TM & © 2022 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 9-15 December 2022 Cayman in the spotlight Islands' budding movie industry takes centre stage Pages 28-30 Photo: Thomas Williamson/@thomasw.photoCayman reports 36th COVID-related death The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority has reported another COVID-related death, bringing the total number of people in Cayman who have died after testing positive for the disease to 36. The HSA said the latest death, on Saturday, 3 Dec., involved an individual with “severe comorbidities”. No further details on the person’s age, vaccination status, or medical condition were released. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nick Gent, in a statement issued on 5 Dec. about the death, stressed the importance of the vaccination and the booster doses, especially among the elderly and immunocompromised. “Both the Moderna (bivalent) and the Pfizer boosters are on island, and I encourage our elderly and immunocompromised, as well as their caretakers and healthcare workers, to get boosted if they have not yet done so,” Gent said. “As it has been said often, research has shown us that recommended booster doses, along with the two primary doses of the vaccination, will keep people out of the hospital, so my recommendation remains the same: get vaccinated and boosted.” This is the first COVID-related death since October. Man jailed for molesting minor A man who groomed a child for several years before molesting her over a period of eight months has been jailed for four years. Conrad Clint Mendoza, 39, of the Philippines, was sentenced to 48 months in jail by the Grand Court on Friday, 2 Dec., for multiple counts of indecent assault against a minor. In March, Mendoza admitted to fondling the young teen’s breast over her clothes, but denied five other instances of similar molestation, which came to light after the child told her friend and then eventually her parents. According to a social inquiry report, Mendoza maintained his innocence, claiming that although he did touch the child on one occasion, it was unintentional and that he was not aroused by young children. When sentencing Mendoza, Justice Cheryll Richards noted that he used his position of trust to groom the child over several years, while he cared for her in an informal capacity, in an attempt to have her accept his sexual advances. Man arrested following Hell gas station robbery Police arrested a 25-year-old man on 6 Dec. on suspicion of robbery after two masked men – one armed with an imitation gun – held up the Hell gas station in West Bay on Monday night. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said the robbery was reported around 8:45pm, after the two men entered, apparently armed with a gun, and demanded cash from a worker, who suffered minor injuries after being struck by the firearm. The robbers made off with cash and fled in a car, which matched the description of a vehicle stolen earlier that day. Police said the gun one of the men was carrying was damaged in a struggle with the staff member and was left behind. “It was later determined to be an imitation firearm, ” the RCIPS said. About an hour after the robbery, officers responded to a report of a vehicle that had been set on fire at an address on Hetties Lane in West Bay. It has been examined by police and enquiries are underway to establish whether this was the stolen getaway car. Police say they arrested the suspect, who lives in West Bay, on 6 Dec., following investigations. He remains in custody. This was the latest in a spate of armed robberies in Cayman, including three in George Town on 2 Dec. in the space of an hour-and-a-half. Police recover ganja in George Town and Brac RCIPS officers made two large seizures of ganja earlier this week, in George Town and in Cayman Brac. In the first seizure, at about 6:15pm on Sunday, 4 Dec., officers responded to a report that suspicious packages had been found at a location on South Church Street. Officers recovered several large duffle bags containing packages of suspected ganja, totalling approximately 165 pounds. The following day, at around 11pm on Monday, officers on patrol in Cayman Brac observed individuals acting suspiciously in the vicinity of Kidco Dock, while attempting to trailer a vessel. They were stopped and searched, along with the vessel and the vehicle, however nothing illegal was found, police said. However, after those people left, officers conducted an additional search of the area and found a bag containing several packages of suspected ganja, which “appeared to be packaged for distribution”, police said, along with drug paraphernalia. Researchers study climate-change impact on Little Cayman corals A presentation on research of how deep-water corals in Little Cayman are adapting to climate change will be held on Friday, 9 Dec., at the George Town Public Library. Professor Tali Mass from the University of Haifa, Israel, who is working with Central Caribbean Marine Institute’s researchers, is using specialised equipment and new methods that have been developed to study the corals. Led by CCMI’s Director of Research Gretchen Goodbody- Gringley and Professor Mass, the team of scientists is seeking answers by studying corals living down to depths of 50 metres on the reef walls of Little Cayman. Using both open- and closed- circuit technical scuba diving gear, they are investigating what adaptations have enabled certain corals to survive across broad environmental gradients. With this information, they hope to understand how the capacity for corals to change and respond to depth may give insight into their overall adaptative potential and ability to survive in the face of future climate change. FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com NEWS EDITOR CAROLINE JAMES BUSINESS EDITOR MICHAEL KLEIN ISSUES EDITOR JAMES WHITTAKER HEAD OF SALES CHERYL BIRCH-GILLIES weather Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy skies with a 30% chance of showers. SEA STATE Rough with a wave height of 5 to 7 feet. A small craft warning is in effect. WINDS East to northeast at 20 to 25 knots. 