 12:35 I 3:35 VIP I 7:00 I 9:45 MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE (PG13) 12:40 I 4:05 I 9:40 THE COMMUTER (PG13) 12:50 I 4:15 I 7:10 DEN OF THIEVES (R) 3:45 I 6:50 I 9:55 FIFTY SHADES FREED (R) 12:30 VIP I 1:10 I 3:45 I 6:50 VIP (WED ONLY) I 7:15 I 9:20 VIP (WED ONLY) I 10:00 JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (PG13) 1:00 I 4:00 I 7:15 I 9:55 CLASSICS @ THE CINEMA: GONE WITH THE WIND (G) TUES ONLY: 7:00 VIP Paddling for heart health awareness The Cayman Heart Fund is inviting people to save the date for its upcoming “Co- conut Cup” event next month. The event will be held on Sunday, March 4, from 8:30 a.m. at Public Beach on Seven Mile Beach. The Coconut Cup is a so- cial and family orientated paddleboard event which will host three races over the course of the day: The “Groms’ Paddle,” a 600 yard paddle for kids under 14; the Corporate Cup relay race for teams of four people each; and a 5K paddle. Entry for the kids-only race is $10 per child. The Cayman Heart Fund advises that life vests and parental supervision will be required for younger entries. Entry for the Corporate Cup, in which each person must paddle half a mile carrying a “designated co- conut,” is $200 per team. There is a limit to 16 teams entering this race, and cor- porate teams must reg- ister in advance. The cost of entry for the 5K paddle is $25 per person. Organizers said board rental will be available for all the events on the day. Early registration is encouraged, but indi- vidual entries will be avail- able on the day. All proceeds are to ben- efit the “Hart for Hearts,” which is the pediatric arm of the Cayman Heart Fund re- sponsible for raising public awareness and providing fi- nancial assistance to fami- lies in Cayman when a child is born with a congenital heart defect. For more information or to register a corporate team, contact coconutcupky@gmail.com. CORRECTION An article titled “Film board unveils new ratings system,” which ran in the Feb. 8 edition of the Cayman Compass, incorrectly stated that the local film community produces about 25 films a year. Rita Estevanovich, chair of the Film Control Board, said that each of the major local film festi- vals shows an average of 25 films. Director of The Pines Retirement Home board, Pamela Webster, fourth from left, and The Pines Manager Lynda Mitchell, fifth from left, receive a donation of a heavy-duty patient lift from Lions Club of Grand Cayman members, from left, Alton Wilson, Daniel Reid, Heidi Anderson, Lynval Watkins and chairman of the Lions Geriatric Committee Eric Anderson. The Lions Club of Grand Cayman, in partnership with Carnival Cruise Lines, donated the patient lift, valued at more than $4,000, to The Pines on Feb. 1. Lions donate patient lift to The Pines Conch shell sculpture shows potential of local materials KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman artist Luelan Bodden has aimed to spark controversy in the past with sculptures that chal- lenge religious and cultural norms, but his latest piece is a testament to what can be made just from local material. Last week, Mr. Bodden finished the sculpture, a crab made from local conch shells, wrapping up a project he has been working on since October. “The process is mental for about two months, where you’re just beating your mind up to think about where to cut the shell, and doing sketches here and there,” he said. “Then one morning you say, ‘This is it,’ and you open up the shell to see what parts you can find.” Building a sculpture out of conch shells is not an easy endeavor. Mr. Bodden said he had to use a dia- mond saw blade to cut the shells, whose outsides are a very hard, glassy ma- terial that is difficult to cut with precision. “If you don’t move your fingers, it will give you a nasty chop. And I’ve gotten a few chops in my time,” said Mr. Bodden, who is a full-time electrician. While others in the Ca- ribbean use conch shells to make smaller figurines and other crafts, Mr. Bodden said he believes he is the only artist in the region that uses them to make de- tailed sculptures. “The amount of work I did, and that I know I don’t have any competi- tion,” is why he’s seeking to sell his conch crab for $15,000, he said. The crab sculpture is a sharp contrast to other more provocative works in his gallery off Crewe Road, including conch shells re- sembling genitalia and an electric chair with a crown of thorns above it. Cayman artist Luelan Bodden shows off a crab sculpture he made from local conch shells. - PHOTO: KEN SILVA Mr. Bodden said he had to use a diamond saw blade to cut the shells, whose outsides are a very hard, glassy material that is difficult to cut with precision. One sculpture, made mainly from palm fibers, features a globe, held up by a hand which, Mr. Bodden said, is the hand of God. A giant spider sits on the world, laying eggs and envel- oping it in its web. Across the world from the spider is a ser- pent, symbolic of the serpent in the garden of Eden. Below the world is a bowl containing capsules, a series of handwritten calculations and an excerpt from the Book of Rev- elations concerning the coming of the anti-Christ and the marks that people will bear on their hands or foreheads. The sculp- ture represents Mr. Bodden’s view of the coming of the anti-Christ. “Older people go crazy, they don’t want to see it,” he said of some of his work.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 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. 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Authorised Repairer programme HOME INSURANCE FREE $250* gift certificate with new policies 10% car insurance discount $1 million liability FREE loss of rental income/alternative accommodation Zero deductible (excluding catastrophe) Interest free payment plan Loaded gun recovered from man’s hotel room Defendant remanded in custody CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com James Harris Winton Jr., 37, appeared in Summary Court on Monday facing charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and six rounds of ammunition. Crown counsel Aaliyah McCarthy told Magistrate Valdis Foldats that police obtained a search warrant and on Feb. 7, and went to the Holiday Inn, where Mr. Winton had been staying. In a specified room, in the room safe, they found a .38 revolver with six rounds in it. A police press release indicated that when Mr. Winton was arrested, he had a quantity of substance be- lieved to be cocaine and he was suspected of having consumed cocaine. Mr. Winton was de- scribed in the press release as a George Town man; he is originally from George Town but has been re- siding in West Bay. Ms. McCarthy said the defendant had admitted the gun was his and the woman in the room had nothing to do with it. No plea was entered, however, since the papers in the case were not yet ready to give to the defense. Defense attorney Lee Halliday-Davis applied for bail. She told the court that Mr. Winton’s passport had been seized during the search. A Caymanian, he has children here as well as his girlfriend, his mother and grandmother. This was a very serious matter, the attorney ac- knowledged, but Mr. Winton had given “full and frank disclosure … he has taken responsibility,” she said. He was willing to wear an electronic monitor and abide by a curfew; he had just inherited some money and could put up $12,000 as a surety, she added. The magistrate with- held bail, saying that anyone who has a loaded gun is op- erating outside normal be- havior for Cayman citizens. He pointed out that Mr. Winton could take his bail application to the Grand Court. Meanwhile, he was re- manded in custody to return to Summary Court on Feb. 26 via video link. Possession of an unli- censed firearm is a charge that can be dealt with in either Summary Court or Grand Court. MINISTER