Local News

A female from the Stapleton area is the latest victim of a spate of armed robberies throughout the twin island state.

Reliable reports indicate that three masked gunmen held up the woman sometime last night, April 11.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of any injuries.

It is not yet clear whether the assailants were able to make off with any valuables.

Police have confirmed the incident and have indicated that investigations are ongoing.

Last night’s incident comes just about 24 hours after four armed men attempted to rob Fox’s Eatery, close to Baker’s Corner, in Basseterre.

A few days earlier, a Chinese restaurant in the same area held up and and the perpetrators made off with valuables.

There were also reported robberies in Old Road, St. Kitts and in the Gingerland area, Nevis. Two incidents were reported at the latter location.

Two persons are missing at sea and the search is on to return them to safety. This was confirmed by the Police yesterday, April 11.

Authorities offered very little details up to press time but sources have indicated that several boats ventured out in the open sea to assist with searches for the missing pair.

It is assumed that the pair are both males but their origin is not known.

Additionally, there last known location was not disclosed.

Police have indicated that they will provide an update shortly.

Police are treating an incident on April 10, where four men held up a business establishment, close to Baker’s Corner as an attempted robbery.

According to eyewitnesses, four masked men, two brandishing firearms, entered Fox’s Eatery a few minutes after 9 pm. and demanded money.

However, they were unsuccessful with their demand.

Witnesses also indicated that the masked suspects made their escape along John Street.

The owner of the establishment, who is affectionately called Fox, revealed that he was not in the shop at the time of the incident. He was in the back yard area of the property but two of his helpers were in the shop area.

The masked men held up one helper at the entrance to the popular sandwich spot and then advanced on the other one to the back of the shop, demanding “the money because Fox do keep it in the back here.”

He then disclosed how a tip alerted him about suspicious looking persons entering his shop.

The owner of the eatery suspects that the masked men are very familiar to the area.

Just a few days earlier an establishment in the same vicinity was robbed by multiple gunmen.

Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Prime Minister Dr. The Hon. Timothy Harris continues to provide calculated responses in relation to questions about nepotism and alleged unethical practice with reference to family members in key positions.

The St. Kitts and Nevis leader has long denied the allegations and did so once again at his monthly press conference on Tuesday, April 9.

Dr. Harris stated that his family members were put in to their civil service positions and promoted by the previous Labour Party administration.

However, various volumes of the St Christopher and Nevis Official Gazette indicate otherwise.

Dr Harris’ response was an echo of comments made to Jerry George in St Vincent and the Grenadines on the weekend, where he said “there is not a scintilla of evidence” that he is guilty of nepotism.”

Investigations reveal that:

1. Dr Harris’ sister Janine Harris-Lake was the Registrar. Due to continuous complaints from lawyers as well as the St Kitts and Nevis Bar Association, she was transferred to the Copyright section of the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs. When Dr Harris became prime minister he sent her back to perform the duties of Registrar.

2. Dr Harris’ sister Donna Harris headed the Legal Aid Unit prior to him becoming prime minister. After he became Prime Minister Donna Harris was appointed Magistrate. There was no advertisement for the post.

3. Dr Harris’ brother Lenworth Harris was General Manager of the St Kitts and Nevis Development Bank under the Labour government. He was on suspension from the post as an investigation was being conducted when the change of government took place. After Dr Harris became prime minister and minister of finance, Dr Harris sent him back to the bank and he was given the newly-created post of CEO. Dr Harris also appointed Lenworth Harris to be a director on the St Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board. The Development Bank of which he is CEO, also borrows money from the Social Security Board. Lenworth Harris is also on the Committee that distributed the US$16 million given by President Maduro of Venezuela to pay ex-sugar workers a gratuity. The same sugar workers Dr Harris denied were owed monies in 2012 when he was a minister in the Labour Government.

4. Dr Harris has appointed a nephew, Alexis Nisbett, to be chairman of the St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank.

5. Dr Harris has appointed Alexis Nisbett’s wife, Akilah, to be a senator and also deputy speaker in the National Assembly. Akilah is also the deputy political leader of Harris’ PLP. She replaced Sam Condor who along with others were ousted from the PLP in 2016.

6. Dr Harris has appointed a nephew, Big T, a butler to his private residence with a EC$5,000 a month salary.

7. Dr Harris has appointed another sister, Coretta Harris, then a senior clerk, Ministry of International Trade as Marketing Support Officer, National Entrepreneurial Development Division with effect from November 1, 2015. He has since appointed her Head of Payroll in the Department of Human Resource in the Office of the Prime Minister.

8. Dr Harris as Minister of National Security, appointed his brother, Denzil Harris, then a Prison Officer to several positions since he became prime minister. Denzil Harris, Principal Prison Officer was appointed Chief Prison Officer with effect from 1st April 2016. He is presently Acting Superintendent of Prisons, while the substantive holder, Junie Scrape Hodge is on forced leave since 2016 and is being paid monthly.

9. His brother in law, Jermaine Lake was an Environmental Health Officer when Dr Harris became prime minister. Mr Lake was promoted and appointed Deputy Chief Environmental Health Officer on 15 July 2015 with effect from 1st October 2014 and received back pay to 2014 for a post he was never appointed to previously.

Dr Harris’ nepotism is not just confined to public appointments. His family members have established businesses in the areas of construction, trucking, landscaping, ice making, security, car rentals, tent, table and chair rentals.

