In the Magistrates’ Court, a taxi driver was today charged with Dangerous Harm. Police allege that twenty-three year old Andy Cruz beat his nine month old daughter, almost killing her. No plea was taken because the offence is indictable and Cruz was offered bail of six thousand dollars without objection from the prosecution. The case […]
It was another interesting day in the Court of Appeals today in the case of Krem Radio and Sagis Investments Limited and after lawyers for both sides closed their arguments, the court reserved judgment for a later date. The appeal goes back to a ruling last year in May in the Supreme Court when Chief […]
In London today, the Privy Council handed down a judgment in the case of the Attorney General of Belize, ECOM Limited and Belize Telecommunications Limited versus the Jeffrey Prosser companies of Belize Telecom Limited and Innovative Communication Company… and its bad news for Prosser, but good for G.O.B and Telemedia. For years the Prosser companies […]
After almost fourteen years, two rivals have found themselves back in court battling an old transaction that they signed back in 1994. Today Krem Radio and Sagis Investments Limited were before the Court of Appeal requesting Justices Manuel Sosa, Boyd Carey and Cecil Morrison to review a ruling made last May when Chief Justice, Doctor […]
In the Supreme Court, two men accused of murdering Kevin Parks in 2006 walked free today when key witnesses in the case failed to provide sufficient evidence against them. Supreme Court Justice Adolph Lucas ordered the jury of ten women and two men to find twenty-four year old James Escarpeta and twenty-two year old Brandon […]
Meanwhile, Jorge “Chapas” Castellanos was not so fortunate and Justice Adolph Lucas today handed down a sentence of seven years in jail. Castellanos, a resident of Benque Viejo, was found guilty of Burglary with Intent to Commit Rape earlier on the eleventh of this month and his sentence is retroactive to that date. Justice Lucas […]
Court of Appeal’s Justices: Boyd Carey, Cecil Morrison and President Elliott Mottley today made their ruling in the Ara Macao appeal before them. The issue brought on by Ara Macao and their attorney, Elson Kaseke, sought for the Chief Justice’s ruling of last May to be set aside based on the choice of words that […]
The number of reported robberies continues to increase and law enforcement officials are trying to play catch up. Today twenty-one year old Allison Coye Junior of Central American Boulevard appeared in Magistrates’ Court accused of holding up seventeen year old Shanel Mendoza on Fabers Road and taking her cell phone and gold chain. Coye pleaded […]
The Court of Appeal this morning set aside an earlier ruling by Justice John Muria and granted an injunction to prevent attorney Lois Young from representing Christine Perriott, a former Telemedia employee. Perriott was released from the company last year, rehired and then subsequently resigned. The request for injunction by Telemedia was first heard last […]
The Telemedia case was not the only high profile case that was heard in the Appeal’s Court today. And after that case, attorney for the Belize Bank, Andrew Marshalleck began arguments in an appeal by the Bank in respect of the Banks and Financial Institution Appeals Board. Marshalleck says that the composition of the Appeals […]
While the Court of Appeal had a full day, next door in Magistrates’ Court thirty-four year old Hubert Velasquez, also known as “Kid”, was remanded into custody for the next month and a half to await trial. Velasquez is accused of jacking three persons at K and S Mini Mart in January and is now […]
Earlier in the newscast, we reported that a Chinese national was murdered in Orange Walk Town and in Belize City, another Chinese national was targeted in a bathroom of all places. The fifty-three year old businessman luckily escaped a robbery attempt at the Princess Hotel and Casino. Fu Hung, a resident of Cork Street, reported […]
Also in the court, a plumber accused as the getaway driver in a shooting was charged today with Abetment to Commit Murder. Thirty-four year old Rondy Mahler was remanded into custody until April twenty-ninth after Magistrate Aretha Ford upheld an objection to bail based on the seriousness of the offense and the possibility that Mahler […]
A Belize City chef of Locks Alley was today charged for the attempted murder of Police Constable, Aldo Valdez. When twenty-five year old Delroy Smith appeared in Magistrates’ Court to answer to the charges of Attempted Murder, Use of Deadly Means of Harm and Dangerous Harm, his attorney, Kevin Arthurs, submitted that Smith was in […]
Last June the Court of Appeal ruled that George Betson had no right to occupy a piece of land at mile two on the Northern Highway which he had been living on since 1973. And in July, police and court marshals proceeded in taking down the dwelling. This was after the Court found that Betson […]
Turning to the Magistrates’ Court, an electrician was today charged with Murder in connection with a fatal shooting on the ninth of this month. Twenty year old Carl Reneau is believed to have gunned down Brian ‘Benji’ Williams and has now been remanded into custody until April fourteenth when he will be tried for the […]
And a former police officer, who is a paraplegic, was spared a custodial sentence today by Magistrate Sharon Fraser. Fifty-five year old Barrington “Bo” Williams was found guilty of Drug Trafficking, but the magistrate said that although Williams has had several similar convictions, she does not know if the prison has the facilities to accommodate […]
And turning to the Magistrates’ Court, today thirty year old Jose Castellanos, also known as ‘Chapas’, was charged with Burglary. The jury of six men and three women deliberated for over two hours and while the verdict was not unanimous, Castellanos was found guilty by a seven to two majority. Justice Adolph Lucas deferred sentencing […]
Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh today granted former Prime Minister Said Musa judicial review of Magistrate Earl Jones’ decision to commit him to stand trial in the Supreme Court. Musa is charged with Theft in connection with a gift of ten million US dollars from Venezuela to the government of Belize, an issue that has dominated […]
Meanwhile, in the Court of Appeal, the case of Elvis Myers was heard today and the outcome may have bearing on some other cases that were tried by Justice Troadio Gonzalez. Myers was accused of the December twenty-sixth, 2005 murder of Winfield Slusher Junior, and the wounding of Police Constable Keith Cruz. He was charged […]
The case of Barry Bowen and the Landowners Association versus government was in the headlines right up to the end on February thirteenth, when the C.J. ruled against government’s proposed amendment to section seventeen of the constitution. The changes would have blocked access to the courts in the event of any grievances and would have […]
Moving to the courts, in an update to the murder of a Chinese businessman at Bachelor Inn last Friday, one adult and two minors appeared in Magistrates’ Court on charges of Murder today. Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie could not offer bail and heard no pleas on this indictable offence. She remanded twenty-two year old Joel […]
And a fisherman from Conch Shell Bay will spend the next five years in jail. In court this morning, Magistrate Aretha Ford found thirty-three year old Freddy Grant guilty of Robbery after Said Silva testified that on June tenth of 2008, he was accosted by Grant along with an unidentified man at the corner of […]
On February twenty-seventh he was found guilty of raping a Canadian woman and today Jimmy Jerry Espat was sentenced to ten years behind bars for the crime. Justice Adolph Lucas heard mitigation pleas from three Santa Elena residents on behalf of the thirty year old mason and bartender who testified that Espat was a good […]
Also in Magistrates’ Court, three fishermen who were reportedly busted with a point three-fifty-seven magnum revolver and four rounds of related ammunition were charged with Keeping a Prohibited Firearm and Ammunition yesterday. Twenty-four year old Jason Westby, forty-five year old Alvin Andrews and thirty-five year old Humberto Avilez all pleaded not guilty to the charges. […]