MCTAGGART’S TRAFFIC TRIAL ADJOURNED CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd The trial of Finance Min- ister Roy Michael McTag- gart on a charge of careless driving did not proceed as scheduled last Thursday. A new trial date of June 14 was set, with a file note that it might not proceed. Crown counsel Stacy-Ann Kelly advised Magistrate Philippa McFarlane that the Crown’s main witness – the driver of anther car – did not wish to proceed. Mr. McTaggart was charged following an incident on Dec. 29, 2015, around 8:45 p.m. when he was driving a Jeep Wrangler along Sham- rock Road, in the vicinity of Poindexter Drive. His first appearance in court was on Aug. 1, 2016. At his next appearance, on Feb. 27, 2017, he pleaded not guilty and trial was set for Sept. 12. On Sept. 12, defense at- torney Delroy Murray ad- vised the court that he had received disclosure of the papers in the case only the day before. Trial was there- fore adjourned again, this time marked as priority, until Feb. 8, 2018. Last week, Ms. Kelly ap- plied for the matter to be left on file for three months because of the witness not wishing to proceed. If the matter does pro- ceed, the trial will be Thursday, June 14. When the incident oc- curred, Mr. McTaggart was the second elected Member of the Legislative Assembly for George Town. In May, 2017, after the switch to single-member constituen- cies, he was elected MLA for George Town East and sub- sequently appointed min- ister for finance and eco- nomic development. LOCAL GROUP ASKED TO SPEAK ON CHILD ABUSE A Cayman Islands group has been invited to speak at the 34th International Sym- posium on Child Abuse, March 19-22, in Hunts- ville, Alabama. Protection Starts Here is a multi-agency working group started in 2012 as a way to bring government, nonprofit and private sector entities to- gether to address child abuse in the Cayman Islands. The group has produced public service announcements and provides ongoing educational and policy workshops as well as a support group for teen survivors. Hedge Fund Cares Cayman has supported the operation since 2013. The group has attended the annual conference, put on by the National Chil- dren’s Advocacy Center, in the past but this is the first time it has been asked to present. It will be con- ducting one of more than 160 workshops at the four- day conference. Indecent exposure reported at Dart Park The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is seeking in- formation about a case of indecent exposure that oc- curred Thursday at Dart Park on South Church Street. According to the report, a man was seen inappropri- ately touching himself as he watched children in the park. The man allegedly realized that adults had seen him and quickly left the location. The man was described as being tall and of a slim build with a dark complexion and very short hair. He was seen wearing blue shorts and a white v-neck T-shirt at the time of the incident. Police are hoping that members of the public will come forward with infor- mation, and they stressed that anybody who witnesses that kind of behavior should contact 911 immediately. Parents and caregivers are also reminded to be cog- nizant of their children’s whereabouts at all times when in public. People with information can call 911, the George Town Police Station at 949-4222, the Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777 or the Miami-based Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 (TIPS). Police seized this .38 revolver with six rounds in it during a search of the hotel room.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 office. On the Stephens ‘non-deportation’: We got it right “With regard to [Ato] Stephens’ case, when weighing all of the circumstances, including the nature of the offence for which he was convicted, and the fact that he has a Caymanian spouse and two Cayma- nian children, the Cabinet is not considering making a deportation order in this instance at this time.” – Wesley Howell, chief officer, Ministry of Home Affairs “The Cabinet of the Cayman Islands has not yet considered the court’s recommendation for the depor- tation of Ato Modibo Stephens.” – Alden McLaughlin, premier On Feb. 7, we reported that Cabinet was declining at this time to deport former track coach Ato Stephens, contrary to a recommendation from a Grand Court judge who had found him guilty of convincing a 14-year-old girl to send him topless photos of herself. In today’s editorial, we aren’t going to argue for or against the deportation of Mr. Stephens, who is origi- nally from Trinidad and Tobago, but holds American citizenship and has a Caymanian spouse and two Caymanian children. However, we will observe that many people in the community reacted quite strongly, and critically, after we reported that Cabinet was declining at this time to deport Mr. Stephens, in a story based partly on a written statement sent to the Compass from Ministry of Home Affairs Chief Officer Wesley Howell via official Government Information Services channels. After the story was published, Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller issued his own statement, urging Cabinet to deport Mr. Stephens. We also got in touch with Premier Alden McLaughlin, who countered his chief officer’s state- ment, saying it was not the case that Cabinet had decided not to deport Mr. Stephens … but that Cabinet had not yet made a decision either way. (We duly followed up with a story containing the statements from the opposition leader and the premier.) In the meantime, Chief Officer Howell struck out on an alternative media campaign of his own, speaking on the radio and appearing on television. In a TV interview, Mr. Howell said the Compass story ”was not factual” and that “This is an ongoing matter that is still going through the process.” Oh, really? As readers can see from the quote that appears at the top of this editorial, that is not what Mr. Howell said originally, unambiguously, and in black-and-white. (Again, we will stress, he said it in an official written statement sent to the Compass via a GIS spokes- person. This was not the product of an impromptu phone interview, or an untaped conversation overheard in a bar. Mr. Howell was choosing his words carefully in his statement: The problem, of course, was he chose the wrong words.) The way we see it, there are three possible explana- tions for Mr. Howell’s change of tune: 1) Mr. Howell was mistaken when he said Cabinet was not considering deporting Mr. Stephens 2) Mr. Howell had the correct information, but commu- nicated it incorrectly 3) Mr. Howell had the correct information, and com- municated it correctly, but Cabinet altered its position after the publication of the story and the ensuing public backlash. Either way, the Compass’ reporting is not to blame. Look, in journalistic endeavors, it’s not about being “right” or being “wrong” – our goal is to communicate truthfully and objectively to our readers useful and factual information in the relevant context. When an error finds its way into the newspaper (whether it’s our fault, someone else’s or nobody-in- particular’s), we correct, clarify or, in some instances, apologize for the mistake. Where, and how promi- nently, we publish corrections – perhaps even right across the top of Page One – depends on the serious- ness and magnitude of the particular error. Issuing corrections is not a task we relish, but it’s a duty we are not reluctant to perform. No one likes to be wrong – not the Compass, not Cabinet, not a Chief Officer. But people with courage, at minimum, choose to own their own words – and their own mistakes. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Play ball, with informed intelligence WASHINGTON – Even if, in- explicably, you occasion- ally think about things other than major league baseball, consider this: Why are many premier free agents, particu- larly sluggers and starting pitchers, unsigned even while we are hearing the loveliest four words, “Pitchers and catchers report?” The Major League Baseball Players As- sociation angrily says some teams are more interested in economizing than in win- ning. The real explanation is that teams are intelligently aligning their behavior with changing information. Teams increasingly be- have alike because increas- ingly they think alike. They all have young graduates of elite colleges and universities whose data support the fol- lowing judgments: Players become eligible for free agency after six years of major league service, which comes close to coinciding with the beginning of the down- side of most careers. Besides, baseball has become younger since banning performance- enhancing drugs (amphet- amines as well as steroids) that extended some careers. Thirty-two is the new 36. Baseball today is played as an all-or-nothing, strike- out-or-home-run game. This will not last – baseball strategy, like everything else in life, constantly evolves – but for now more batters are elevating their swings’ trajec- tories. So, the market is satu- rated with home-run hitters, some of whom have spurned nine-digit offers. Their agents should have anticipated soft- ening demand for a sur- plus commodity. Baseball “analytics,” aka information, demonstrate that most starting pitchers are most effective when con- stantly throwing hard, and are significantly less effective the third time through the opponent’s lineup. Hence re- lief pitchers are increasingly important – and increasingly well paid in even today’s se- verely rational market. Several high-revenue, high-spending teams (e.g., the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox) might be saving their money for a splurge eight months from now on the best free- agent class ever – the Na- tionals’ Bryce Harper, the Orioles’ Manny Machado, the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and others. Furthermore, in the collective bargaining agreement negotiated just 15 months ago and running through 2021, the MLBPA agreed to a competitive bal- ance tax of 20 percent on any portion of a payroll over $197 million, with the rate rising to 30 and 50 percent on second and third consecutive seasons over the threshold. This is what the MLBPA knew it was designed to be: a disincentive for spending, especially by the wealthiest teams, for the purpose of en- hancing competitive balance. MLB and the MLBPA col- laboratively devised a system whereby the teams with the worst records get advantages in drafting young talent. The Cubs and Astros lost 288 and 324 games, respectively, in recent three-year spans, re- loaded, then won the 2016 and 2017 World Series, respec- tively. Their fans, and most teams, think those two suc- cesses validated the strategy of accepting short-term pain for long-term gain. Not, how- ever, for constant success. Competitive balance ex- ists when every well-run team has a regularly recur- ring reasonable hope to be among the 10 teams in the post-season. But “regularly recurring” does not mean “uninterrupted.” Change is a baseball constant as vet- erans’ careers pass their apo- gees and younger players’ approach theirs. So, cycles of success are, if not inevi- table, always the norm. In the previous 25 seasons, 22 of the 30 teams have played in the World Series and 14 have won it. No team has won consecutive World Series since the 1998-2000 Yankees. The Cubs’ and Astros’ suc- cesses have encouraged other teams to engage in what the MLBPA says is a “race to the bottom.” Actually, teams that are tearing down old and me- diocre rosters are accepting a plunge in order to produce momentum for a surge to the top. What fans most dislike, and what constitutes base- ball malpractice, is consis- tent mediocrity – teams not talented enough to play in October but not bad enough to receive the right to draft the best young talent. Before 1994’s cataclysm – the strike-shortened season, the canceled World Series – baseball had suffered seven work stoppages (including spring training) in 22 years. Since then there have been none, baseball has gone from a $2 billion to a $9 billion- plus business and the av- erage salary has risen from $1.2 million in 1994 to $4.1 million in 2017, when 50 per- cent of MLB revenues went to players’ salaries and benefits (56 percent including minor- league signing bonuses and salaries). Baseball, like the Amer- ican economy generally in this era of high-quantity, high-velocity information, is more efficient at pricing as- sets and allocating resources than it was until recently. This intensified dynamic has winners and losers, but many more of the former than the latter. And to oppose this churning, in the national pas- time or the nation itself, is to oppose the application of in- formed intelligence. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2018, 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 find their own way” What fans most dislike, and what constitutes baseball malpractice, is consistent mediocrity – teams not talented enough to play in October but not bad enough to receive the right to draft the best young talent.5 LOCAL&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 Celebrate Opening hours: Mon – Sat 8:00am – 4:30pm Check website for Sunday hours 786 Northwest Point Road, West Bay, Grand Cayman | info@turtle.ky | www.turtle.ky | +1 (345) 949-3894 special admission Visit the Cayman Islands’ #1 land based attraction. Meet the turtles, enjoy the wildlife, snorkel in our lagoon and splash down our water slide. It’s a day full of fun and adventure. Wednesday 14th February Ash Wednesday Barbeque & Lunch Specials @Schooners Bar & Grill Waiting to exhale Cayman’s freedivers prepare for competition JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com At the bottom of the Ca- mana Bay swimming pool, a unique group of athletes are preparing for an up- coming tournament. Cayman’s freedivers are stepping up their training for the annual Deja Blue compe- tition and Cayman Open Na- tional Championships, which take place in May. Part of their training is to practice long breath holds – sometimes reaching as much as eight minutes – in a swim- ming pool. The sport is growing in Cayman, with more athletes than ever preparing for com- petition, according to Jeremy Walton, chairman of the Cayman Freediving Association. “Team Cayman is getting bigger. We have more people training on a regular basis and we are expecting quite a few more entrants for both the Deja Blue competition and the Cayman Open National Cham- pionships,” Mr. Walton said. The Cayman team is in reg- ular pool and ocean training sessions, organized by Mark Tilley and Kurt Randolph, two of the island’s top freedivers. Though newcomers are welcome, competition is for certified freedivers only. “This is for people who are certified and interested in testing themselves, trying to set a personal best, dip their toes into competitive waters, and compete against others,” Mr. Walton said. The Deja Blue interna- tional freediving competi- tion takes place from May 7 to 13. The Cayman Open Na- tional Championships takes place at the same time, but involves only three disci- plines and is for Cayman- based divers only. In both competitions, divers win points for hit- ting target depths on a single breath, for swimming lengths of a pool underwater, and compete against each other in holding their breath. Cayman freedivers Mark Hall, Jan Feik, Kurt Randolph, Jeremy Walton and Richard Collett pose at the bottom of the pool during a training session. - PHOTO: MARK TILLEY TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF WEST BAY ROAD SECTION A portion of West Bay Road between Lawrence Boulevard and the Galleria Roundabout will be closed Tuesday night, Feb. 