ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 High of 86 Low of 72 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 WHEN NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS LOCAL | PAGE 5 MINISTER OUTLINES EDUCATION CHANGES Legislators question delays in CCTV system upgrade Choudhury sought $148K for more, longer social events GOVERNMENT SEEKS STAY OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RULING COURT REJECTS BOUCHARD’S APPLICATION TO APPEAL ‘OUT OF TIME’ JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Questions have been raised over the slow pace of Cayman’s planned CCTV up- grade. So far, less than 25% of the cam- eras have been switched for higher defi- nition, higher resolution models – around two years after money was allocated for the project. Opposition legislators cited numerous examples of crimes taking place in the vi- cinity of existing cameras and the CCTV footage not proving useful to police, as they called for more urgency on the up- grades during a Finance Committee de- bate Monday. East End legislator Arden McLean questioned why only 52 of Cayman’s 293 CCTV cameras had been upgraded. “We all agreed on having these cam- eras, the best in the world. Why have more cameras not been changed?” he asked. Julian Lewis, director of Public Safety Communication, said there had been a sig- nificant amount of market research to find the right cameras with the right “meg- apixel rates”. He said an initial request for proposals had been pushed back, but said it was important to get the right tech- nology that would last the island for the next seven to ten years. KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former Governor Anwar Choudhury apparently had some big party plans before he was re- moved from office last year with no explanation, just 11 weeks after his arrival on island. Legislators voted Monday night to approve $148,000 in sup- plementary funds to cover un- budgeted costs planned during Choudhury’s brief tenure. Deputy Governor Franz Man- derson and Premier Alden McLaughlin explained that the appropriation would go towards plans Choudhury made last year to make “renovations” to Govern- ment House and to increase the “quantity and duration” of events held there. “Last May, the idea there would be increased functions at Govern- ment House, both in terms of the frequency and duration,” Man- derson said Monday night. “As you know, the functions at Government JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Court of Appeal will deliver its decision this afternoon, Wednesday, on whether to grant a stay of the execution of a historic court judgment legal- ising same-sex marriage in the Cayman Islands. Three appeals judges heard submissions Tuesday from Reshma Sharma, representing the Office of the Attorney General, and David McGrath, acting for Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden Bush, the couple at the centre of the case. McGrath said the couple would not get married until after the Court of Appeal ruling is delivered. The court is ex- pected to deliver its ruling at 3 p.m. The Office of the Attorney General, acting on the Cayman Islands government’s instructions, is seeking to appeal Chief Justice Anthony Smel- lie’s March 29 judgment, which effectively rewrote the islands’ Marriage Law to allow same-sex cou- ples to wed. Government is asking for the change CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal dis- missed an application by Michelle Bouchard to appeal convictions for theft of more than $2.23 million, noting that the appeal was filed one year and 321 days out of time. The appeal court heard submissions from at- torney Anthony Akiwumi on behalf of Bouchard, who was convicted by a Grand Court jury and sen- tenced in April 2016 to 12 years’ imprisonment for offences that included theft and transferring crim- inal property. In November 2016, she appealed that sentence and it was reduced to 10 years. On Tuesday, court president Sir John Goldring asked Akiwumi if Bouchard was saying that when she appealed only against sentence, she was not properly advised. Appeals against conviction must be filed within 14 days. Akiwumi submitted that trial judge Paul Worsley was wrong to have allowed evidence to go to the jury that should have been inadmissible. Bouchard’s victim was an elderly Australian, Then-Governor Anwar Choudhury speaks to reporters at Government House in March last year. A CCTV camera is seen on a light pole in downtown George Town. It is one of 293 cameras that are in place around Grand Cayman. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - WEDNESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) PET SEMATARY (R) 1:20 I 4:20 I 7:15 I 9:50 TRIPLE THREAT (R) 1:15 I 3:45 I 6:50 DUMBO (PG) 1:00 I 4:35 I 6:50 HOTEL MUMBAI (R) 1:30 I 9:30 CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG13) 3:40 VIP I 10:00 SHAZAM! (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 12:50 I 3:50 I 6:30 VIP 7:00 I 9:35 VIP I 10:00 A MADEA FAMILY FUNERAL (PG13) 7:25 US (R) 4:00 I 9:50 Foreign Exchange Revenue from Services in 2017, CI$Million Youngsters shine in Lions Brac pageant JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com About 350 people packed into the Brac Aston Rutty Centre Saturday night to see their little ones perform in the Lions Club of Cayman Brac’s fourth annual Mini Miss, Mini Master and Little Miss contest. Chelsea French, 7, was crowned Little Miss; Joshaela Burke, Mini Miss; and Chris- tiano Ritch, Mini Master at the pageant. Chelsea was also winner of ‘best talent’ for Little Miss. Aijanna Svendson won best talent in Mini Miss; Jaleel Ritch won best talent and ‘most photogenic’ in Mini Master, and Xaniyah Levy was Mini Miss most photogenic and Samaya Ritch Little Miss most photogenic. The competition started with an opening group dance by contestants, followed by an introduction in casual wear. The second segment fo- cussed on talent and the third was formal wear with on- stage questions. Yvette Gayle of the Lions Club said 15 participants went through training for more than a month in preparation for the competition, including for speech delivery, dance and in- dividual talents. Contestants were as- sisted by parents, mem- bers of the community and Lions members. “It’s not just girls that we support, but the young men as well, with hosting the Mini Master competition,” Gayle said. Iguana cull surpasses 520,000 Last week, cullers re- moved more than 16,000 green iguanas from Grand Cayman. The total number of iguanas culled during the first 23 weeks of the Depart- ment of Environment’s pro- gramme stands at 521,793 as of April 6. While weekly totals are frequently revised upward from preliminary reports, the figure for Week 23, as it stands, is the largest total posted by cullers since Week 17 (Feb. 18-23). Cullers are still above the pace needed to reach the target number of culling 1.3 million green iguanas by the end of 2019. The programme began in late October 2018. Cullers are being paid $4.50 a head, rising to $5 if they meet monthly and an- nual targets, in an effort to wipe out the invasive spe- cies in Grand Cayman. 