88°F HIGH 77°F LOW news in brief Matinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $9.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. STRANGEWORLD (PG) (FRI) 4:15 | 4:30 VIP | 6:40 (SAT) 12:45 VIP | 12:55 | 4:15 | 6:40 (SUN) 4:15 | 4:30 VIP | 6:40 | 7:00 (MON) 3:20 | 4:00 (TUES-THURS) 4:15 | 4:30 VIP | 6:40 VIOLENT NIGHT (R) (FRI) 6:45 | 7:00 VIP | 10:00 | 10:15 (SAT) 12:35 | 6:45 | 7:00 VIP | 10:00 | 10:15 VIP (TUES) 6:45 | 10:00 | 10:14 VIP (WED & THURS) 6:45 | 7:00 VIP | 10:00 | 10:15 VIP DEVOTION (PG-13) (FRI) 3:25 | 9:30 (SAT) 3:25 | 9:30 (MON) 3:25 (TUES-THURS) 3:25 | 9:30 WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK BLACK PANTHER:WAKANDA FOREVER (PG-13) (FRI) 3:15 VIP | 3:30 | 6:30 | 6:45 VIP | 9:25 | 9:40 VIP (SAT) 12:45 | 3:15 VIP | 3:30 | 6:30 | 6:45 VIP | 9:25 | 9:40 VIP (SUN) 4:00 VIP | 4:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 VIP | 8:00 | 9:40 VIP (MON) 3:15 | 3:15 VIP (TUES) 3:15 VIP | 3:30 | 6:30 | 9:25 (WED&THURS) 3:15 VIP | 3:30 | 6:30 | 6:45 VIP | 9:25 | 9:40 VIP TOP GUN:MAVERICK (PG-13) (FRI) 3:15 | 3:30 VIP | 6:30 VIP | 7:00 | 10:00 VIP (SAT) 3:15 | 6:30 VIP | 7:00 | 10:00 VIP (SUN) 3:30 VIP | 4:00 | 6:30 VIP | 7:00 | 10:00 VIP | 10:00 (MON) 3:15 | 3:30 VIP (TUES) 3:15 | 3:30 VIP | 7:00 (WED&THURS) 3:15 | 3:30 VIP | 6:30 VIP | 7:00 | 10:00 VIP BONES AND ALL (R) (FRI) 10:00 (SAT) 12:30 | 10:00 (TUES-THURS) 10:00 KIDS CLUB A CHRISTMAS STORY SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (PG) KIDS CLUB ELF SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (PG) CLASSICS THURSDAY 7PM VIP (PG-13) THE HOLIDAY Research is being carried out in Little Cayman and at sites in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, such as at the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station in Israel, pictured, to track the impact of climate change on corals found at depths of as much as 50 metres. - Photo: Hagai Nativ, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station Police recovered these duffel bags of ganja from an address on South Church Street in George Town. - Photo: RCIPS cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2022SEASIDE PIED-À-TERRE fingrandcaymanfin.cayman A unique pied-à-terre, right in the heart of George Town. 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SALES ENQUIRIES 345.526.7777 fin@fingrandcayman.com cayman compass 3 FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 20221234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 To obscure (5) 4 Withdraw from a commitment (4,3) 8 Metal-bearing mineral (3) 9 ‘Great’ king of Macedonia (9) 10 Inadequate in amount (7) 11 Having uneven surface (5) 13 For the most part (6) 15 Alloy of copper and tin (6) 18 Compare (5) 19 Fail to care for (7) 21 Roman emperor AD 69-79 (9) 23 Employment (3) 24 Oil used in paint, varnish (7) 25 Part with voluntarily (5) DOWN 1 Develop (7) 2 ‘Great’ King of Prussia (9) 3 A thousand dollars (5) 4 Dull with sleep (6) 5 Climb with hands and feet (7) 6 Strange (3) 7 Too long delayed (5) 12 The last Aztec emperor (9) 14 Ancestry (7) 16 Uttermost (7) 17 Inconsiderate (6) 18 Horizontal (5) 20 Class, kind (5) 22 Wickedness (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 17183 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 17183 ACROSS: 1 Befog, 4 Back out, 8 Ore, 9 Alexander, 10 Slender, 11 Bumpy, 13 Mainly, 15 Bronze, 18 Liken, 19 Neglect, 21 Vespasian, 23 Use, 24 Linseed, 25 Spare. DOWN: 1 Blossom, 2 Frederick, 3 Grand, 4 Bleary, 5 Clamber, 6 Odd, 7 Tardy, 12 Montezuma, 14 Lineage, 16 Extreme, 17 Unkind, 18 Level, 20 Genus, 22 Sin. 10-storey buildings have ruined Cayman We started going to Grand Cayman in 1989 and have gone every year until 2019. Have seen the changes that have ruined the island with 10-storey buildings all along Seven Mile Beach. Now McKeeva Bush wants to have 30-storey buildings! Where will all the traffic go? The island will lose its appeal as a tranquil, pleasant destination, will become one more island where the beaches are crowded, the restaurants are crowded. This and the fact that crime has grown immensely are two of the reasons that don’t make Grand Cayman appealing. Carla Blanco Focus on solving traffic issues It’s far more important to address the problems of traffic flow into and out of George Town, Cayman’s capital, than to change the height of buildings from 10 to 30 storeys. The old roads, modified, can’t manage any more traffic for commuters from outer districts working in George Town. Widening the roads and taking Caymanians’ property by eminent domain isn’t the answer. An elevated skyway or monorail – systems that work well in other countries – should be considered; 30-storey tall towers aren’t a good fit for Cayman, given climate change and parking issues. Nan Socolow Opposition renews calls for limit on used-car imports This is a total band-aid and smoke- screen. How people get their cars – overseas or on island – doesn’t really matter because so long as each person is driving solo in their car through an island with no development or infrastructure plan to support exponential growth of people, the traffic will continue to be relentless. – Jackie Myles We need to be like Bermuda and limit the number of cars per household. With that comes the need for a great bus system. I’m not sure if, legally, people on permits can be stopped from owning cars. – Patsy Rowan Only normal people will be negatively affected by having to pay more for cars. Businesses can bring specialised vehicles in and the wealthy buy new on island. – Morne Botes That isn’t the problem, though. You have to start by improving the non-exis- tent bus system with government-owned and operated buses; this not only creates a reliable bus system but it puts jobs out there for individuals who didn’t have any otherwise. – Navado O Brown A reliable bus service con- trolled by the government and a car limit is necessary to alleviate this traffic situation. – Lillian Burgos Sort public transport. It’s non-existent. Public buses are run by cowboys who flout every law on the road. – Michael Treacy Then you create a bigger mess for your citizens. This is how to solve the issue: 1. Create a proper transport authority system where officers patrol daily with wrecking services. 