Photos, videos submitted in sand theft trial
Published:Wednesday | July 6, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
Photographs and video recordings in relation to the 6,000 cubic yards of sand which Felicitas Ltd is alleging was removed from its Coral Springs property in Trelawny in 2008 were tendered into evidence yesterday.
The exercise took place in the Supreme Court in the civil suit which Felicitas Ltd has brought against two hotel owners and a company to recover more than US$8 million in damages for the alleged theft of the sand.
Felicitas had bought the beachfront property at Coral Springs in 2006 to develop a resort with 40 villas.
The defendants in the case are Fiesta Jamaica Limited, owner and operator of the Grand Palladium Hotels and Resorts in Lucea, Hanover; RIU Jamaicotel Limited, owner and operator of RIU Tropical Bay Hotel; and Club Riu Montego Bay, which operates the RIU Tropical Bay Hotel and Club.
Bedrock Building and Aggregates Ltd, which is owned by Devon Sterling and Christopher Pryce, is also a defendant.
Palmyra Resort and Spa Ltd was named as a defendant, but the suit was discontinued against it.
Felicitas is contending that Bedrock and other persons removed the sand and it was used in the development and construction of the beaches on Fiesta's and RIU's hotels.
The defendants have denied liability or being involved in the removal of the sand.
Fiesta admits that it contracted with Bedrock in April 2008 to acquire a substantial amount of marine sand, and the sand was delivered.
Riu denies claim
RIU has denied obtaining any sand from any external source and is contending that all the sand used in constructing its beach came from excavations done when the hotel buildings were being constructed.
Bedrock admits supplying sand to Fiesta but claims it obtained the sand from stockpiles at Greenwood and Flamingo Bay in St James.
The first witness called in the suit, which is being heard by Justice Raymund King, was managing director of Felicitas Limited, Fredrik Moe.
He is being examined by Queen's Counsel Michael Hylton, who is representing Felicitas Ltd.
Five persons, including Sterling and Pryce, were charged with simple larceny and conspiracy to steal the sand but the charges were dropped in February in the Falmouth Resident Magistrate's Court, Trelawny.
The Crown said it could not proceed with the case because the main witness was threatened and had refused to testify.