0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 Week 1 (Oct. 29-Nov. 3) 23 45 6789 101112 13 1415 16 18171920Week 23 (April 1-6) 2122 Green iguana cull update Iguanas culledTotal culled P a c e t o r e a c h 1 . 3 m i ll i o n t a r g e t The 17 contestants of the annual Mini Miss, Mini Master and Little Miss competition line up on the Aston Rutty Centre stage. - PHOTO: SISTER ISLANDS NEWS AGENCYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 Join the Excitement! The only all-dolphin fishing tournament in the Cayman Islands returns with fun for the whole family. APRIL 27 TH + 28 TH 2019 Excitement! + Excitem APRIL 27 TH 28 2019 REGISTRATION: April 25th George Town Yacht Club 5pm - 7pm TOURNAMENT: April 27th & 28th 7am - 4pm WEIGH STATION: Barcadere Marina 4pm - 6pm PRIZE GIVING: April 28th George Town Yacht Club 6pm - 8pm 1ST PRIZE: $5000 CASH PLUS A TUDOR WATCH 2nd $2000 CASH 3rd $1000 CASH Learn more or download a registration form at kirkslam.ky KIRK SLAM TOURNAMENT DATESThe 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. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited 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 PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Several articles in the news this week have us considering that perhaps the only thing worse than hearing bad news is not hearing bad news – particu- larly when it should be coming from government. In fact, we would go so far as to say our public officials have a duty to swiftly inform the public about slip-ups, detours and unexpected events – including potential health risks, extra expenditures or major public projects that are not proceeding according to plan. Clearly, there is great opportunity for improvement in this regard. Take, for example, this week’s revelation that the Department of Environmental Health recorded aston- ishingly high levels of faecal bacteria in the waters off East End — last October. Rather than issue a public health advisory, as many other beach-blessed govern- ment agencies would have done, the DEH released the information, months later, in response to a reporter’s Freedom of Information request. Apparently, the DEH has no policy of alerting the public about high bacteria levels in the waters off our popular beaches. Moreover, the Compass learned that it is not unusual for the department to fall behind on quarterly water sampling. The DEH told the reporter there was no report of illnesses appearing to have been directly related to last autumn’s unusual incident. Still, it is information the public should have known. The second article that caught our attention dis- closed the new estimated price tag of the Owen Roberts International Airport expansion. It was the result of another Freedom of Information request. According to the Cayman Islands Airports Authority, cost estimates have now reached nearly $68 million — around $14 million over and above original figures. Officials told the reporter they would release final estimates when the airport upgrade is completed. But for a project of this size and scope, we think they could have been more transparent. Throughout con- struction, the public has been invited to all manner of ribbon cuttings, openings, ceremonies and announce- ments of the project’s progress. We also should have been privy to periodic updates about the cost. Finally, there is today’s Front Page article describing a telling exchange between lawmakers during Monday’s Finance Committee discussion of a $298,000 appropriation to “increase staffing levels at the Governor’s Office” – a description which glosses over the true nature of the expenditure, in our opinion. Indeed, it was only after repeated questions posed by opposition MLA Chris Saunders that it was dis- closed that $148,000 of that had been requested by then-Governor Anwar Choudhury to fund unbudgeted costs for remodelling and entertaining. It is not yet clear how much of that money was actually spent by the former governor, but one thing we can say with certainty: This slow drip of informa- tion in response to questions does not build faith in government. Rather, our public servants should be forthcoming and take a more proactive approach. When no news is bad news WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Remembering HMS Cayman The HMS Cayman was a UK frigate during World War II. She was ordered by the US Navy under the name USS Harland (PF-78). After completion, she was transferred to the Royal Navy and was renamed HMS Cayman (K 506). Her keel was laid down in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 15, 1943, and on Sept. 6, 1943, two months later, she was launched. Prior to launching, the British Navy gave her the name Cayman in honour of the Caymanian men who had volunteered in the war effort. Her service duty was to patrol and escort the Royal Navy. She was a Colony Class Frigate. Her commander was Lieutenant Commander Samuel Clive Bradley. He was with her from Jan. 22, 1944 to March 4, 1946. Her displacement was 1,264 tons. Her beam was 37 feet, 6 inches. Her length was 304 feet. Her draft was 14 feet and she could get up to a speed of 20 knots. She was returned to the US Navy in 1946. After the war, on July 1, 1947, she was sold to the United Dock Cor- poration to be scrapped. So, she only lived for four years, but at least we have a pic- ture of her and we all can say, “Good old Caymanians, we had a frigate named after us.” I’ve asked the Philatelic Bureau to consider issuing a postage stamp featuring our frigate. My fight is to save something of this ship. Durl Ebanks Euthanise Sister Islands’ feral cats It has been over a year since the government initia- tive to control the stray cat populations on the Sister Is- lands was stymied by two animal advocacy organisa- tions in Grand Cayman, Fe- line Friends and the Cayman Islands Humane Society. The