2. Create digital parking where residents can reserve parking spots from home. 3. Enforce laws on for people to respect handicapped spots. – Dalian Forbes What also needs to happen is to implement some sort of Kelley Blue Book system in Cayman because the prices of used cars are monstrous. A 2007 Honda Fit with almost 70,000 miles is being sold for a $10,000 asking price. – Patricia Bryan It’s just a little too late, as in 10 years too late. They have allowed this for years and now it’s an issue?! What did you think would happen with 70,000 people buying imported cars and nothing happens to the old ones. I drive by single-family houses with 3-4 cars outside. If you woke up in 2015 and realised this was going to be a problem, it might have been resolved. but in good old Cayman vision, you now try and fix a problem you could have avoided 10 years ago. I guess every car means more import duties for government. – Carien Roberts Police begin Christmas safety campaign Wouldn’t it be safer for the of- ficers to have some high visibility reflective clothing to wear when stopping traffic? White shirt or not, some of the drivers on the is- land are not that attentive and the officers need some protection. – Jerry Young Parliament to consider ganja, national lottery referendums Would love a national lottery. Ev- ery other country has a lottery going on. We’re still living in the past. – Henry Leslie We don’t need a referendum. Why no referendum for the national ID/cashless financial industry that is being promised to us now? That is much more invasive and will affect everyone. Not everyone gambles or wants to use cannabis. We will still have choice to engage or not, but that doesn’t seem like that for the aforementioned ID system. We seem to be concerned with is- sues that are really nothing to be concerned of. No one will force anyone to gamble or use cannabis even if it’s suddenly legal. – Renwick Conolly Let’s have a referendum on amending the Constitution and the Elections Act to include verbiage that gives the electorate the option to recall votes. – Charles S Whittaker How about a referendum on ID cards and registers! – Elaine Brown The only subject on the ballot should be the digital ID that no one voted for! – Carol Braggs British visitors win Cayman’s full and half marathon What a fantastic result for Dan and Chris! It was such a great opportunity to watch two Olympians in Cayman. An equally big shout out to Michelle Vinton and Mandie Samuels who crushed it in the half and full; those ladies are amazing also! – Elaine Anderson Congratulations champ! Great job Oddy Grullon. – Krystal Arch Craig Arch passes away My sincere condolences to his whole family. I was lucky enough to go to several Nascar races with Craig and the group many years ago and have great memories of those times! Craig was a true gentleman, a brilliant business- man and a good friend. I learned so much from him about how to be a boss that earns the respect from his employees. He will be missed! – Amy Fowler Kreiner A true gentleman. A man of his word. He would go into his shop every Sunday morning at 5am and clean the floors! I asked him why he did it and didn’t pay someone. He said he enjoyed it and wanted to have a clean ga- rage for his customers and to set a high standard for his workers. He will be missed. So sorry for his granddaughter and his three children. – Heidi Kiss Craig was a great man and businessman. He had a heart of gold and the best laugh. – Tana Kelly What they’re saying Online Letters to the editor cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2022NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky Members of Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted in favour of a motion to move forward with a bill to trigger a public referendum into the introduction of a national lottery and the decriminalisation of the use of small amounts of ganja. Premier Wayne Panton brought the motion to the House, saying that a referendum, which he said was expected to cost $1.1 million, was necessary so that the people of Cayman could vote to decide on each of the issues. Now that the motion has been passed, the next step is to draft a bill that sets out the specific questions that would be put to the electorate in the referendum. The MPs would then vote on that bill, which would authorise the referendum. Panton said the national vote on the two questions is likely to be held in the first quarter of 2023. Decriminalising ganja The premier clarified that there is no intention to legalise marijuana in Cayman. Decriminalising the possession or consumption of small, as yet unspecified, amounts of ganja would mean that if someone is caught with the drug, they could still be penalised, but would not get a criminal record. “The consequences would be something along the lines of an administrative fine, a fixed penalty, or perhaps for the first occasion or for a very small amount, it