13, while work on the road’s new un- derpass is carried out. Residents, employees and business customers can gain entry from the Gal- leria Roundabout for prop- erties and businesses north of the underpass and from the Lawrence Boulevard entrance for those south of the underpass, advised Dart Real Estate. The road will be closed from 10 p.m. Tuesday until 7 a.m. Wednesday. EX-GUATEMALAN POLICE CHIEF ARRESTED FOR FRAUD LOS ANGELES (AP) – A former Guatemalan police chief living in California was arrested Friday on a charge of visa fraud after authori- ties said he failed to disclose he had been charged with killing two political activists in his home country. Catalino Esteban Va- liente Alonzo, 77, was ar- rested Friday in Los An- geles after being indicted by a federal grand jury ear- lier in the week, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said Va- liente was charged in 1987 with killing two activists in Quetzaltenango, Guate- mala’s second-largest city and where Valiente was chief of the National Police. He pleaded not guilty and a trial was set for April 10. Valiente was convicted twice but both convictions were overturned on appeal. An arrest warrant issued in 1993 for Valiente was re- scinded in 2015. It was un- clear if there are pending charges in Guatemala against Valiente, who came to the U.S. in 2013 and has been living in Fontana, about 55 miles east of Los Angeles. Prosecutors said Valiente entered the U.S. with a lawful permanent resident card that is considered fraudu- lently obtained because he did not disclose his arrest on the murder charges.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14 ASH WEDNESDAY: Mass and Distribution of Ashes at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, Walkers Road, 8 a.m., Noon and 6 p.m. Christ the Redeemer, West Bay, 10 a.m. Stella Maris, Cayman Brac, Communion Service and Ashes, 11 a.m. ASH WEDNESDAY: St. Alban’s Church of England will hold the service of Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion at 9:30 a.m. following Mattins at 9 a.m. in the church at 461 Shedden Road, George Town (opposite Bodden Place). All are invited. AGRICULTURE SHOW: The 51st annual Agriculture Show will be held at the Agriculture Grounds in Lower Valley. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. All are welcome. THURSDAY, FEB. 15 QUIZ NIGHT: 7 p.m. at Fidel’s. $10 per person, maximum six persons per team. Benefits Humane Society. To reserve a table, contact sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com or 949-5189. FRIDAY, FEB. 16 FISH FRY: Friday evenings in Lent at St. Ignatius School Canteen. Serving from 5-8 p.m. Dine in or carry out. Menu includes fried or baked cod or snapper with all the trimmings. SATURDAY, FEB. 17 COCO FEST: Noon till 4 p.m. at Pedro Castle. All things coconut including traditional Caymanian dishes, desserts and candy made with the nut, its milk or oil; crafts made from the tree, shell and husk; games; coconut- based health and beauty products. Local music. Admission $5 for adults, free for kids under 12. For every $5 entry, the NCVO receives $1 for the Nadine Andreas Foster Home. FREE HEALTH CHECK: The Lions Club of Tropical Gardens presents free health checks with Dr. Mani for vision screening; Dr. Taylor of CTMH Doctors Hospital for general health talks; HbA1c check for known diabetics, provided by the Diabetes Association. Nutritional talk, blood pressure and weight checks will also be offered. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. George’s Anglican Church Hall, upstairs. SUNDAY, FEB. 18 KIWANIBIKE: Annual fundraiser. On Sunday, drop off your bike at Smith Cove between 5:30-6 a.m. and Kiwanis will transport it to the Blow Holes. You may then take the Kiwani bus to the Blow Holes in East End where the ride back to Smith Cove begins at 7 a.m. $25 registration includes T-shirt, refreshments and raffle entry. Pre-registration is Saturday, Feb. 17 at The Strand, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. See www.kiwanis.ky for registration forms and more information. TUESDAY, FEB. 20 SEAFARERS: The Seafarers Association advises members that there will be a General Meeting, for yearly election of new officers, at 7:30 p.m. in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Ave. Prospect. Buses will be provided from West Bay Town Hall at 6 p.m. A bus route in George Town leaves the public library parking area at 7 p.m., stopping at Cayman Compass building and the Airport Foster’s. The blue bus is marked “Bobo $1 Public Transport,” but there is no charge. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21 QUIT SMOKING: Smoking Cessation Classes, “I Can Quit.” The Public Health Department reminds smokers who wish to quit the habit that there are still some spaces left for smoking cessation classes that start today. 5:15- 6:45 p.m. every Wednesday for seven weeks in the Public Health waiting room. For more information or to sign up, contact the Public Health Department on 244-2889/244-2621, or email sarah.hetley@hsa.ky or nola.sanderson@hsa.ky. FRIDAY, FEB. 23 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Cayman HospiceCare’s annual two-day Flag Day event. Volunteers are needed for shifts today and tomorrow, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Contact fundraising@ caymanhospicecare.ky for information about volunteering or call 945-7447. SATURDAY, FEB. 24 FAMILY FUN WALK/RUN: The 3rd annual Guiding The Way 5K/10K Family Fun Walk/Run takes place from SafeHaven in the back by Holiday Inn. 6:30 a.m. for walkers and 6:45 a.m. for runners. Registration is $10 adults, children under 10, $5. All participants will be entered in a drawing for prizes. Register on the day at 6 a.m. or pre- register at Cayman Active, www.caymanactive.com/ guiding. No dogs please. All proceeds benefit Girlguiding Cayman Islands. BRAC SPRING FLING: The Brac District of the National Trust’s annual fundraiser Spring Fling will be held today at 6-10 p.m. at Brac Trust House, White Bay Road. Good food, good music, and a live auction. Tickets are $20 each, Split the Pot tickets are $5 or 3 for $10. Everyone welcome. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 SCHOLARSHIPS: The Ministry of Education has extended the deadline for Overseas Scholarship applications to Feb. 28. The extension is offered in order to ensure that every interested student has the opportunity to apply for funding. To obtain the link for online applications, visit www.education.gov. ky. For more information, call 244-2482 or email scholarships@gov.ky. GENERAL INTEREST FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Persons receiving permanent financial assistance benefit must be re-assessed if they have not been assessed since July 1, 2015. Get a form from the Needs Assessment Unit via email nauinfo@gov.ky, on the www.nau.gov.ky website or from the district Community Development Officer. The completed form/supporting documentation must be returned to the NAU by Friday, March 30. Failure to comply will result in payments being placed on hold. For more information, contact the NAU immediately on 946-0024 or 948-8748. EAST END ROADWORK: National Roads Authority advises that road upgrade works are being carried out along Seaview Road in East End, from near the west end of Lovers Wall to near the Blow Holes. NRA crews and Island Paving crews will work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For further information, contact the NRA at 623-7780. SOLAR IMAGING: An exhibition of digital solar imaging in Cayman by Dr. Bill Hrudey. National Gallery, Esterley Tibbetts Highway. SKATE PARK FUNDRAISER: Hope Academy and Black Pearl Skate Park are raising funds for a new school playground, scholarship fund and other school improvements. First Friday of each month. $15 for park entrance, a helmet and choice of skateboard or scooter. $7 for those with own equipment. LOBSTER SEASON: The open season for lobster runs until Feb. 28. Bag limit is three per person per day or six per boat per day, whichever is less. Minimum size is a 6-inch tail length. No taking lobsters from Marine Protected Areas. Only spiny lobster may be taken. No wearing gloves while snorkeling. No taking of lobster (or any marine life other than lionfish) while scuba diving. CONCH AND WHELK SEASON: The open season for conch and whelk runs until April 30. The legal limit for conch is five per person per day or 10 per boat, whichever is less. The limit for whelk catches is two-and-a-half gallons in the shell, or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks, per person, per day. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. OPEN CANVAS: Every Wednesday. Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant located in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee. Easels provided for artist of all levels to come out and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Email info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. MUSEUM TOURS: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB: Meets third Wednesday of every month, Governors Square Boardroom at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.facebook.com/ BPWGrandCayman. BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT GROUP: MothertoMother meetings first Tuesday of every month, 3-4 p.m. outside Women’s Health Centre at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Children welcome. Contact Women’s Health Centre at 244-2649. LIFE UNDERWRITERS ASSOCIATION: Meeting luncheons held on last Thursday of each month. YBPW: Meets every third Monday of each month at the Woman’s Resource Centre. RELIGIOUS SERVICES EL MINISTERIO HISPANO: de la Iglesia Bautista Cayman Islands te hace una cordial invitación a nuestro culto en español cada Domingo, 6:30 p.m., Pedro Castle Road, Savannah. Para transporte, llamar al teléfono no. 946-2422, email: cibaptist@candw.ky. SPANISH WORSHIP SERVICE: First Baptist Church, Crewe Road, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Third Sunday of each month. HARBOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH: Meets for Divine Worship and Fellowship at South Sound Community Centre, South Sound, Sundays at 10 a.m. www.safeharborlc.com. MUSLIM PRAYER: Islamic Society of the Cayman Islands advises 5 times salaat/prayer at the Masjid. Fajr at 6 a.m. Dhuhr at 1:15 p.m. Asr at 5:15 p.m. Maghrib at 7 minutes after sunset. Isha at 8 p.m. website isci.org.ky. CATHOLIC CHURCH: St. Ignatius, Walkers Road, Mass 6 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 6 p.m. Sundays. Christ the Redeemer, West Bay, Mass 9:45 a.m. Sunday. JOHN GRAY MEMORIAL UNITED CHURCH: Sunday worship for the family and Children’s Church, 10 a.m. BOATSWAIN BAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Sundays. 10 a.m. Christian Education for all ages; 11 a.m., Morning Worship with nursery for youngsters; 7 p.m. Evening Worship. Visit www.bbpca.org. SUNRISE COMMUNITY CHURCH: Harquail Theater, 10 a.m., contemporary worship. Nursery ministry, children’s church and the Explorers are for ages infant to 11. Community groups meet during the week for fellowship and growth. www.sunrise.ky. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The annual Agriculture Show will be held at the Agriculture Grounds in Lower Valley on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Gates open at 7:30 a.m.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 WITH FOUR CONVENIENT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU www.puritan.ky puritangc@candw.ky Meet the world with Puritan’s professional launderers and dry cleaners. Savannah Countryside P: 946-1884 Centennial West Bay P: 945-4508 Elgin Avenue P: 949-2452 Eastern Ave Drive-Thru P: 949-7104 Call 949-7104 for opening hours at Puritan Centennial Towers, West Bay, Countryside, Savannah, Elgin Avenue beside Off the Peg and 337 Eastern Avenue drive thru rain or shine. You feel good when you look good, Ask about Puritan’s ongoing discounts plus free pick-up and delivery! Seaman to recount story of ill-fated schooner Goldfield MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Seaman H.E. Ross will recount the sad tale of the Cayman schooner Goldfield in a presentation at the Cayman Islands National Gallery at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The event is free. Built in 1930 by the Arch Brothers as a turtle schooner for Conwell Watler, the Gold- field also hauled cargo and passengers from Cayman to Florida over the years. It now lies at the bottom of the sea. Mr. Ross became involved with the ship in 1983, when it was being sailed from Se- attle back to Cayman by a crew with questionable abil- ities. He caught up with the Goldfield in Mexico. “I went to Puerto Val- larta to find the boat,” Mr. Ross said. “There were six crew members with maybe four months sailing experi- ence among them.” The only exception, he said, was a boy who had gone to sailing school. The men were more in- terested in partying than in sailing, Mr. Ross said. After weeks of trying to teach them enough to be a seaworthy crew and even starting a local T-shirt business to help finance the journey, Mr. Ross said he eventually gave up and left the boat. On its way to Panama, the crew ran into rough weather. The Goldfield lost its mast and spent several days adrift before being found and towed into Panama. It eventually made its way back to Cayman, under tow, where a large crowd was on hand to welcome it. The owner of the boat, Mr. Ross said, decided to “hide” the Goldfield and took the boat up to North Sound, where it sank. “He put a call out six months after it sank,” Mr. Ross said. “Every- body came and they got it up and got it to another spot at Governors Harbour.” Once there, it sank again. Again it was righted. This time it was moved to Canal Point, where it went down for a third and final time. Mr. Ross will be pro- moting what he said is his nearly completed book, “Cayman Turtler,” a 300- page photo essay on local sailing history, as well as the Cayman Maritime Heritage Foundation, an organization he initially started in 2000. “I came back here last week and it isn’t here,” he said of the foundation. He hopes to “get it active and get it moving.” The Goldfield is a well- known piece of Cayman mar- itime history. A model of the schooner, built by Dr. William Hrudey in 2002, is on display in the lobby of the Cayman Turtle Centre. Built in 1930 as a turtle schooner, the Goldfield also hauled cargo and passengers from Cayman to Florida over the years. It now lies at the bottom of the sea. The story of the Cayman turtle schooner the Goldfield will be recounted Tuesday evening at the National Gallery. Prayers to be directed at families and young people JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Bishop Juliette Fagan will host an “Island Wide Move of God” revival service on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Town Hall in George Town. The event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, is free. Originally from Cayman, Bishop Fagan moved to Ja- maica 14 years ago, but says she still has a passion to make sure her Caymanian counterparts receive prayer and deliverance. With her revival service being held in the same day as the popular Cayman Agricul- ture Show, Bishop Fagan says she believes people will still come out to receive prophetic healing and deliverance. She said she did not re- alize the conflict with the Agriculture Show until she got to Cayman and prob- ably would have changed the date, she said, but God told her to “come now and bring the gospel.” “The response I am get- ting is overwhelming and people are looking forward to it,” she added. The morning service be- gins with a “war room” – when intercessors pray for communities and take part in praise and worship, the bishop said. Bishop Fagan will be praying for families and young people, she said. She is also encouraging attendees to bring out envelopes with their prayer requests. She is also inviting church leaders to attend with their members. The service is a part of Bishop Fagan’s Vision Mir- acle Church of God. She was ordained as a pastor in 1994 and as a bishop in 2000. She moved to Jamaica to continue her ministry. She said this will be her first time preaching in Cayman since moving to Jamaica. Her ministry has two branches in Jamaica, and two in Florida. Returning bishop to hold revival service Cayman born Bishop Juliette Fagan will host an ‘Island Wide Move of God’ revival service on Ash Wednesday. With her revival service being held in the same day as the popular Cayman Agriculture Show, Bishop Fagan says she believes people will still come out to receive prophetic healing and deliverance.