primary intent of the government programme was to mitigate the devas- tating impact that predation (hunting and killing) by these stray, feral animals is having on the native wild fauna (song birds, seabirds, and reptiles) of the Sister Islands. Of the most urgent con- cerns are the critically en- dangered Sister Islands rock iguanas. They are a unique species, found only on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman and nowhere else in the world. Not to be confused with invasive green iguanas, like the blues in Grand Cayman, the Sister Islands rock iguanas are our iguanas. At the last count in 2015, there were an estimated 2,900 or so rock iguanas in Little Cayman and perhaps 200 in Cayman Brac. Preda- tion by feral cats is one of the top threats to hatchlings and young rock iguanas and thus to the survival of the species. Government had been pro- ceeding with a programme to euthanise feral cats on Little Cayman and got as far as micro-chipping pets to pre- vent them from mistakenly being included. The two organ- isations objected to euthanasia and blocked the programme from continuing in court fil- ings based on a ‘loophole’ in the Animals Law regulations. This ‘loophole’ has since been closed. Nothing further, how- ever, has happened. At the time, the organisa- tions proposed trap, neuter, vaccinate, release (TNVR) as a more humane alternative to euthanasia. It is not. Putting down unwanted stray animals is sad and the necessity of doing so tragic. But even People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), arguably the most passionate protector of animal rights, ac- cepts euthanasia as legitimate and preferable to, ‘Turning un- wanted animals loose to roam the streets …’. As a former longtime cat owner (Elvis, Butthead, Ri- pley, Scooter, Skittles and Mako, all unwanted by their owners or strays taken in), a trip to the Little Cayman gar- bage dump to witness the pit- iful state of the warren there breaks my heart. It is not an idyllic life in the country for them. It is a miserable, wretched existence and they are suffering terrible depri- vations; no shelter, no fresh water, are starving, diseased, no treatment for injuries, and worst of all, unloved. TNVR is a lose-lose propo- sition for the feral cats and the native animals. It may soothe one’s mind but it does nothing to help the cats and, of course, the released cats continue to kill the native wildlife. With another rock iguana hatching season ap- proaching, it is urgent to re- start the control programme now. As a full-time resident of Little Cayman and a vol- unteer helping rock iguana conservation efforts, I im- plore Feline Friends and the Cayman Islands Humane So- ciety to drop their opposi- tion to euthanising feral cats on the Sister Islands and re- direct their energies to en- suring that the programme is carried out using accepted methods and to international standards by well trained and caring staff in a compas- sionate manner. As animal advocacy or- ganisations, you not only have a responsibility to pets, you have a duty to NOT con- tribute to the extinction of an entire species through mis- placed altruism. Gregory S. McTaggart The HMS Cayman5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 One Honeywell Lynx touch wireless residential/ commercial security alarm panel with 4.3” full colour touchscreen display Three wireless door/window contacts (white) One Honeywell pet immune motion sensor (up to 40Lbs.) One 4 button remote keychain Full installation and demonstration 12 months parts warranty WIFI module for the mobile Apps. Honeywell Lynx Intruder Alarm Package Includes: The Honeywell intruder system is linked to our 24/7 monitoring centre to keep your family and your property safe. Upon system activation our experienced monitoring station staff will handle the situation. The Total Connect app allows you complete control of your security system from your mobile device. To find out more about this special offer contact the Security Centre on 949-0004 or email info@security.ky *The free alarm system and installation is available to new clients when signing up for a 12 month monitoring contract ($660 residential - $860 commercial). 24/7 Alarm Monitoring Secure and protect your property with the Honeywell Lynx intruder protection system. Controllable from your mobile device. Minister outlines education changes MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com During Monday’s session of the Legislative Assembly, Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly focussed on overhauling school cur- riculum and re-outlined teacher salary changes that she first announced last Au- gust in her requests for sup- plemental funding. The first of two incre- mental pay increases for gov- ernment school teachers was implemented at the begin- ning of the current school year. A second is planned in August, which would bring base pay to $5,000 per month. O’Connor-Connolly said the increase would help the system recruit and retain better teachers. She said it would also encourage more Cayman students to pursue professions in education. She reiterated earlier changes that would allow the school system to pay newly hired teachers through the summer months. The lack of such pay, she said, often ham- pered mid-year hiring. In ad- dition, a flexible leave policy is being put in place to allow teachers to take time off for family emergencies or signif- icant family events, such as weddings and graduations. The minister announced, for the first time, the addition of a system that would allow teachers to advance on the salary scale by taking post- graduate education courses. She requested $2.5 million to cover the cost of raising the salaries. Highlighting the changes in school assessment, O’Connor-Connolly said schools were improving as a result of inspections by the Office of Education Stand- ards, which was established as an independent agency two years ago. A series of in- spections in 2014-2015 found nearly all the government schools were unsatisfactory in their performance. “We have managed through careful planning, implementation and moni- toring to take all but one of our schools from unsatisfac- tory to satisfactory or good [under the current frame- work],” she said. In truth, three schools – John A. Cumber and Sa- vannah primary schools and Clifton Hunter High School – were rated unsatisfactory or ‘weak’ in their most recent inspections. The minister also re- quested $500,000 to cover “educational supplies and