might even be just a warning from the police at that time,” he said. He added, “It is important to point out that this is not about permitting the open possession or consumption of cannabis or public smoking or vaping of cannabis or cultivation of cannabis.” He noted that convictions and criminal records for possessing or using marijuana have had a negative impact on the lives of many young people in Cayman, who were otherwise law-abiding citizens, often ruining their chances of employment and migration. This type of impact was highlighted by Culture Minister Bernie Bush, who, in his submission in the debate, spoke of a man who as a teenager was convicted of using ganja. “When he was 52 and had a heart attack, he couldn’t go overseas because of something that happened when he was 19 years old,” he said. He added, “I know bright young people who were A and B students throughout high school and can’t get to university overseas because somewhere along the way they made a simple mistake with a spliff and now can’t go off island to get a university degree.” Panton pointed out that, unlike other countries that have done so, Cayman is bound by a United Nations convention that prevents it from legalising ganja; therefore the only option Cayman has is to decriminalise it. National lottery The premier also stressed that the referendum would not seek to legalise gambling in general, other than establishing a national lottery. He said the bill would seek to strengthen penalties for illegal lotteries and other gambling activities. He acknowledged that there is clearly a demand for a lottery in Cayman, as is evident from the widespread use of numbers, or illegal lotteries, on island, which he said was “unsafe, unregulated and unchecked”. “We are reinforcing our commitment to uphold the law by not accepting or continuing to accept illegal number operations, and giving the public the opportunity to indicate to us, as their representatives, whether they wish for us to introduce a government-controlled and operated national lottery... that has the necessary controls and that is done in a transparent way.” In his submission on the subject of a national lottery, Deputy Premier Chris Saunders said it was time for government to “put up or shut up and deal with this beast once and for all”. He said numbers had now become part of the fabric of the Cayman community, and that some people involved in the numbers game had become dependent on it for their income, with some making up to $10,000 a week. However, because the cash is obtained illegally, they can’t bank it or hire security, and easily become targets for robbers, but cannot report the robberies because they themselves have been committing a crime by running the numbers, he said. Robberies were being carried out at “all hours of the day and night”, as numbers are running several times a day, rather than twice a week as in the past, he said. Police have also been raising concerns about robberies and violent offences occurring on the periphery of the numbers game in Cayman. In April this year, retired prison officer Harry Elliott was shot dead during a robbery of a premises where illegal gambling had been carried out. McLaughlin: Wording not precise enough The motion passed with 16 votes in favour, one absentee, and one abstention. Red Bay MP Alden McLaughlin abstained from the vote because, he said, the resolution section of the motion was “fundamentally flawed”. He had earlier told the House that he believed the government was being “politically naive” to think it did not need to campaign on one side or the other of the referendum. “You have got to have a side,” he said. The last time a referendum was considered in Cayman was over the George Town cruise port, which the Progressives-led government had supported. A public petition garnered enough signatures to trigger a people-initiated referendum on the issue, though that was later dropped as the COVID-19 pandemic took precedence and McLaughlin’s government abandoned the proposed project. He pressed the government to be more precise on the wording of the motion, which he said would ultimately influence the wording of the questions in the referendum. “I have a little experience in that and shall I say it is fraught with endless possibilities for the government to stumble at some stage,” he said, recalling legal challenges that he, as the premier at the time, and his government faced regarding the port referendum. “The people-initiated referendum for the cruise port issue resulted in at least two major court cases which went all the way to the Court of Appeal,” he said. He added, “Ultimately, the Court of Appeal found the challenges were without merit but understand that any referendum bill we pass here is subject to judicial review and to scrutiny,” as he told the House that the motion was “far too imprecise”. “Experience has taught me the importance of setting out the questions exactly and precisely to minimise challenges down the road. It is from the resolution that the attorney general and his team must formulate the referendum question,” he said. Premier Panton, however, responded that the questions posed in the referendum had not yet been finalised and the likelihood of the motion resolution being subject to a legal challenge was slim. MPs approve motion for ganja, lottery referendum Now that the motion has been passed, the next step is to draft a bill that sets out the specific questions that would be put to the electorate in the referendum. The number of votes cast in favour of the motion The people of Cayman will be asked to go to the polls to vote on whether small quantities of ganja should be decriminalised. - Photo: File cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2022RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman has said 114 suspected ‘sham’ marriages are being looked into following investigations into 175 marriage reports received since the start of the year. In a statement, WORC said its Compliance and Enforcement Unit found those 114 cases resulted in “adverse findings”, which prompted further investigation. “Twenty five cases remain pending investigations, 20 Residency and Employment Rights Certificates (RERC) certificates were refused, 12 forfeited and 5 mindful to revoke,” WORC said. This comes as the department recently hosted a workshop educating 43 marriage officers on “identifying marriages and civil partnerships of convenience”. Caymanian ‘birthright’ Deputy Premier and Minister for Border Control and Labour Chris Saunders, through the statement, said he was pleased to see these kinds of workshops being conducted. “It is important that marriage officers be educated on how to identify the fraudulent practice of entering into a marriage or civil partnership of convenience, in order that they do not become unwittingly implicated. In my view, it is disappointing that so many people seek to circumvent our immigration regulations by entering into a sham marriage. It is making a mockery of the institution of marriage, which should not be entered into lightly as it has formed the traditional foundation of family life in our society,” Saunders said. The statement said that statistics provided by Judicial Administration show that, since 2016, marriage and divorce rates in the Cayman Islands have increased. In 2016, there were 150 divorces and 493 marriages, while in 2021 there were 266 divorces and 655 marriages (excluding tourist weddings). WORC is already taking a more circumspect look at work-permit and permanent-residency applications as it moves to crack down on anyone suspected of taking advantage of the system. Last month, WORC said it had recorded 78 work-permit-related offences between the first and third quarters of 2022, resulting in $273,170 in administrative fines being levied on companies and individuals. Saunders, addressing the issue of marriages of convenience, said he understood that desperate people will take these kinds of steps. However, he said, “Caymanians need to recognize the value of their birthright and not give it away by entering into such false marriage arrangements. It may not seem like a big deal in the moment, but it is an illegal and immoral practice with potentially far-reaching and long- lasting effects, including potential criminal prosecution.” During the workshop, a ‘red flag’ checklist was provided for officers to consider before marrying or entering foreign nationals in civil partnerships to Caymanians, the statement said, adding, “since the roll out of this checklist and the workshop, marriage officers have refused marriage applications”. The Cayman Compass requested a copy of the checklist, but WORC declined, saying that would reveal some of the tactics the officers use to investigate suspected cases. What the law says Under the Immigration (Transition) Act 2021, a marriage or civil partnership of convenience is defined as one that is entered into with the primary intention of avoiding, or benefiting from, any of the provisions of the Marriage Act. Anyone convicted of this offence may be liable to a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for one year. The act also states that any marriage officer who fails to report his or her suspicion about a marriage of convenience to the director of WORC commits an offence. Common scenarios for these marriages include individuals reaching their term limit for remaining in the Islands; having a work permit refused; having a final extension to remain issued by Customs and Border Control; losing immigration-related appeals; and getting denied permanent residency or Caymanian status. “Suspicious marriages and civil partnerships usually take place shortly before or after the various possible means of remaining in the Cayman Islands have been exhausted. Some people have also been found to attempt marriages or civil partnerships of convenience during situations of pending bail, court proceedings or character complaints,” the statement added. In some cases, the Caymanian spouses willingly participate in such ‘sham’ marriages due to the promise of financial benefit, it said. Individuals or marriage officers who suspect a marriage or civil partnership of convenience has either occurred or will occur can make an anonymous complaint to WORC online at www.worc.ky by clicking on the ‘Complaints’ tab or via email at worccomplaints@gov.ky. 114 suspected ‘sham’ marriages investigated 175 marriage reports made 114 investigated marriage reports to the board 36 investigations currently assigned 25 investigations pending Of the 114 suspected marriages of convenience: Waiting to be scheduled 60 Refused 20 Approved 15 Forfeited 12 Continued 2 Mindful to revoke 5 Tiffany Conolly when she was crowned Miss Cayman Islands Universe in August 2022. - Photo: Miss Cayman Islands Universe Facebook/Maggie Jackson Beauty queen refutes assault charges WORC Compliance and Enforcement Unit statistics ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Reigning Miss Cayman Islands Tiffany Conolly took to the stand this week to defend her actions which resulted in her being tried for assaulting her ex-boyfriend, his father and a police officer. Conolly, 24, claimed in Summary Court on Monday, 5 Dec. – the first of two days on the stand – that she had been the victim, not the aggressor, having been “manipulated” and “deliberately set up” on the night of the alleged assault and the days leading up to it. On the night of 15 Oct. 2021, she told the court, she had gone to her boyfriend’s home to end her relationship with him, but