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS countries would not with- stand a court challenge. Cayman Islands-based researcher and campaigner Leonardo Raznovich said the “appalling” decision in Bermuda set a terrible prec- edent that would do little to advance the cause of same- sex couples in Britain’s terri- tories. He called on the U.K. government to take on the issue and bring an “order in council” to mandate equal marriage rights as it did in 2001 to force its territories to legalize homosexuality. James Austin-Smith, chairman of the Human Rights Commission in the Cayman Islands, told the Cayman Compass last month that Cayman’s po- sition on same-sex unions was out of step with the European Convention on Human Rights and he be- lieves any couple that brought a legal challenge would “definitely win.” Bermuda was forced to recognize the rights of gay couples to marry after a Supreme Court deci- sion in May 2017. But politicians in the territory tweaked legisla- tion to essentially ban gay marriage once again and introduce a new “Domestic Partnerships Bill,” which offers same-sex couples the right to civil unions, with many of the same rights. Bermuda’s Gov- ernor Rankin signed the bill into law last week, prompting a debate in the U.K. Parliament. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “seri- ously disappointed” about the decision but indicated the U.K. would continue to respect the rights of its territories to make their own decisions. “That bill has been dem- ocratically passed by the Parliament of Bermuda, and our relationship with the overseas territories is based on partnership and respect for their right to democratic self-govern- ment,” she said in a state- ment to the U.K. media. MPs on all sides crit- icized the decision and called it a backward step. Labour MP Chris Bryant said the law reversal will make Britain a “laughing stock in the international human rights field.” Mr. Raznovich, a former law professor at the Truman Bodden Law School in Grand Cayman, successfully forced a change in policy in 2016 to allow same-sex couples, married in other jurisdic- tions, to have their partner- ships recognized for immi- gration purposes. He said the Bermuda de- cision, which walks back an order of the Supreme Court, showed a disregard for the rule of law and could be open to legal challenge. The U.K.’s endorsement of a law that removes estab- lished legal rights, veri- fied by a court decision, is disturbing and unprece- dented, he added. Mr. Raznovich ac- knowledged that if Cay- man’s legislature were to introduce equivalent leg- islation to Bermuda’s do- mestic partnerships bill, it would be welcomed by the gay community. “It would be a great step forward,” he said, “but why would they do that? “After this decision by the U.K., they have taken away the urgency for the Legislative Assembly to act. Now they know they can do nothing and wait for a legal challenge. If it goes against them, they can then take the Bermuda bill and give a second-class ticket [to gay couples] ….” The lawyer, now part of a research team in- vestigating the 14 coun- tries in the world that still outlaw homosexuality, said it was time for the U.K. to step in with an “order in council” to end the debate once and for all. Outside of the Carib- bean, all U.K. territories – even the remote South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which has a population of 30 – allow same-sex marriage. The Dutch and U.S. depen- dent territories in the Ca- ribbean have all legalized same-sex marriage. Mr. Raznovich added, “All political parties [in the U.K.] have said they can’t believe what has hap- pened in Bermuda. “I would not be sur- prised if the U.K. now steps in and issues a same-sex marriage act for the terri- tories. It would be a com- monsense step.” Police Station on Feb. 27, 2017, and although he did not initially learn any specifics, he was told the ticket had been issued to “his” vehicle. “Immediately as I heard this, I denied such doing,” Mr. Scott said. “This is something I truly respected [referring to disabled parking spaces] … and [I] would never carry out such an unlawful exercise.” At the time of the po- lice station visit, Mr. Scott asked questions such as; why had he not been issued the parking ticket? What was the make and model of the vehicle involved in the parking offense? When did this incident take place? He said none of those questions were answered and he left the police station, with of- ficers promising to call him back after they collected more information. On March 6, 2017, police called Mr. Scott and he agreed to attend the Fairbanks jail facility. He was asked to give fingerprints, a mug shot and a DNA sample as part of “processing” procedures. He refused, and said he was told, in that case, that he immedi- ately needed to attend court, which he agreed to do. “I was made to feel like my rights were being violated,” he said, although he did add that the police inspector in charge at the jail made a dif- ficult situation bearable. “I thought he handled the situ- ation very professionally; [the inspector] expressed that he had dealt with such situa- tions previously.” Mr. Scott was allowed to drive his own vehicle to court, with a police escort. Once there, he received a copy of the parking ticket for the first time – which indicated the ticket was issued on Oct. 28, 2016. Mr. Scott’s youngest son, Jason, sold the vehicle to a Jamaican man in April 2016. Records stamped with a date of April 13, 2016, at the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing acknowl- edge the transfer, but were not signed by the new owner. Also, Mr. Scott was listed on those transfer papers as the owner of the vehicle, likely because he had pur- chased it for his son to use. He said he’d never driven or taken possession of the Toyota Windom. According to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice, this is an issue that can arise with delayed transfers, where the seller signs over the vehicle assuming that the new owner will complete the necessary legal form later. “The law puts the onus on the person selling the vehicle to ensure that registration is completed,” a statement from the RCIPS about Mr. Scott’s case noted. “Failing to do that can result in being held re- sponsible for what occurs with the vehicle afterwards.” Uncompleted transfers can also hamper police in- vestigations into crimes where the vehicle is used, the RCIPS noted. “We urge all car owners to ensure that vehicle transfer documents are com- pleted with the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Li- censing by going to the DVDL offices together.” While in court on March 6, 2017, Mr. Scott found him- self explaining details of his situation to a magistrate. The case was reset for March 21 last year “because I was still responsible for the car at this point,” the