resources such as text- books”. those materials, she said, are necessary in order to introduce a new curric- ulum in August. O’Connor-Connolly said the Education Council had appointed a curriculum im- plementation team, which has been working on as- sessing England’s 2014 na- tional curriculum and deter- mining how best to put it into practice in Cayman’s schools. Significant changes in maths, science and for- eign languages will be made, she said. “Children are expected to learn more at an earlier age,” she said, such as mastering their times table by age 9. More emphasis will be placed on spelling, grammar and handwriting. Students will learn to write computer code. In science, she said, “There will be shift toward hard facts and scientific knowledge.” A mandatory second lan- guage, Spanish, will be intro- duced in Key Stage 2. Social studies, she said, will incorporate a strong local component to educate children about Cayman his- tory and culture. The minister said two jun- kets to England have allowed education officials and school administrators to observe what goes into a successful school. Teams visited 14 schools that were of a sim- ilar size to those in Cayman and served disadvantaged communities. “The role of the school leadership was a critical component for success,” she said. “The interesting thing I found when I visited the schools in the UK, there were hardly any behavioural prob- lems. They had the neces- sary resources and the nec- essary teachers within the classroom.” O’Connor-Connolly told the legislators she plans to have teaching assistants in every classroom from kinder- garten to Year 9 within the next two years. The trips, she said, also allowed officials to see the difference in the governance structure of British schools as compared to Cayman. She said she plans to intro- duce similar governance in schools here, allowing princi- pals more autonomy and pro- viding for more community involvement and input. As minister of youth and sports, she requested $1.2 million for improvements to Truman Bodden Sports Com- plex in preparation for this month’s CARIFTA Games. No upgrades had been done at the facility since repairs were completed after Hurricane Ivan damaged it in 2004. In addition, $10 million from the Environmental Pro- tection Fund was requested for the purchase of lands for public use, beach access and environmental conservation. The minister’s requests were approved unanimously. NORTH SOUND ROAD TO HAVE POWER OUTAGE The Caribbean Utilities Company is advising its cus- tomers in North Sound Road, George Town, that they will experience interruptions to their service from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. Areas affected will be North Sound Road be- tween Bernard Drive and the main entrance to CUC’s power plant, including Wren Lane and portions of Sparky’s Drive. Residential customers on Bernard Drive and Wren Lane will only experience a short interruption to their service between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., according to CUC. Also, commercial cus- tomers between Wren Lane and the entrance to CUC’s power plant will be affected for the duration of the outage. Motorists are asked to drive with caution along this section of North Sound Road as CUC will have vehicles and personnel in the area and will be deploying rumble strips and signage to manage the traffic flow. The utility company stated in a press release that the in- terruption is necessary to fa- cilitate “required overhead in- frastructure upgrades”. Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly6 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS CIBC Cayman Bank Limitedinvites applications from suitable qualified Caymanians for an annualScholarship of CI$15,000 to pursue an Associates or Bachelor’s degree at an accrediteduniversity BuldngTomorrowToday CIBCCayman BankLimited 2019Scholarship Successful candidates must: • Beaccepted or are currently enrolledas a full-time student for the 2019academic year • Be 18 years of age or older • Provide proven academic record (GPA of 3.0 or higher) • Be Caymanianborn or hold Caymanian Status Email: human.resourcescayman@cibcfcib.comto obtain scholarship guidelines andapplication form Deadline for applications is May31,2019 949-5111 | sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com LONG WEEKEND Please by advised there will be NO NEWSPAPER on Good Friday, April 19 and Easter Monday, April 22 EDITION DEADLINE April 18 Monday April 15 April 19 HOLIDAY NO PUBLICATION April 22 HOLIDAY NO PUBLICATION April 23 Tuesday April 16 April 24 Wednesday April 17 April 25 Wednesday April 17 April 26 Tuesday April 23 No conviction recorded in airport ammunition case SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com A 49-year-old man was granted an absolute dis- charge with no conviction recorded Tuesday for acci- dentally bringing a round of ammunition to Cayman in his luggage. The tourist was arrested by Customs officers on April 7 while attempting to board his return flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, at Owen Rob- erts International Airport. One 9-millimetre round of ammunition and one spent shell was found in his lug- gage at the airport. The man, represented by defence counsel Prathna Bodden, said he had obtained the round of ammunition as a souvenir while on a trip to Montana. He was unaware the ammunition was in his luggage when he had trav- elled to Cayman. “He’s extremely sorry,” Bodden said. “It was a gift given to him rather unusually.” The man is a religious minister by profession, and Bodden said he is a man of good character. Magistrate Valdis Foldats was told that the man had a 1:30 p.m. flight out of Cayman on Tuesday, and he elected to discharge the case and order no convic- tion recorded. The magistrate told the defendant that the court deals with these matters frequently and that it’s im- portant for travellers to en- sure they inspect their own luggage. The man was ordered to pay $1,000 in court costs and allowed to go to the airport to make his flight. The Cayman Compass typically does not name de- fendants who have had no conviction recorded against them. He was unaware the ammunition was in his luggage when he had travelled to Cayman. Paddleboarders soak up the sun during last year’s 24-hour paddle. Paddleboarders stand up for cancer survivors JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemediatld.com Six Cayman paddle- boarders will take to the water this weekend as part of a 