when she got there, she said, his father opened the door and proceeded to assault her. “When he opened the door, he pushed me from the top of their three-step porch, causing me to fall and hurt my back,” said Conolly. “Then he got on top of me and pinned me down on the ground and said that I am going to jail tonight… I looked up and could see [his son] telling him to get off me because this did not look good that a grown man was holding down a woman.” According to Conolly, the man eventually released her “after she fought back”, but soon after restrained her again. “I could see [his son] coming and I thought he was going to join his father. I felt threatened and so I just wanted to keep him at hands- length distance, so I kicked him in the groin,” she said. Conolly also faces charges of damaging both men’s vehicles. Damaged vehicles She denied throwing the bicycle she had ridden to the location onto the bonnet of the father’s SUV. However, she accepted that she threw a block into the windscreen of the son’s car. “At that time, I thought he still owed me money for the car so technically it was still mine, and after how he was treating me, he shouldn’t get to drive,” said Conolly. “So, I threw the rock into the windscreen.” She had met her boyfriend through selling him the car, she told the court. On her second day on the stand, on Tuesday, she was questioned by prosecutor Sarah Lewis, who asserted that Conolly was the aggressor in a situation that could have been easily prevented. “If you were as afraid as you said you were, why did you go to [the complainant’s] house?” Lewis asked, to which Conolly responded that she was afraid, but not so afraid as to prevent her from going there. “Looking back now, it probably was not the right decision to go to their house,” she said. “If you were the victim of the assault, and not the aggressor, why didn’t you just leave when you had the chance? In fact, you say you only lived five minutes away, why didn’t you just walk home and go to where you would be safe?” asked Lewis, who followed up by asking why Conolly didn’t call the police if she had been assaulted. In response, Conolly told the court that she went behind a car where she was out of the sight of the complainants, although still on their property, adding that she didn’t leave because she was not sure what her ex-partner would have done in her absence. “I also wanted to make sure that if police were called, I would be there, so [the complainants] couldn’t say that nothing happened there,” she told the court. Police assault charge Conolly is also alleged to have assaulted a female police officer and used profane language towards officers after being taken to the detention centre, which was captured on CCTV video and played in court. Turning her attention to those charges, Lewis asked her why she refused to comply with police. “At the time, I did not think I had to comply with their requests because no one told me that I was under arrest, or why I was being arrested,” said Conolly, which spurred Lewis to ask if she believed it was acceptable to swear at the police. “Yes, based on how I was treated, I do think it was right at the time,” she said. “However, I must add that I would not do that now.” Conolly has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault, two counts of damage to property, two counts of assaulting police, and one count of disorderly conduct. Conolly remains on bail until 9 Feb. when Magistrate Phillippa McFarlane is expected to return her verdict. Conolly’s future as Miss Cayman Conolly, who retains her crown as Miss Cayman Islands Universe 2022-2023, has been suspended from making public appearances in her capacity as the pageant’s queen until a verdict is reached in her trial. First runner-up Chloe Powery- Doxey has been selected to represent Cayman at the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in January, in New Orleans, Louisiana. cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2022NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky The Central Planning Authority has granted permission for the Black Pearl Skatepark and the neighbouring defunct water park to be subdivided from the adjacent car park and outdoor bar, potentially paving the way for the closure of the facility. Surveyor Eric Cronier appeared on behalf of the developer before the planning board on 9 Nov. to elaborate on the application, which requested a two-lot subdivision to separate the parking area and Mike’s bar in Grand Harbour Commercial Centre from the skate and water parks. According to the minutes of the meeting, which were recently published on the Department of Planning website, the CPA granted the application. The minutes noted that Cronier said the skatepark operators would be given 30 days’ notice, as per the lease, and then it will close. In the meantime, users could continue to park in the neighbouring car park. He said once the area was divided in two, the smaller parcel would be retained for parking, while the larger parcel, comprising the area where the water park and skatepark are currently located, will be combined with the neighbouring ‘Grand Harbour Commercial Centre and development land’ parcel and developed. He told the planning board that the company that runs the skatepark – the Cayman Islands Skateboard Association – gets it for nothing and the park is not a viable business. The minutes also noted that Cronier said his client plans to build a residential development and a planning application is expected to be submitted in the coming weeks. When the Compass contacted Cronier, he referred us to the owners. No sale of the Grand Harbour Commercial Centre, owned by the Bell family, has been publicly announced. The site has been up for sale since 2014. The Compass