Bodden Town man said he was informed. During the next two weeks, Mr. Scott and some of his relatives hit the streets, trying to track down the Toyota Windom. After a number of fruitless attempts, Mr. Scott said they managed to locate the vehicle and its driver outside Cox Lumber in Bodden Town on March 14. Mr. Scott said he pulled in and blocked the driver from leaving. The driver was taken into custody, according to po- lice, and Mr. Scott and his son were taken to the police station to give statements to the effect that they had seen the man driving the Windom. “During the course of the day, I received infor- mation that the driver had posted bail,” Mr. Scott said, stating that two of his sons again spotted the same black Toyota Windom being driven around town the eve- ning of March 14. Two days later, Mr. Scott said a family member en- countered the same driver in the same vehicle at a Red Bay gas station, where they again blocked him in. The po- lice were called and “took the vehicle away a second time” from the man, Mr. Scott told the Cayman Compass. A police statement on the arrest incidents confirmed that the man had been taken into custody on the dates given by Mr. Scott and his sons. “On the two occasions that the accused was ar- rested, he was released on police bail while the inves- tigation was conducted,” the RCIPS statement read. Of- ficers further added that people accused in traffic of- fenses are usually not kept in custody during the course of those investigations. Police indicated officers confirmed the Windom was owned by the Jamaican man and that police were unable to keep the vehicle from him as he was the lawful owner. “He was ad- vised that the vehicle would be returned to him, pro- vided that he gets insur- ance for the vehicle and has someone else drive it away, or that he gets the ve- hicle towed from the police station. He complied with these requirements and the vehicle was released. “He was also warned not to drive the vehicle again until such time that he ob- tained a Cayman Islands driver’s license,” the police statement read. Meanwhile, Mr. Scott – whom the police said “all parties” had agreed was not the owner of the Toyota Windom – was due back in court on March 21, 2017. “Fortunately, with all that developed … it was explained to the judge, and the courts had also received some infor- mation supporting my story,” Mr. Scott said. “The judge told me the charge was dropped and I was free to go.” Further investigation by police led to charges against the Jamaican man on April 4, 2017, including using an unregistered vehicle, using a vehicle without a cer- tificate of roadworthiness [coupon], driving without being qualified and driving without insurance. Again on Aug. 11, 2017, the same man was charged with driving without being licensed, driving without in- surance, expired license and expired roadworthi- ness certificate. “I am unaware of the status of these matters,” po- lice spokesperson Jacqueline Carpenter said regarding the referenced traffic court cases. Mr. Scott, apparently un- aware that police had con- firmed the vehicle’s new ownership, made several further attempts to try and complete the transfer. As late as mid-July 2017, he said he was attempting to ef- fect the legal transfer, even though the man who pur- chased his son’s car had al- ready been charged with various offenses in April. Mr. Scott’s attempts to complete the transfer were ultimately unsuccessful. Frequently, tourists stop for a picture, and a video of him directing traffic went “viral” with more than 100,000 views on the internet. “I met three persons from Canada that came on the cruise lines just to see me,” he said. “They shake my hand and tell me they appre- ciate what I am doing.” Sometimes the atten- tion becomes counter- productive and he has to stop an overzealous tourist from walking into the road for a selfie with him. But he said he al- ways does it with “love and respect.” Passing motorists also seem to enjoy the offi- cer’s style, which brings order and a touch of levity to a potentially testy at- mosphere, as cars navi- gate through the town while thousands of tour- ists mill around. Cruise passenger ar- rivals continue to surge in Cayman, with ships di- verting from hurricane- hit islands in the eastern Caribbean. Last Tuesday alone, there were 18,000 visitors in the town. While Officer O’Connor is happy to keep people entertained, he said his first role is to keep ev- eryone safe and en- sure the smooth flow of people and traffic. It can be thirsty work at times in the heat of the day, but he would not swap it for any other role. “I love it from the bottom of my heart,” he said. Officer O’Connor’s ef- forts have not gone un- noticed by business owners in the town. Julie Allan, who runs Rackam’s Waterfront bar and grill and is a director on the current Cayman Is- lands Tourism Associa- tion board, said, “I’m so pleased and proud of the display and presence of the RCIP in George Town on our busy cruise ship days. I hope that Officer O’Connor continues his awesome CaymanKind welcome to our guests.” Visit the caymancompass.com website to see more of Officer O’Connor in action. Parking ticket leads to legal nightmare for BT man CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “The law puts the onus on the person selling the vehicle to ensure that registration is completed. Failing to do that can result in being held responsible for what occurs with the vehicle afterwards.” RCIPS STATEMENT Bermuda controversy prompts calls for action on same-sex marriage CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 On the beat with Officer O’Connor CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2018 1 killed, 22 injured as trains collide in Austria Two passenger trains crashed in central Austria on Monday, killing one person and injuring 22 others, authorities said. Photographs of the accident scene showed the side of a EuroCity train that was traveling to Germany torn away and a regional Austrian train next to it. $88.2B price tag for rebuilding Iraq after Islamic State war KUWAIT CITY (AP) – Kuwait on Monday opened a week of confer- ences seeking aid for rebuilding Iraq after the onslaught of the Is- lamic State group, seeking tens of billions of dollars for a nation only a generation ago that invaded it. Authorities estimate Iraq needs $88.2 billion to restore a country smashed after the Sunni extremists seized the country’s second-largest city of Mosul and a mass of terri- tory in June 2014. “We finished one battle but we are engaged now with a war for reconstruction,” said Mustafa al- Hiti, the head of Iraq’s reconstruc- tion fund for areas affected by ter- rorist operations. Among the hardest-hit areas is Mosul, which Iraqi forces, aided by Iranian-backed Shiite militias and a U.S.