The Bar has determined that the decision, whatever it is, speaks to the legality of the much debated Eighth Amendment, and they say it is a matter of public interest so it should be released. But Barrow says all that is moot because the matter of the Eighth Amendment, in light of the settlements, is […]
Thirty-one year old Errol Haynes appeared briefly in court today before the Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. He is suing the Commissioner of Police, Superintendent of Prison and the Attorney General for wrongful imprisonment. Prior to his court appearance, Haynes was in a Mexican jail, but was brought to Belize on a committal warrant to serve a […]
Today, the Court of Appeal wasted no time in upholding an appeal by the University of Belize’s Board of Trustees. The matter before the panel was the Supreme Court’s decision on the termination of UB Dean, Abigail McKay. McKay signed a contract with the university for three years, but claimed that because of the guidelines […]
Tonight, another Belize City youth is free of murder. At the conclusion of a trial by judge without jury before Justice Troadio Gonzalez, twenty-two year old Ronald Bradley, a resident of Mahogany Heights, was acquitted of the October fifteenth, 2010 murder of female Prison Officer, Miriam Gillett. At a ruling handed down by Judge Gonzalez, a no case […]
In May 2011, the home of Belmopan businessman Mike Menjivar was literally riddled with bullets during a surprise raid. Although the raid unearthed nothing illegal by way of drugs or weapons, Menjivar was promptly arrested because he fired back when the Police, unidentified as such, descended on his home. In 2013, the businessman was exonerated, […]
Today, Keyren Tzib appeared in the Supreme Court for the third time since her arrest on July twentieth on a single count of manslaughter. The Coast Guard officer is seeking bail, but sitting Justice Troadio Gonzalez has maintained that before making a decision he has to be informed as to whether Tzib is a danger […]
A group of fishermen harvested a lot of conch earlier in the week, but the conch season had not yet opened and so they were nabbed by the Fisheries Department. Of the eight fishermen, four are members of the Tun family from Chunox who earlier this year, had to pay a huge fine of almost […]
Turning to the courts…four persons, a pair of fishermen, a businessman and his wife of Chetumal Street, were dragged to court on separate fisheries offenses on the eve of the opening of the conch season. They all pleaded not guilty to the charges, challenging the Fisheries Department to prove its case against them. Fishermen, thirty-eight […]
The Supreme Court has postponed one case and discontinued another as a result of the announcement of general elections on November fourth. The case of P.U.P. Cayo Northeast standard bearer Orlando Habet versus the Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai is to be discontinued with no order made for costs. Attorney Lisa Shoman, on behalf of Habet, […]
In the other case, the Leader of the Opposition, Francis Fonseca, was taking on Prime Minister Dean Barrow over the thirteenth member of the Senate. Today, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin postponed that case until November thirtieth, well after the elections. The U.D.P. had presented amendments to the Constitution to name a thirteenth Senator to represent non-governmental […]
Twenty-five year old Shannon Smith, a resident of Mahogany Heights, Belize District, who is accused in an alleged home invasion, was back in court today. In March 2015, a man allegedly forced himself into her house and tried to harm her, but instead he was stabbed in the chest multiple times. Smith, who was originally […]
The Santa Cruz Thirteen, including outspoken Maya activist Cristina Coc, were back in court today where they appeared before Magistrate Emerson Banner. The group has been back and forth before the magistracy since being arrested and charged on June twenty-fourth for the unlawful imprisonment of Rupert Myles. Myles has denuded parts of the sacred site […]
After four nights on remand, sex offender Kenrick Bowman, is out free from the Belize Central Prison until his next court appearance. Last Friday Bowman was arraigned for a sexual offense against a fifteen year old minor and was granted bail by Magistrate Ladonna John which he was able to meet today. However, Bowman’s bail is […]
There was also a murder acquittal in court.Twenty-three year old Lincoln Hemsley Junior, walked free of the March 2012 murder of twenty-one year old David Alberto Hernandez after being on remand for three years. Judge Adolph Lucas upheld a no case submission and ordered that Hemsley Junior had no case to answer. The ruling came […]
This morning, the final case management session for the claim of Curtis Swasey against Belize Telemedia Limited (B.T.L.) and M.M.R. Belize Productions, creators of the television game show Mek Mi Rich, was held before Justice Courtney Abel in the Supreme Court. Trial in the matter has been set for December third, 2015. Businessman Swasey claims […]
Blancaneaux says that her family is seeking closure for the death of their brother and son. But they also want Tzib to get the help she needs. According to Minerva Blancaneaux – Tzib won’t get that if she is just released into society, and she also won’t get it if she is incarcerated at the […]
Bradley says that his client and another Coast Guard officer who was similarly detained are considering legal action against the Police. That’s because they were allegedly held long past the forty-eight hours, and were released only after they threatened to sue – released without any charge or any indication from the Police that they would […]
A Salvadoran woman, who is the mother of two young boys, is serving her first night of a six-month sentence imposed upon her by Magistrate Ladonna John this morning. On Tuesday Lourdes Yohannah Quixote was arraigned on a single charge of Harm upon Nora Murrillo stemming from a fight which occurred on September nineteenth 2015 […]
Today, a pair of relatives was arraigned for a shooting at the house of Brian Davis, a Sand hill resident, on Monday, September fourteenth, 2015. A youth, who turns eighteen on October first, along with his uncle, twenty-nine year old Raymond Dominguez were taken to court before Magistrate Ladonna John and jointly charged with Aggravated […]
A tour guide is out on bail after being accused of assaulting a tourism police back in July. Thirty-eight year old Louigie Turton, of the Ladyville area appeared in court this morning and was arraigned for four criminal offenses upon tourism police officer Rupert Leslie. The charges are for Aggravated Assault, Using Indecent and Threatening […]
Tonight two fishermen, from Belize City and a seventeen-year-old minor from Carmelita, Orange Walk District, are on remand for a nine millimetre pistol with ten live rounds which police say they found on them off the island of Turneffe Atoll. The bust was made on the eve of Independence September twentieth, 2015 during a police […]
Ramon Cervantes Junior is accused slandering his political rival, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega of Orange Walk North and today the P.U.P. standard bearer got a chance to tell his side of the story in court. But contrary to popular belief, “Monchi” says that he only listened twice to the recording of a conversation between […]
As for the matter of the recording, Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay, attorney for Fiesta FM, denies airing the entire broadcast. He says it is as he expected – his opposite number Rodwell Williams was unable to get the recording or any representation of it in transcription or translation into evidence, and without it the case […]
The two sides will make oral and written submissions in October concerning whether Courtenay’s decision not to call witnesses on Fiesta FM’s behalf reflects adversely on them. But according to Williams he has advanced his case and developed his line of questioning. Rodwell Williams, Attorney for Gaspar Vega “We were able to put appropriate […]
The courtroom of Justice Troadio John Gonzalez was packed today for the bail application on behalf of Coastguard, Keyren Tzib; she is accused of killing her common-law husband, Thythis Blancaneaux in July of this year while she was on bail for another criminal offense. The Justice questioned a number of issues but the most significant was […]
