News Briefs

Carmen Stewart’s leadership ‘dignified’

The late Rev Dr Carmen Stewart has been hailed as “a great Jamaican woman whose work, stature, and dignity” defined a lasting legacy in the country’s history.

In a press statement issued yesterday, custos of St Andrew, Steadman Fuller, described Stewart’s leadership as “strong” and “dignified” and dubbed her contribution to Pentecostalism in Jamaica as “unblemished”.

Stewart passed away on Sunday aged 95.

She was the first female custos of St Andrew and first female deputy governor general.

Stewart served as pastor of the Pentecostal Gospel Temple on Windward Road in Kingston for 44 years was inducted into the Order of Jamaica in 2007.

Cruise ship cancels call to Cayman

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (CMC):

Amid concerns about the global novel coronavirus outbreak, the Caribbean Princess cruise ship cancelled its call to the territory on Monday, as two critically ill passengers were airlifted from Cayman to Florida.

In a statement, acting Port Authority Director Joseph Woods said that the ship anchored in Grand Cayman Monday morning, as scheduled, but opted not to allow passengers to disembark.

“As they were unsure if someone on board could have possibly been exposed to someone who did [have coronavirus], out of an abundance of caution, and of their own volition, they decided to cancel the call,” he said.

The Health Services Authority confirmed that no other passengers from the ship disembarked and that the two patients were not taken to any hospital in the Cayman Islands.

No scabies at Tamarind Farm adult prison - authorities

The outbreak of scabies at the Tamarind Farm police detention centre has not spread to, or affected, visits to the adult prison, the Department of Correctional Services has said.

Scabies has been identified among inmates being held at the Tamarind Farm Detention Centre under the state of emergency.

Visiting hours at the Tamarind Farm Adult Correctional Centre are Saturdays, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on Sundays and public holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

September trial for Shineka Gray murder

The much-anticipated trial of Mario Morrison and Gregory Roberts, the two men charged with the 2017 murder of Green Pond High School student Shineka Gray, was pushed back to September 16 when the men appeared before the St James Circuit Court yesterday.

It was not disclosed why the trial date was changed, as the matter had previously been set for yesterday when Morrison and Roberts last appeared in court on October 7 last year.

Once the trial begins, it is expected that the prosecution will call 21 witnesses to give evidence against Roberts and Morrison. Roberts is being represented by attorney-at-law Chumu Parris, while Morrison’s lawyer is Martyn Thomas.

Yesterday’s court sitting marks the fifth time the trial has been delayed since it was first set for November 19, 2018.

Gray’s body was found on February 1, 2017, with multiple stab wounds in bushes in Irwin, St James. The then 15-year-old was found three days after she had been reported missing.