Curfew murder in Diego

Jeffery Joseph, a 38-year-old father of two was found murdered in Diego Martin on Monday October 3. The murder occurred while the curfew was still in effect.

Joseph’s relatives — sister Sophia Joseph, cousin Eastlyn Farrell, niece Teneisha Joseph and aunt Sylma Maughn — reported that they were contacted shortly after 8 am and told that “Green Man’s” (Joseph) body was found at an abandoned house at Agostini Trace, Diego Martin.

Police and relatives reported that there were chop wounds to Joseph’s head, face, hands and upper body. An autopsy found that he died as a result of the wounds. Joseph’s family said that on September 20 he got into an altercation with some persons over a cellphone and was beaten later that day. Joseph was at home washing clothes on Sunday when he left his Green Hill home at about 3 pm saying he was “going to make a spin”. 

When 11 pm reached and Joseph did not return home, his relatives became concerned but did not think anything bad had happened.

Residents of Green Hill reported hearing someone crying out at about 2 am yesterday but they did not investigate because of the curfew.

At about 7 am persons in the neighbourhood made checks and found Joseph’s body at the abandoned house. The police was subsequently alerted.

National Security Minister John Sandy said, on September 28, the National Security Council met to discuss the curfew which was first introduced when the government announced a State of Emergency in the country on August 21.

The curfew was introduced then from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. but was later shortened to 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Sandy said the curfew was being reviewed constantly and it could be adjusted again to the original 9 p.m.  to 5 a.m. timeframe or it could be removed.

“There is the possibility it could even be removed,” he said.

Bahamas murder count reaches triple digits .

The murder count in The Bahamas reached triple digits during the weekend of September 16-18, as five violent deaths recorded in the space of 48 hours pushed the count to a staggering 100 for the year so far.

This is the highest number of murders ever recorded in a single year since records have been kept in The Bahamas.

Four murders took place between Friday night and Saturday afternoon in separate incidents.

Another man who was shot Thursday died in hospital on Saturday night, police confirmed.

This time last year the murder count stood at 68, according to The Nassau Guardian’s records. This means that the murder count has increased by 47 percent over this time last year.

Since earlier this year, some analysts predicted that there would be more than 100 murders in 2011. And with just over three months remaining in the year, that prediction will likely be realized. 

While pointing out that it is unfortunate that The Bahamas has recorded a murder count of 100, Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest said on Sunday that, were it not for certain crime-fighting initiatives the Ingraham administration put in place the situation could have been a lot worse.

During an interview, Turnquest was  asked whether the government was contemplating seeking help from foreign law enforcement agencies. 

“We haven’t at this stage,” he said. “We have a very well trained police force. The problem isn’t the police, in my view. We need to keep the criminals behind bars. That’s the real issue.” 

He pointed to initiatives put in place by the Ingraham administration geared at speeding up the administration of justice and addressing the crime problem.

Turnquest said the electronic monitoring program had a positive impact on crime, as did the government’s decision to provide the police with additional resources, including manpower. But the opposition has accused the Ingraham administration of failing dismally on crime.

At a press conference on Thursday September 15, Progressive Liberal Party leader Perry Christie restated his position that the current administration has not done enough to address the issue of violent crime, especially murder, calling the Ingraham administration’s position on the issue “paralyzed” and “indifferent.” 

“Bahamians understand that crime is a national issue, even if some of their government officials seem to be slow to understand what is happening,” Christie said.

20 persons murdered in one week

Twenty persons have been murdered within a one-week period, but the police are attempting to keep a lid on the figures at a time when four of the victims were decapitated.

“Have we lost our heads?” seems to be the collective thought of outraged and frightened Jamaicans, as sharp bladed instruments are chosen to inflict dastardly deeds.

Gary Emanuel Smith, a 37-year-old father of two, took his last breath - early Saturday morning, as a precursor to the mourning of members of the August Town community.

He was the fourth person to be beheaded last week.

The Police High Command and the political directorate have jumped at every opportunity to reel off figures showing that crime has dipped by more than 40 per cent for the first half of 2011 when compared with 2010. However, statistics and data are cold comfort to those recoiling in fear and terror from a revolting trend.

Signs are emerging that many inclined to commit murder are going back to the old days of sharp bladed instruments, but with a brand new level of venom and brutality.

The nation was shocked into silence when a man by the name of Scott Shane Thomas, 18, a labourer of Lauriston, was decapitated Tuesday of last week.

The shock had hardly worn off less than 48 hours later when the nation was horror-struck by news that two more persons had been beheaded.

The sensibilities of most law-abiding Jamaicans were jolted further, when it was revealed that the victims were women – a mother and daughter - Charmaine Couver-Rattray, 40, and her 19-year old daughter, Joeith Lynch otherwise called “Crystal”.

In the midst of the turmoil, sparked by the goriness of the slaughters, new information emerged that another Kingston College student was murdered.

The murder happened less than a month after another student, Khajeel Mais’ untimely death elicited thunderous reactions from Jamaicans.

The police say 15-year-old Timon Thompson, a resident of Bull Retreat in Gordon Town in St. Andrew was walking along the Mavis Bank main road about 5 a.m. last week Tuesday, when he was approached by a relative and stabbed with a sharp instrument. Blood continued to be shed senselessly, when a 13-year-old girl fatally stabbed a 21-year-old mother, who was in a state of pregnancy.

The alleged offending child is in a place of safety.