has reached out to the Bell family and is awaiting a response. The agenda and minutes of the CPA meeting list Foreshore Corporate Services Ltd. as the applicant, but when the Compass checked with the company, a division of the Ritch and Conolly law firm, we were told the application was not made by Foreshore and it had no knowledge of it. Skatepark a mecca for young people Michael Myles, who runs the non-profit Cayman Islands Skateboard Association which operates the skatepark, told the Compass he had not received any notice from the owners about a sale of the property or the potential closure of the park. Myles has approached successive governments over the last decade to take over the 62,000-square-foot park, which he said is on a bucket list for skateboarders visiting Cayman. The Black Pearl is the second biggest outdoor skatepark in the world. The largest is in China. “The government doesn’t know what it has here,” Myles said, adding that, with skateboarding now being an Olympic sport, the park could be used as a training ground for the region and as a place that could develop local Olympians. “We could be doing a lot of different activities there,” he added. He said the park offers a safe, secure and supervised outlet for young people to expend their energy and spend their spare time, and it combats the boredom that many complain of. The park first opened in 2005, but closed down two years later. However, kids continued to flock to the park and skate there. By the time Myles took over operation of the park in 2013, it had fallen into disrepair, was covered in graffiti and was a hangout for drug users and sellers. He and a team of volunteers cleaned it up and reopened it to skaters, and the Skateboard Association has been hiring teenage skaters to pass on their skills to newer converts to the sport and to supervise the park during opening hours. Myles said he had previously approached government to use the park as a rehabilitation and employment scheme for former prison inmates, who had been convicted of non-violent or non- child-related crimes, but that idea gained no traction. It currently employs six young people part time at the park. Since 2013, more than 8,000 people have used the park, Myles said. Petition to keep park open Concerns about the potential closure of the skatepark sparked a recent online petition, which has been signed by more than 5,700 people. The park, which according to its website is the largest outdoor skatepark in the western hemisphere and the second largest in the world, has attracted big name skateboarders, such as Tony Hawk, who officially opened the park in 2005; Shaun White; and Bam Margera. Rufus Davies, 19, who started the petition following rumours of the sale of the site and planned redevelopment, said its goal is that “the Black Pearl Skatepark remains untouched by overdevelopment”. He told the Compass via email earlier this year, “Overdevelopment is one of Cayman’s most high- profile potential problems for the future of the island. However, through effective and considerate planning, sites of Caymanian culture and heritage can prosper alongside new builds.” Davies, who skated at the park throughout his school days, and who is now a student in the UK, said, “In the best case, the park simply goes under new management and is revitalised with an involved team of publicity staff, program organiser(s) and maintenance. I might add, the petition looks to start open conversation with all stakeholders about the future of this national landmark.” Ideally, Davies says, the park might be owned by government and looked after as a state-owned community park. In the petition, he points out that the skatepark could be maintained by the new buyers “if it is in their interests to serve the community”. He added, “The venture has full potential to revitalise the space and attract a healthy and welcoming community.” The skatepark has attracted not just skateboarders over the years. Pictured here in 2017, professional scooter rider Dejion Taylor put on an impressive show. - Photo: File Rufus Davies Planning decision may pave way for skatepark closure The Black Pearl Skatepark in Grand Harbour. cayman compass news N news FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2022 7RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Caymanian author Sara Collins has joined the exclusive club of authors seeing their characters come to life with the television premiere of her first novel, ‘The Confessions of Frannie Langton’. Collins, via email to the Cayman Compass, expressed excitement ahead of the premiere episode, that was broadcast on UK channel ITV on Thursday, 8 Dec. “I’m feeling nervous but pleased that it’s had such a nice reception so far from the UK press,” Collins said. The four-episode series, featuring actress Karla-Simone Spence in the lead role, was announced by ITV last year. The period drama, filmed in Wakefield, Yorkshire, was adapted for TV by Collins herself. She said it feels “pretty surreal” to finally see Frannie Langton come to life and she was pleased to have had creative control. “A lot of hard work went into it and part of my job has been figuring out when and how to let go. A writer is not the only (or even the most important) part of getting a story onscreen. I think the real kudos should go to Karla-Simone Spence. She plays Frannie. It could not be a more demanding role, the whole thing stands or falls on her shoulders. I think she’s exceptional and the character now truly belongs to her,” Collins said. The official ITV synopsis of the series says “The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a dark and gripping forbidden love story. When Jamaican maid, Frannie Langton is found in bed with her murdered white mistress she must prove to the world that she did not kill the woman she loved.” The series, Collins said, will stay true to the story, but there will be some surprises. “There have to be surprises. If there’s nothing new to be gained in retelling the story in a different form, then why do it? I wanted to surprise myself, as much as anyone else, or I’d have been very bored writing the same thing again. However, the secret is to preserve the core of the story while making it new. And I hope I’ve done that,” she said. Spence, in an ITV interview on the series, described Frannie Langton as an incredible story. “I was really intrigued by Frannie’s journey. She’s an incredibly witty, resilient woman. As soon as I read the scripts I was like, ‘I have to play her.’ I really wanted this role. I poured everything into my final round of auditions. When my agent called to say they were offering me the role, I screamed and had to mute myself because I just went crazy. I was really happy. I had waited for this moment for a really long time and it was worth the wait,” Spence said in the ITV interview. The series is directed by Andrea Harkin and produced by Drama Republic, an independent television production company. Harkin, also in an ITV interview on the series, said she believed it is crucial that these stories are told. “That the viewpoint of these women, and a black woman, is represented. Sara Collins is a black woman who has researched that history, feels it very deeply and expressed it so authentically. A revision of the history you read in the history books and why Frannie is so important. We all connected to Frannie so deeply because she was written by Sara with such intelligent passion and empathy,” she said in the interview. Harkin added that she was “very proud” of ‘The Confessions of Frannie Langton’. “Before I did this, I was looking for something contemporary, because the last thing I’d done was in the sixties, but once I read The Confessions of Frannie Langton I couldn’t let it go, I couldn’t forget about it. It was so vivid and real. It also spoke to my politics about wanting to make a piece that mattered, said something and represented a character we had never seen before. Also to support young new talent like Karla- Simone. Finding a bigger audience for actors like that. It was very exciting,” she added. Author to screenwriter Collins, an award-winning author, said, though this has been a while in the making, it still feels unreal. “I didn’t even get my hopes up for publication of the novel as it is a very difficult and uncertain process. So, for the book to have been published as well as it was, to have been critically acclaimed, and to have been commissioned by ITV has – at each stage – come as a pleasant surprise,” she said. The process getting the show going and tailoring the novel into a script, she said, was long and difficult and “I wanted to give up many times”. However, she said, “It’s an important story with a complicated subject matter so it required a certain degree of nerve to see it through. I was stunned when I visited the set. The number of people involved, working so hard and so passionately, blew me away.” She explained that writing a novel is very solitary work and getting a TV series made is the exact opposite. “It’s an exercise in compromise and collaboration,” she said. She said the job of screenwriter was offered to her by the producers who optioned the novel and she was happy to oblige. “They could have gotten someone else to adapt it! But I emphasize that a TV production is not the work of one person. That’s the number one lesson I learned,” she said. A first, but not the last As a writer from the Caribbean and, especially from the Cayman Islands, earning the place she has not only in the literary world but also in television has been rewarding for Collins, who was born in Jamaica and grew up in Grand Cayman. She said she hopes this will not be the end for herself or others like her. “I hope it means many more will follow! There are many talented young Caymanian writers destined for great things – Jazz Pitcairn, for example, who is only just getting started,” she said. Pitcairn is a writer for HBO’s ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’. Collins said her advice was simple to young Caymanians who may want to pursue a career in writing. “Do it! And arm yourself with discipline and self belief. And read,” she said. As for what’s next for her and Frannie Langton, Collins said, “I hope I am done with her.” She did share, however, that she is working on other TV adaptations with other production companies. “New stories, new characters and I am writing my second novel but taking my sweet time about it,” she added. The Frannie Langton series will only be available in the UK for the time being. However, she said, “It’s coming to North America next year. When I am at liberty to say more, I will.” Actress Karla-Simone Spence plays Frannie Langton in the period drama. - Photo: Drama Republic/ITVX Characters Madame Marguerite Benham and Frannie Langton in a scene from the TV series. ‘Confessions of Frannie Langton’ premieres on UK TV Caymanian author Sara Collins also wrote the script for her first novel Author Sara Collins - Photo: Rebecca Davidson cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2022Holiday Hours CLOSED at 12pm on December 9th to facilitate our Annual Staff Christmas Function The Cayman Brac office will be closed for the entire day on December 9th CLOSED December 23rd, 26th, 27th and January 2nd CLOSED at 12pm on December 30th CINICO invites you to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. To our valued members From the Board of Directors, Management & Staff & Happy New Year! cayman compass 9 FRIDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2022Next >