Woman, 8-months pregnant, raped on beach
[TT Newsday] – AN eight-months pregnant woman, liming on the Los Iros beach with her boyfriend on Monday afternoon, was attacked and raped by one of three men who confronted the couple. Police sources yesterday said they believe the three are the same who minutes earlier attacked an elderly American couple who were about to enter their home not far from the beach.
The robbery was foiled when the couple sped off in their car.
Up to press time, the three criminals were at large with police sources saying that patrols will be implemented along the Los Iros beach until arrests are made as the three are believed to be behind a string of violent acts perpetrated on beachgoers.
According to a police report, at about 1 pm, the couple who live in Princes Town were walking on the beach when they were approached by three men all armed with guns.
The police report stated that the boyfriend was robbed of items before he made a dash for freedom, leaving his girlfriend behind and being pursued by two of the gunmen.
The third man grabbed the pregnant woman and forced her into some nearby bushes where he proceeded to rape her repeatedly.
The rapist then left the weeping woman in the bushes and ran off. The woman later made her way to a nearby lifeguard booth where she made a report to the lifeguard.
A report was made to the Erin Police Station and a party of officers led by Sgt Haynes and including PC Rampersad and WPC Hospedales visited the scene and went in search of the three gunmen.
The woman was taken to a medical facility where she was medically examined and treated before being discharged. Detective Constable Rampersad is leading investigations.
Prison officers being sacrified
[TT Guardian] – The lives of prisons officers are daily being “sacrificed” as those in authority have continuously ignored the pleas to improve the Prisons Service.
Prisons Commissioner, Sterling Stewart, in an interview with i95 yesterday joined the chorus of the organisation’s membership in urging Government and other stakeholders to deal with the matter which had been neglected for far too long.
“The supermen in our society, the cartoon characters need to stop the foolishness and know that people losing their lives. We believe at this stage that we are being set up because at this stage what can we do?” Stewart asked.
He added that over the past ten years some 17 prisons officers had been killed and all had been done with impunity.
“We have been talking the same talk over and over and it is like a recurring decimal. We are being attacked, we are being killed, we are being sacrificed. “On top of the agenda is safety and security and I stay positive with the National Security Minister Edmund Dillon because I know he is a person of action and I respect his vision. “But in going forward I need to know how can my officers be attacked from these blatant, disregard for human life… it cannot continue this way,” Stewart added.
He also said all right-thinking citizens needed to stand up against the darkness that was engulfing the country.
“Too many persons are not saying anything. The voiceless… is too much wickedness that is generated from the top to the bottom that is being condoned and facilitated. Unless persons change and we hold persons responsible then… what we asking?” Stewart asked.
Regarding Monday’s killings of prisons superintendent David Millette, Stewart confirmed a possible link between an attack on three prisons officers which occurred at the Maximum Security Prison on Sunday.
It is alleged that during a routine search an inmate refused to hand over a knife to a prisons officers following which the officer called for back-up.
Before the knife was seized, however, three officers had sustained injuries.
Stewart said after Millette’s murder the executive of the Prisons Service held an emergency meeting.
“A preliminary investigation reveal that it is highly probably it was called from behind the walls, specifically at Maximum Security Prison, arising out of an incident that took place on Sunday.
“All on board need to come together to treat with this problem because this is a wicked problem,” Stewart added.
Asked about stab and bullet proof vests to be issued to prisons officers, he said some, both “overt and covert,” were issued to prisons officers.
“We are now seeking to purchase stab-proof vests as necessary for the relevant officers but there are a number of officers who have already received these vests,” Stewart added.
Asked whether he believed the prisons executive is capable of stamping out contraband coming into the prisons, Stewart said any officer caught trafficking illegal items must be immediately dismissed.
“I want swift action. I want him dismissed immediately. Whenever it takes to put that in place that is one of the things I want to see happening. [Extract]
Dead man found clutching slain 1-y-o son
[Jamaica Observer] – The Montego Bay police in St James are searching for clues into the shooting death of a father and his one-year-old son on Jackson Road in Flamstead on Tuesday.
Dead are Kemoy Green, a 31-year-old farmer of Jackson Town in the parish, and his son, Alljay.
Reports are that about 8:50 pm, residents heard explosions in the community and went to investigate. They found Green lying on the roadway, clutching the toddler; both had been shot multiple times.
No motive has yet been established and detectives are appealing to anyone who may have information to contact them at 953-6191.
ECTEL issues warning to Digicel
[CMC] – The St Lucia-based Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) says it has written to the Irish-owned telecommunications company, DIGICEL, warning against plans to implement its ad control technology.
The letter comes in response to a September 30, media release titled “Digicel first operator to implement ad control technology to improve customer experience and help drive broadband access”.
Digicel said that the press release had been brought to its attention by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC).
According to the release, Digicel intends to deploy an ad control technology at the network level across the globe, “to improve customer experience and encourage major international companies such as Google, Facebook and Yahoo to help connect 4.2 billion unconnected people”.
But ECTEL said that while it is desirous of improving the experience of customers using the Internet and increasing penetration for broadband services in its member states, it “strongly opposes” the method being proposed by Digicel to achieve this objective.
In the letter, ECTEL reiterates an earlier position on Net Neutrality which states that “service providers should treat all data on the Internet the same, not intercepting, interrupting, blocking, degrading or discriminating”.
It said that interception of any communication without the consent of the receiving party breaches the Telecommunications Act and amounts to a breach of the operator’s license.
“ECTEL is therefore advising Digicel to adhere to the stated principles of Net Neutrality and to refrain from deploying its ad control technology within ECTEL member states.
“ECTEL remains committed to promoting the up-take of broadband in its member states and is of the view that the implementation of this technology by Digicel will hinder the growth, usage and deployment of broadband,” the letter added.