As Jamaicans recoiled in horror at the wretchedness of it all, almost unbelievably, news surfaced that yet another man was decapitated.

August Town residents woke to the news that one of their own had been taken out of his house brought to another section of the community where the gruesome act was performed.

Evil Stalks T & T

Once again we are faced with a dreadful multiple murder in our society, and what makes some of these more frightening is that, once again, this is not apparently gang or drug related, but involved a young mother and two children in the presumed sanctity of their home.

The killing of Vonetta Haynes-Reyes, and her two little boys, Malik and Makasi Reyes, in La Horquetta on Thursday seems to have no discernable motive.

We have grown sadly accustomed to a range of alleged “motives” for the murders of our women and their children.

And while we try to come to terms with these killings in the east, we also have to face up to the dread of two connected, but separate suicides in south. One of them, Rehana Nandlal was a mere child of 15, who ran away from home on Monday, and was found frothing at the mouth on the steps of a church on Tuesday. She had drunk poison, and died shortly thereafter. In her diary, Rehana had described her “love affair” with a Health and Safety Officer at her school, a married man of 52. The following day, the man, Hydar Mohammed, also drank poison and died.

It is difficult to determine which is the more tragic story gripping our now battered society. How often in this year alone have we risen up in fear, anger, and horror at the violence being perpetrated upon our women and our young children? And make no mistake about it, however little Rehana might have thought that she was in love and in a loving relationship, she was an ongoing victim of rape by an older man, who appeared to have no plans to leave his wife for this child he was abusing.

As a society we need to address two questions, even as we wonder if these
can be answered.

The first is, given the number of women murdered this year, some even burned to death by their partners, how many of our women (and indeed their children) are now living among us and facing the possibility of being murdered?

And how many of our girl children are now living in similar sexual relationships as Rehana was, with older men? And we are not considering 17 to 21-year-old boys as “older men” here. We are talking about “full men” old enough to be the fathers (and sometimes they are!) of the girls whom they are abusing.

Given the frequency of the crimes against women and children, and the ongoing disappearances of young girls — some of whom are never seen alive again, although some seem to run away from what they perceive to be overly strict parents—we are facing a frightening prospect indeed.

We all need to be aware that the next victim of violence, or of ongoing sexual abuse could be our relative or neighbour, and that among the groups of schoolgirls wending their way between school and home, could be in some sexual relationships similar to Rehana’s. These are the potential next victims of murder and suicide.

But what can we do about it? These crimes are less “preventable” by the police than are the gang killings. Police sleuthing cannot unearth the type of evils which may have caused the deaths of the Reyes family, or stopped poor little Rehana drinking poison on her own terrifying and lonely last day. It is up to us, the society rather than the police, who must carry the burden of eliminating these horrors from our lives.

compliments Newsday

Girl, 9, sees Mother murdered after stalking

Killed As She Slept

Isha Hosein

Hours after enjoying Mother's Day with her two children and other relatives, Isha Hosein, 40, was dead - beaten and stabbed as she lay on a bed sleeping next to her nine-year old daughter Shenelle, at their South Oropouche home, yesterday morning.

Hosein's murder rocked the sleepy rural community of Naranjit Trace in south Oropouche, the second tragedy to affet a family after the fatal firebomb attack in Barataria last Sunday, in which a family of five, including two children, were killed.

Shenelle was said to be in a traumatised state after being awakened by the sound of a man stabbing and beating her mother.

While crime scene officers, in white forensic grab, walked in and out of the house yesterday as they searched for clues, Hosein's shocked relatives and neighbours stood nearby and looked on.

The murdered woman's relatives said Shenelle was too distraught to speak. Relatives said Hosein was a hunted woman after ending a 14-year relationship.

Her brother-in-law Deochan Naranjit said the frightened woman had been staying at his home for the past two months with her two children, Shenelle and Janelle, 12. He said Hosein and her daughters spent Mother's Day at the home of Hosein's 65-year-old mother, Doris Samaroo, which is also located at Naranjit Trace. Jamelle ended up spending the night at Doris' home.

At about 5:40 am Monday Deochan and his wife left Hosein and Shenelle asleep in the house and went to tend to a garden located nearby.

"About 20 minutes later, screams were heard and another relative came running over to tell us that Isha (Hosein) was murdered," Deochan said.

Isha's brother Ashram Samaroo, who lives next door to Deochan, said his wife heard Shenelle's screams for help and ran toward the house to see what was going on.

"Come and see, come and see ... my mummy dead and lying on the floor, " Shenelle tolad Ashram's shocked wife. At this time, Doris arrived and went into Deochan's house only to be confronted by a man holding a blood-stained knife. Deochan told Newsday that the man told Doris, "like you want to die too !" He then jumped through the bedroom window and escaped in some bushes nearby.

A report was made to the Oropouche Police Station and officers promptly arrived and carried out a search for the killer who up to press timeremained at large. However, relatives had harsh words for the Oropouche police saying that no less than 25 reports were made about the abuse Hosein suffered.

"She had obtained several restraining orders from the courts. But this was not sufficient and in the end she was hunted down and killed, " Hosein's sister Anita said.

Anita said a man had earlier called her mobile phone saying he intended to, "wipe out myself, my husband and my brother."

She also claimed the man had been hiding nearby, "waiting for the opportunity to attack us."

Hosein's body was removed from the crime scene to the Forensic Science Centre in St. James .