-led coalition, recaptured in July 2017. Their victory came at a steep cost for Mosul, as coalition airstrikes and extremist suicide car bombs destroyed homes and gov- ernment buildings. Of the money needed, Iraqi of- ficials estimate $17 billion alone needs to go toward rebuilding homes, the biggest single line item offered Monday on the first day of meetings. The United Nations esti- mates 40,000 homes need to be re- built in Mosul alone. “The majority of the damage was to western Mosul as it went through one of the worst and fiercest battles in history,” said Nofal al-Akoub, the governor of Iraq’s Nineveh province. It “led to the total destruction of its infrastructure.” Al-Akoub said $42 billion was needed for his province alone, as it is home to Mosul. Iraq needs some $20 billion now to begin its recon- struction, al-Hiti said. The war against the Islamic State group displaced more than 5 million people. Only half have re- turned to their hometowns in Iraq. However, officials acknowledge a feeling of fatigue from international donors, especially after the wars in Iraq and Syria sparked the biggest mass migration since World War II. President Donald Trump himself on Monday tweeted that America was “so stupidly spending $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is now time to start investing in OUR country.” The U.S. has no plans to make any new pledges at this week’s conferences. Even in Kuwait, some social media users questioned why more wasn’t being done in their own country. Billions of dollars poured into Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hus- sein, with what feels now like little visible effect. The U.S. alone spent $60 billion over nine years – some $15 million a day – to rebuild Iraq. Around $25 billion went to Iraq’s military, which disintegrated during the light- ning 2014 offensive of the Islamic State group, which grew out of al- Qaida in Iraq. U.S. government audi- tors also found massive waste and corruption, fueling suspicions of Western politicians like Trump who want to scale back foreign aid. Meanwhile, the Middle East as a whole, especially countries like Kuwait whose deep pockets rely on oil production, have taken a hit in recent years as energy prices crashed and only recently began re- gaining ground. Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest crude producer and home to the world’s fifth-largest known re- serves, says it needs $7 billion to repair its oil and gas fields. It has struggled to pay international firms running them. Kuwait, hosting the conferences this week, has a deep interest in seeing a stable Iraq, especially after Baghdad’s 1990 invasion of their small, oil-rich emirate. It announced $330 million alone had been pledged Monday for Iraq at a humanitarian conference in Kuwait City. That money is desperately needed as more than 4 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance while 3 million are unable to regu- larly go to school in Iraq, said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF’s regional di- rector for the Middle East and North Africa. One out of four Iraqi children across the country live in poverty in the nation of 37 million people. “There may be donor fatigue, but no one today can tell me there isn’t money. There is money to continue fighting, there is money to con- tinue agendas that are not serving children,” Cappelaere said. “What we are asking today is to put that money where children’s interests are and we may get in the Middle East a much-brighter future.” But Iraq needs more than just cash as thousands remain held after the rout of the Islamic State group, including women and children. It must renew its embrace of the rule of law, as well as provide answers to families whose loved ones went missing in the war, said Katharina Ritz, the head of the delegation in Iraq for the International Com- mittee of the Red Cross. “We know that many people think about, ‘OK, it’s the second time we have to rebuild Iraq,’ … [but] we have to get it right this time for the Iraqi people,” Ritz said. “This will take time and prob- ably it will also take generations to deal with the past, because if you look at the future, you also have to look back,” she added. In this Nov. 14, 2017 file photo, a man walks between destroyed shops in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq. - PHOTO: AP US pushes home countries to take back Syria detainees ROME (AP) – The United States is urging allied nations to help deal with the growing number of for- eign fighters that are being held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, saying the militants should be turned over to face justice in their home countries. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is expected to raise the issue during a meeting in Rome this week with other members of the coalition that is fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. The SDF is currently holding thousands of IS detainees, including hundreds of foreign fighters from a number of nations. The issue be- came more prominent in recent days, after the announcement that the SDF had captured two notorious British members of an Islamic State cell who were commonly dubbed the Beatles and were known for be- heading hostages. U.S. officials have said putting the two in the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility is not an op- tion. And British leaders have sug- gested they do not want the two men returned to Britain. “We’re working with the coali- tion on foreign fighter detainees, and generally expect these detainees to return to their country of or- igin for disposition,” said Kathryn Wheelbarger, the principal deputy assistant defense secretary for in- ternational security affairs. “Defense ministers have the obligation and the opportunity to really explain to their other ministers or their other Cabinet officials just the importance to the mission, to the campaign, to make sure that there’s an answer to this problem.” Speaking to reporters traveling with Mattis to Europe, Wheelbarger said the key goal is to keep the fighters off the battlefield and un- able to travel to other cities. “The capacity problem is very real,” Wheelbarger said, noting that at one point the SDF was capturing as many as 40 militants a day. “Suc- cess in the campaign means you get more people off the battlefield …. These facilities are eventually going to be full.” U.S. military officials have con- firmed that El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey, who grew up in London, were captured in early January in eastern Syria. U.S. officials have interrogated the men, who were part of the IS cell that captured, tortured and be- headed more than two dozen hos- tages, including American jour- nalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and American aid worker Peter Kassig. Hundreds of foreign citizens fought alongside IS as it took control of large parts of Syria, raising con- cerns that they will bring terrorism with them if they ever return home. The legal issues are daunting. Most nations, including the U.S., would be unwilling to take back detainees unless they have the evi- dence to prosecute them, and that often is difficult to collect in such battlefield captures. While officials say that Guanta- namo is not a viable option for the two British insurgents, questions remain about any potential use of the facility. President Donald Trump issued an executive order last month that keeps the prison open, prompting speculation that addi- tional detainees could be brought in. A number of allies, however, have openly criticized the use of Guan- tanamo, where detainees have been held for years without trial. And ex- perts have argued that the facility serves as a recruiting tool for ex- tremist groups. Former Islamic State hostages and families of the group’s victims are saying that Elsheikh and Kotey should be brought to trial. French journalist Nicolas Henin, who was held by the men and their comrades for 10 months, said he wants justice, and that the men should be tried in Britain, not shipped to Guantanamo Bay, because revenge will just breed more violence. “What I’m looking for is justice and Guantanamo is a denial of jus- tice,” he told The Associated Press. Wheelbarger said the detainee problem is just one of the issues the defense ministers will discuss during the meeting. The Islamic State group has been largely defeated in Iraq and is near destruction in Syria, where pockets of insurgents still operate along the Euphrates River, near the Iraq border and in other scattered lo- cations. As a result, the coalition is shifting from an emphasis on combat operations to stabilization. “There are numerous questions about what’s next,” said Mattis. He said that will include en- suring that explosive devices are found and eliminated, getting schools re-opened and making sure clean water is available.Next >