Jason Liddie has been slapped with and almost twenty year sentence for rape.

The felon received nineteen years, eleven months and six days, after the time he spent on remand was deducted.

Liddie, who is in his mid-thirties, was convicted of the crime on February 22, 2019. He was also sentenced for the offences of housebreaking and larceny. For those two offences he was sentenced to six years in prison.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

According to Police evidence, Liddie broke into the apartment of a university student in March, 2017, raped a female occupant and stole personal items and money.

Forensic evidence was critical in the advancement of the case against Liddie by the Director of Public Prosecution. The police had taken saliva swabs from the defendant when he was arrested, and the DNA from those samples matched the semen sample collected from the rape victim.

Liddie’s sentencing is being seen as a positive step in emboldening sexual victims in St. Kitts and Nevis.

There have been at least two reported sexual assault incidents within the last month.

Two masked gunmen held up a Chinese run business place in the Old Road area, on April 9. No one was hurt in the incident.

According to reliable sources, the two masked perpetrators entered the establishment sometime after 8 p.m. and robbed the stewards of a sum of cash and two cell phones.

Both assailants brandished guns, one source revealed.
The gunmen then escaped into the darkness.

Just a few days earlier, another Chinese business place, on Wellington Road, Basseterre, was robbed by gunmen. There is no evidence, however, to suggest that both incidents are linked.

Police have since issued a release confirming the incident and seeking assistance from the general public to identify and to apprehend the three perpetrators.

The Police have received commendations for their efforts over the first quarter of 2019. Statistics suggests that major crimes have decreased.

Despite an unprecedented seven murders in February, the first quarter of 2019 has one less murder than the same period last year.

Twenty-five-year-old Kevon Hamilton of St. Paul’s will spend the rest of his life behind bars. The young man was handed a life sentence after being found guilty of the murder of Ernest “Grey Patch” Hendricks, in July of 2015.

The sentence was passed a few days ago, April 5.

According to a statement from the Police, “the court commented that murder with a firearm places that type of murder into the worst of the worst. The court further argued that his seemly good character or attempt at rehabilitation whilst in prison cannot overshadow what he did.”

The deceased operated a small bakery in Palmetto Point. Hendricks was in his bakery on June 24, 2015, when an assailant shot him in his stomach during the commission of a robbery.

Hendricks succumbed to his injuries two weeks later, on July 7.

Hamilton was subsequently charged for Hendrick’s murder and convicted in November 29, last year.

Three weeks after smoke on-board an American Airlines aircraft, which was reportedly caused by items related to an e-cigarette apparatus, in a checked bag, the St Kitts Ministry of Tourism issued a travel advisory on April 9.

The advisory, which was issued to the general and travelling public using the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport in St Kitts and the Vance Amory International Airport in Nevis, pointed to the St Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis Civil Aviation Act which states that no person shall without lawful authority or excuse, take or attempt to take on board any aircraft – a firearm, any explosive or incendiary device; or any other dangerous or offensive weapon, device or thing that could reasonably be used to interfere with the operation of an aircraft or pose a danger to persons on board an aircraft as to do so commits an offence, which upon conviction of a summary offence under this Act is liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars and, in the case of an offence referred to in subsection (1), to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

The Ministry of Tourism noted that the Civil Aviation Division (CAD) prohibits the following devices in checked bags including Portable Battery Chargers; Battery-powered E-cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, atomizers, and electronic nicotine delivery systems.

“These items may only be carried in the aircraft cabin (in carry-on baggage or on your person,” said the advisory which further urged passengers to check with their airline for additional restrictions.

The Ministry further advised that all electronic cigarette and vaping devices from carry-on bags should be removed and checked at the gate or planeside.

“Persons travelling with E- cigarette and other items must declare them at the airline check in counter and failure to do so could lead to confiscation,” it said.

“Ensure that batteries are removed from chargers, the contacts wrapped with tape and placed in individual plastic bags to protect from short circuit. Ensure that cords are disconnected from chargers when travelling,” it further advised.

Pointing to the ICAO Technical instruction for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air as outlined in Part 8 Doc 9284 and 8973 Appendix 12, the Ministry also advised that battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices (e-cigarettes,-cigs, e-cigars, e-pipes, personal vaporizers, electronic nicotine delivery systems, etc.) may be carried by passengers or crew in the cabin only for personal use.

“Portable electronic devices (watches, calculating machines, cameras, cellular telephones, laptop computers, video recorders, etc.) containing lithium or lithium-ion cells or batteries should be carried as cabin baggage. Spare batteries must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits and carried in cabin baggage only,” it added.

On the issue of IATA Dangerous Goods Regulation 2.3, the St Kitts Ministry of Tourism said batteries, spare/loose, including lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries, for portable electronic devices must be carried in carry-on baggage only.

Police have confirmed a late Sunday night armed robbery on St. Kitts.

However, no one was injured during the commission of the crime.

Investigations so far have revealed that at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, three masked men entered a restaurant on Wellington Road and demanded money. One of them had what appeared to be a firearm. They robbed the customers present of their money and also took a sum of cash from the cash register before fleeing the scene, a Police statement said.

One eyewitness said police were on the scene after 10 pm and questioned the employees and persons in the area.

The armed robbery comes on the heels of two armed robberies in Nevis last week.

Police are seeking the public’s assistance in solving all three robbery incidents.