24-hour paddle to support people suffering from cancer. The group will paddle in shifts from 8 a.m. on Sat- urday until the same time the following day as part of the ‘Monster and Sea’ challenge. The event aims to raise funds that will go directly to people in the Cayman Islands who need financial support as a consequence of their battle with cancer. Jasmin Muratagic, one of the paddlers, said the money would go towards paying bills and expenses for the cancer patients and their families. He added, “Whenever someone has cancer, there are others that are impacted as well. There is a hus- band, a family that suffers with them.” Muratagic said the theme of the event, which involves separate paddles in commu- nities all over Canada, the US and the Caribbean, is “go be- cause you can”. “The person suffering from cancer can’t go. We are the lucky ones and we have a duty to go out there and do the things they can’t,” he said. “We all take life for granted sometimes; that is why I try to challenge my- self and do these types of things and support people that need it.” A bingo and music night to support the event will take place at Sharkeez on Wednesday from 7 p.m. The paddle begins outside Royal Palms at 8 a.m. Saturday. The other paddlers in- volved are Shannon Schmidt, Chase Darnell, Stephen Pascoe, Eoghan Ryan and Wayne Bodden. The group celebrates after last year’s event.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 Scholarship Programme The Cayman Islands Ministry of Tourism Building Tourism through Education Scholarships available... Scholarships available... scholarships.ourcayman.ky Tel: 244-1252 or e-mail: motscholarships@caymanislands.ky GRAND CAYMAN / CAYMAN BRAC / LITTLE CAYMAN Alyssa Manderson 2011 MoT Scholar Bethany Ebanks 2013 MoT Scholar Application deadline 30 April 2019 The Department of Tourism is accepting applications from Caymanians wishing to study for a Bachelors or Masters degree in a Tourism or Tourism-related discipline. Please visit: for more information You’re in control with Scotiabank Alerts Register for ScotiaOnLine or download the Scotiabank Mobile App today. Learn more on ky.scotiabank.com It’s free to set up and use Get notified immediately Receive personalized notifications about activities and account(s) via push notifications or email. Security Alerts Credit Card Controls Transaction Alerts ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. Chamber hosts annual Earth Day Clean-up The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce is in- viting businesses and in- dividuals to sign up for its annual Earth Day Clean-up on Saturday. This year’s clean-up, the chamber’s 21st, will take place from 7 to 10 a.m., and there will be a complimen- tary breakfast held at the CUC Energy Efficiency Forum and Fair at the Arts and Rec- reation Centre in Camana Bay from 9 to 11 a.m. Wil Pineau, chief execu- tive officer of the Chamber of Commerce, said, “Unfortu- nately, litter continues to be a persistent problem for the Islands. Last year, our vol- unteers collected thousands of bags of trash, including things like broken glass, sy- ringes and car parts that were thrown along roadsides and in illegal dump sites in the districts.” Teams of volunteers who register for the clean-up can select an area of Grand Cayman to focus on. The teams are given trash bags and plastic gloves that have been supplied by the De- partment of Environmental Health. Participants will also be given exclusive Earth Day items, including tote bags and T-shirts designed by painter and conservationist Guy Harvey, while supplies last. “The Department of En- vironmental Health and var- ious business and volun- teer community groups work tirelessly to keep our islands clean with regular clean-ups,” Pineau said. “But there are some people who do not re- spect the environment, and as a result we continue to find illegal dumpsites and unsightly litter scattered across the Islands. “Tourism is one of our major industries, but it will begin to suffer if tourists ar- rive to find vast amounts of litter wherever they go. Therefore, we need to work together to raise awareness of littering and take decisive steps to reduce it.” People interested in participating in the Earth Day Clean-up can register teams online by visiting www. caymanchamber.ky/earthday.html. Bail granted for residential burglary Defendant and complainant are related to each other CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Rory Rohanger Palmer, 24, was granted bail in Summary Court on Monday after being charged with burglary at a George Town apartment complex on Sat- urday, April 6. Crown counsel Dar- lene Oko told Magistrate Adam Roberts that the com- plainant was off island at the time. On the Friday night, before retiring, the helper locked up the apart- ment. She got up to use the bathroom around 4 a.m. and heard noises. She observed that the living room had been ransacked. The woman took her em- ployer’s grandchild from the apartment, notified other tenants of what had hap- pened, contacted her em- ployer’s nephew and asked that someone call police. The nephew went to the apartment and noticed an open window that would or- dinarily have been closed. He found the defendant hiding behind a mattress in the living room. He then locked the apartment and phoned police. When officers arrived, Palmer was exiting the premises through a window. He was arrested and ad- mitted going into the apart- ment to look for money. Defence attorney Oliver Grimwood said Palmer ad- mitted being arrested at the scene. He had been on a work permit and a renewal had been applied for just the day before. The attorney said family members had already con- tacted police to say they did not want to continue the case against Palmer. It was agreed that he had worked for the complainant, to whom he was also related. The magistrate set bail, but with numerous con- ditions. These included a specified residence, non- contact with witnesses, a curfew between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., wearing an electronic monitor and surrender of travel documents. The charge, entering as a trespasser with intent to steal, was set for mention again on Tuesday, April 16. Butterfield Bank is one of the main sponsors for this year’s Chamber of Commerce Earth Day Clean-up. Pictured from left are Yaimany Clarke, vault custodian; C. Michel Bonner, assistant manager, Chamber CEO Wil Pineau, and Sean Lee, head of retail banking.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 James Bruce Handford, who had retired to Cayman. A relationship developed between them in 2010 when she began working for him and moved into his Seven Mile Beach condominium. In 2012, his daughter received information from his bank and came to Cayman. After she and her father went through some bank documents, Handford made a report to police that Bouchard had stolen large amounts of money from ac- counts he and Bouchard held jointly. Officers prepared a statement and read it to him. He signed it. He was 83 at the time. Trial was de- layed for a number of rea- sons. By the time of trial, he was 87 and unable to give evidence because of the dementia from which he suffered. Justice Worsley com- mented during the trial that the interview ought to have been videotaped. The Evidence Law pro- vides for situations in which a person’s state- ment may be used in evi- dence when, by reason of mental fitness, the person who made the statement is not fit to attend court as a witness. In this case, the court heard from the victim’s physician and from a res- ident psychologist who found that the victim’s problem-solving skills were well below what would have been expected of someone of ordinary cogni- tive competence. The court found that Justice Worsley had given most careful consideration to the matter. His decision to admit the evidence was “entirely beyond criticism” and there was no merit in this proposed ground of appeal. From that deci- sion, it followed that the application to appeal out of time must be dismissed. In addition to the court president, this appeal was heard by Justices Sir Richard Field and Dennis Morrison. They said that legal aid had been denied, but they were grateful to Akiwumi and junior counsel Lee Halliday- Davis for representing the appellant. At a hearing in April 2018, Bouchard was or- dered to pay $2.23 million in compensation to her victim or his estate. WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS Legislators question delays in CCTV upgrade He acknowledged there had been “significant de- lays” in the process and suggested there had also been issues around fibre and wireless connectivity. He added that it was a time-consuming process to replace all the cameras. “I am not sure I can agree with you that all 293 should have been changed. There is a lot more time in- volved in changing each lo- cation,” Lewis said. The eventual aim is to upgrade all of Cayman’s cameras and add between 50 and 60 additional cam- eras to the network. Lewis said the original cameras had served their purpose but better tech- nology was now available. He said the newer cameras would provide clearer im- ages to police in the after- math of crimes but would not be used for traffic enforcement. The legislators voted to approve $1.2 million in public spending on up- grades to the CCTV hard- ware during 2019. Premier Alden McLaughlin first high- lighted the need for an is- landwide CCTV upgrade at a police meeting in 2015. Speaking about the re- luctance of witnesses to come forward in the wake of gang shoot- ings, McLaughlin said better camera coverage was needed. “We are going to have to invest more in developing independent means of ob- taining evidence for convic- tions. That means greater investment in CCTV, higher quality cameras and more of them,” he said. Choudhury sought $148K for more, longer social events House start at 6:30 [p.m.] and finish at 8 [p.m.]. There was a plan to increase that, to make Government House more acces- sible to the community.” McLaughlin stressed that the plans to renovate the gov- ernor’s house and hold more events there were made during Choudhury’s tenure, and that “these were his plans and pro- posals”. Those plans have changed under current Gov- ernor Martyn Roper, the premier said. Manderson told the Finance Committee that Governor Roper in no way wants to have unnec- essary costs associated with his office, and will return any unspent money that Choud- hury had plans for. Manderson stressed that these funds were appropriated properly – Cab- inet approved the spending last May – and Monday’s Finance Committee vote was to finalise the appropriation. An audit is being conducted to see exactly how much was spent after Choudhury’s plans were approved by Cabinet, and the deputy governor said he should have a final cost esti- mate by next week. If it turns out that the Governor’s Of- fice spent less than $148,000, then the remaining money will be returned to central govern- ment, he said. In response to a Compass inquiry about the matter, the Governor’s Office issued a state- ment that contained similar in- formation as what was said in Finance Committee. “Additional funding for the Governor’s Office was approved by Cabinet in May 2018 to en- able increased staffing levels in the Governor’s Office and at Government House. It was also to facilitate additional enter- taining requirements for Gov- ernor Choudhury at Govern- ment House and the potential for some renovations,” the Gov- ernor’s Office stated, adding, “The need for extra funding for entertaining and renovations at Government House requested by Governor Choudhury is still being evaluated after the ar- rival of Governor Roper and may result in a reduction in the amount which was approved by Cabinet. Such decisions will be based on operational requirements and value for money. Events and functions continue as normal at Govern- ment House. Governor Roper has already and will in future, seek ways to invite a more di- verse group of people from across the community to Gov- ernment House. “We are unable to com- ment on the reasons for Gov- ernor Choudhury’s withdrawal from Post.” The information about Choudhury’s party plans was almost not made public. Nearing the end of a 12-hour day of Finance Committee hearings on Tuesday, a legis- lator proposed that the Finance Committee approve supple- mental appropriations in ag- gregate amounts, rather than going through every expense line by line. But when Finance Com- mittee Chairman Roy McTag- gart asked for legislators to vote on a $298,000 appropri- ation earmarked to “increase staffing levels at the Governor’s Office”, opposition MLA Chris Saunders interjected. Saunders asked how many employees the $298,000 appro- priation was paying for, and Manderson responded that it would fund “one-and-a-half” of- ficers – a full-time policy officer and a temporary person doing secretary work. Saunders asked how only “one-and-a-half” officers could cost nearly $300,000, and the deputy governor said only $150,000 of the appropriation is going towards personnel costs. “The remaining $148,000, what would that be for?” Saunders asked. “This was approved in May of last year when there were some additional plans for Gov- ernment House,” Manderson replied. “Those have remained during this financial period.” When Saunders pressed Manderson for more infor- mation on the expenses, McLaughlin interjected. “So I can be clear, because I think we may wind up under a problem, this was in the era of the former governor, Anwar Choudhury. So these were his plans and proposals,” the pre- mier said. “There is a new dis- position now.” Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller then asked why the funds need to be appropriated if Choudhury’s plans have been abandoned. Manderson ex- plained that an audit is being conducted to see what expenses were actually made. “Once we know what was spent, then we can look at whether we actually need this. If we need a Cabinet paper to return the money, then we’ll do it,” Manderson said. “The funds have not been audited so once the funds are audited, then we can make a very clear assess- ment as to what funds are actu- ally needed.” Opposition MLA Arden McLean remarked that “it’s be- coming clear the reason for [Choudhury’s] exit”. The last question on the matter was made by Opposition MLA Kenneth Bryan, who asked whether the current governor is less open than the former one to the idea of holding more public functions at his house. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to go down this road,” Manderson replied. “As I said before, Mr. Roper has said to me, ‘Once we have a clear idea of what was spent, then let us sit down and decide if these funds are actually needed.’ Certainly, Mr. Roper has had a number of functions at Gov- ernment House – three or four times a week – so I don’t think there is an effort to not have more functions, but he’s being judicious in the spending.” Choudhury arrived in Cayman in March last year, and was “temporarily withdrawn” about 11 weeks later by UK offi- cials, pending an internal inves- tigation into complaints about his behaviour. Last September, Choudhury was officially removed from his post and placed in another dip- lomatic posting in London. Both the Cayman govern- ment and the UK have declined to release the contents of staff complaints made against the former governor – government said the records “belong to the government of the United Kingdom”, and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said releasing the records would vi- olate data protection laws. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Court rejects Bouchard’s application to appeal ‘out of time’ Michelle Bouchard arrives in court in April 2016 for an appeal of her sentence. The Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal against conviction on Tuesday. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to be delayed until the appeal is decided. Sharma told the Court of Appeal that the ground- breaking case had altered conditions of marriage that had prevailed for some time, and that it was imperative that a stay be put in place until there was no legal ques- tion over the status of mar- riage in the Cayman Islands. She said that if Day and Bodden Bush did get married and then if the government’s appeal against the chief jus- tice’s ruling were successful, it would create another level of confusion. “The egg could not be unscrambled,” she said. Outlining the basis for ap- peal, Sharma said government maintained that the Constitu- tion defined marriage as be- tween a man and a woman, and that other rights in the Constitution could not be used to usurp that clause. She accepted that the court had broad powers to modify legislation that was deemed to be out of step with the Bill of Rights through Section 5 of the Constitution, but said this power was not unlimited and that the court had effectively created a “new species” of marriage. In doing so, she argued, the court had “come danger- ously close to stepping into the realm of judicial legislation”. McGrath, representing Day and Bodden Bush, said the attorney general’s argu- ment had not come close to meeting the bar for a stay to be put in place, adding that while multiple technical points had been raised, the attorney general’s office had not contested the substan- tive finding of the judgment – that the unavailability of marriage to same-sex couples amounts to multiple serious breaches of the Bill of Rights. In order for a stay to be put in place, he said, govern- ment would have to show that it had a “real chance of suc- cess” on appeal, and it had not done so. He added that government was simply re- hashing its argument that Section 14(1) of the Bill of Rights amounted to a ban on same-sex marriage. That sec- tion reads: “Government shall respect the right of every un- married man and woman of marriageable age (as deter- mined by law) freely to marry a person of the opposite sex and found a family.” McGrath argued that all that section did was protect the right of heterosexual cou- ples to marry. “What it defi- nitely does not do is prohibit same-sex couples from en- tering the institution of mar- riage,” he told the appeals court justices. He said the argument on Section 5 was misconstrued, and that the court was re- quired to amend the law once it had been found to be in breach of the Bill of Rights. Legislators’ powers in the Cayman Islands are con- strained to passing legislation that complies with the Consti- tution, McGrath told the court. Following the arguments by both sides, the three ap- peals court judges retired to consider their ruling. Government seeks stay of same-sex marriage ruling CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Chantelle Day, left, and Vickie Bodden Bush leave court following Tuesday’s Court of Appeal hearing. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 2019 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists found guilty HONG KONG (AP) – A Hong Kong court found nine leaders of 2014 pro-democ- racy demonstrations guilty Tuesday on public nuisance and other charges, a verdict that activists say likely pres- ages more restrictions on free expression in the semi-auton- omous Chinese territory. Those convicted included law professor Benny Tai, re- tired sociology professor Chan Kin-man and pastor Chu Yiu-ming. Two current lawmakers, one former law- maker, two student leaders and a political activist were also found guilty. The nine were leaders of the non-violent ‘Occupy Cen- tral’ campaign to demand the right of the city’s popula- tion to choose its own leader rather than merely approve a candidate picked by Beijing. “Hong Kong courts, by la- belling peaceful protests in pursuit of rights as public nuisance, are sending a ter- rible message that will likely embolden the government to prosecute more peaceful ac- tivists, further chilling free expression in Hong Kong,” Maya Wang, senior China re- searcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. Before the verdict’s an- nouncement, Chan said he and the others had no regrets for their actions but were chiefly concerned with the movement’s legacy. While the verdicts will have an impact on the indi- viduals, “we are more con- cerned about how this movement will be recog- nised by the people of Hong Kong”, Chan said. Hong Kong’s biggest pop- ular protest in recent years, also known as the ‘umbrella movement’, laid siege to gov- ernment headquarters and paralysed Hong Kong’s fi- nancial district for 79 days. Thousands staked out en- campments on major thor- oughfares. Several hundred were arrested. The movement fizzled without winning concessions from the Hong Kong govern- ment for free elections and the pro-democracy movement has struggled to retain a high profile in recent years. More than 100 supporters, some raising yellow um- brellas that were a symbol of the protests, gathered Tuesday at the courthouse in the West Kowloon district. Tai said that was a sign the spirit of the pro- tests lived on. “I have the confidence, many people today, with me together, we will continue to strive for Hong Kong’s de- mocracy. And we will per- sist and we will not give up,” Tai said. Ranging in age from their 30s to 70s, the nine defendants span genera- tions of Hong Kong citizens who have been agitating for full democracy. Tai, Chan and Chu were found guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nui- sance. Tai and Chan were also found guilty of inciting others to cause a public nui- sance, while the other six were found guilty of inciting others to cause a public nui- sance, as well as inciting people to incite others to cause a public nuisance. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years. The defendants had all pleaded not guilty, calling the prosecutions politically mo- tivated. They returned for an additional session Tuesday afternoon but departed without offering comments. The court proceedings will resume on Wednesday. Three university students prosecuted in 2016 for their leadership roles in the pro- tests received community ser- vice. But Hong Kong judges have since faced mounting pressure from Beijing to hand down heavier sentences to deter future protests. Some fear that central government meddling will erode judicial independence, a bedrock value that under- girds the city’s standing as a global business capital. The former British colony was handed over to Chinese rule in 1997 under an agree- ment in which China prom- ised it could retain its own laws, economic system and civil rights for 50 years. However, China’s ruling Communist Party under au- thoritarian President Xi Jin- ping appears to be growing impatient with efforts by Hong Kong activists to pro- mote greater democracy. The Hong Kong government last year banned a local po- litical party that advocated the territory’s independence from Beijing. China’s foreign ministry said it supports the guilty verdict because the pro- tests “seriously damaged the prosperity, stability and normal life order” of Hong Kong people. The government’s “deci- sion to maintain the normal order of public life should be beyond reproach”, spokesman Lu Kang said during a rou- tine news briefing. Lu added that some people’s “one-sided understanding that the judg- ment damages Hong Kong’s social freedom is unreason- able and unfounded”. ‘Occupy Central’ leaders pose for photographers before entering a court in Hong Kong, Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP Redacted Mueller report to be released within a week WASHINGTON (AP) – At- torney General William Barr said Tuesday that he expects to release a redacted version of the special counsel’s Trump- Russia investigation re- port “within a week” as he defended his handling of the document. Barr told members of Congress at his first public appearance since receiving special counsel Robert Mu- eller’s report that his ear- lier projection of releasing a version by mid-April still stood. The nearly 400-page report is being scoured now to remove grand jury infor- mation and details relating to pending investigations. The redactions will be colour-coded and accom- panied by notes explaining the decision to withhold in- formation, he said. Democrats scolded Barr over his handling of the re- port, telling him they were concerned that a summary of its main conclusions he released last month por- trayed the investigation’s findings in an overly fa- vourable way for President Donald Trump. Rep. Nita Lowey, the Democratic chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, said she was taken aback that Barr had reduced Mueller’s report to a four-page letter in just two days. That letter said that Mueller did not find a criminal conspiracy be- tween Russia and Trump associates, and that Barr did not believe the evidence in the report was sufficient to prove the president had obstructed justice. “Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue it’s more sus- picious than impressive,” Lowey said. Explaining the rapid turnaround for his letter, Barr said, “The thinking of the special counsel was not a mystery to the Depart- ment of Justice prior to the submission of the report.” Barr was summoned to Congress to talk about his department’s budget re- quest, but lawmakers still asked about the Mueller re- port as they waited to see it. Barr’s opening remarks focussed on funding re- quests for immigration en- forcement and the fights against violent crime and opioid addiction, not men- tioning the special coun- sel’s report at all. Barr would not dis- cuss the substance of Mu- eller’s findings but did explain his process for re- ceiving and reviewing the report. He said he had of- fered Mueller the chance to review his four-page letter, but that Mueller declined. Asked about reports that members of Mueller’s team were unhappy with his handling of the report, Barr said he suspected any dis- content may have reflected their desire to put out more information.Next >