20-year old Chase Bramwell, of a St. Johns Road address in Spanish Town, was remanded in custody when he appeared in the Spanish Town Criminal Court on charges of arson and wounding his 49-year old mother. According to reports, Bramwell chopped his mother in the forehead with a machete, causing her to be hospitalized for four days. He also allegedly burnt down her house.
The court heard evidence that on November 10, 2009, Bramwell and his sister had a dispute over the use of a cable box. The argument turned into a fight, and their mother attempted to end the brawl. Bramwell then allegedly used a machete to chop her in the forehead. She was rushed to the Spanish Town Hospital (where she spent four days undergoing treatment), and later that day Bramwell allegedly attacked his sister once again, then set fire to their mother’s house. The house and all its contents were completely destroyed by the fire.
Bramwell is scheduled to return to court on April 12 when the case will come up for mention again.
An elderly man (David Joseph) who allegedly attacked a female co-worker with a broken glass after she rebuked him for his constant sexual advances, appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm.
The court heard that on the day in question, the complainant was on her way home from work, when the accused stopped her and made sexual advances and demands. He had reportedly done this on several occasions before and the complainant had refused him, and this time she rebuked him strongly. The accused allegedly got angry and picked up a bottle, which he then broke, and pressed against the complainant’s neck, causing a small cut.
The matter was reported to the police, and Joseph was arrested and charged. He is scheduled to return to court on April 19.
A student of the Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester is dead, and his teenage colleague in police custody, after he was shot and killed with an illegal gun on Thursday (March 4). According to reports, at about 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, both boys were in a section of Spaldings, when explosions were heard, and the teenager later found dead. The accused teenager was held by the police shortly after the incident and the gun was also seized.
It is believed that he was accidentally shot while they were exploring the gun, but the accused teenager is currently being held in police custody on suspicion of murder.
Selvin Bradley of Eltham, near Ocho Rios in St. Ann, lives in a two-bedroom house with only standard electrical appliances such as a refrigerator, fan, radio and a television set. His electricity bill from the Jamaica Public Service Co. (JPSCo.) is usually in the region of J$3000 to $6000 per month, so imagine his shock recently when JPSCo. sent him a bill for $168,251.95 (approx. US$1900).
Initially, a spokesperson for the JPSCo. had said that the customer was being billed for electricity that was not registered on the meter, or “under-registration”. Subsequent to this however, checks by JPSCo. technicians have revealed that faulty wiring at the premises led to the high meter readings. The JPSCo. said that because of the faulty wiring, there were spikes in the meter readings, even while all appliances in the house were unplugged.
Telecommunications giant Digicel has issued the following public advisory:
Digicel would like to advise its valued customers that there are currently a number of fraudulent scams being carried out which target mobile customers via text or voice calls.
These scams include asking customers to turn off their phones to facilitate a software upgrade or text messages notifying them of a 3000 Euro prize offer. None of these are legitimate Digicel promotions.
Please call 137 to verify all current legitimate Digicel promotions.
Apparently due to some skillful begging and impassioned pleas from his lawyer, taxi driver Ewart Stephenson got off lightly in the Home Circuit Court yesterday, when he was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for mowing down and killing a motorcyclist while trying to elude the police. He reportedly had a car full of ganja, hence his attempts to escape the police.
The court heard evidence that Stephenson was traveling through Porus in Clarendon, and that his vehicle was full of marijuana. The police attempted to pull over his vehicle, but he continued driving. Police officers several miles down the road attempted to intercept Stephenson’s vehicle, but he managed to elude them as well. Stephenson then reportedly turned off the lights on his vehicle while driving, and later struck the motorcyclist, who died on the spot.
Following intensive investigations, Stephenson was arrested and charged a month later.
Police in the St. Thomas police division are reportedly investigating two gruesome murders, following the discovery of two human heads earlier today.
In the Red Hills area of the parish, at approximately 8 a.m. this morning, residents reportedly found the head of one Franklyn McCalla. His body was later found in the trunk of a car about five miles from where his head was found. Police reports indicate that he may have been murdered at his house in the Spring Gardens Housing Scheme.
Later that day, there was the discovery of another human head, this time in the Retreat area. Police investigations led to a shallow grave where the police suspect that the rest of the body is buried. They were awaiting the arrival of a pathologist before digging up the grave.
Adrian Dehaney appeared before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court recently, where he was given a suspended sentence for punching his uncle’s babymother in her face during an argument over her washtub and washing soap.
The court heard that the two had an argument on January 26, when she saw him using her washtub and washing soap without her permission. During the argument, he reportedly punched her in the left eye, causing it to bleed. Dehaney tried to explain to the court that he had lashed out after she had approached him from behind.
On the charge of unlawful wounding, he was sentenced to 12 months at hard labour suspended for 12 months, but he also faces a malicious destruction charge, which will be heard in court on March 10. He was offered bail in the sum of $5000 in his own surety.
36 year old Jason Anderson, of a Mt. Salem address in St. James, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $3000 when he appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s court yesterday, after he was found guilty of possession of an offensive weapon, possession of cocaine, assault at common law and larceny.
According to reports, Anderson has spent most of his live in and out of prison. The court heard that on February 10, a man parked his car in the vicinty of the City Centre Building, and left the two front windows open. The man reportedly returned to find Anderson inside the car, and when he asked him what he was doing in there, Anderson reportedly told him that he was hungry and looking for money to buy food.
Anderson then reportedly pulled a knife, slashed at the complainant, and attempted to escape. He was chased by security guards and the police, and eventually held and charged.
He was fined $3000 or 10 days in prison for the offensive weapon; six months at hard labour for possession of cocaine and assault at common law; and 18 months at hard labour for larceny.
Students of the Tredegar Park Primary school in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, were reportedly sent scrambling under their desks earlier today, after armed thugs fired numerous barrages of gunshots into the air, seemingly as a brazen show of force. The incident reportedly happened just meters from the school.
According to reports, the gun salutes were being done as a show of dominance and force by opposing factions in the community. Several persons have already been killed and injured this year in an on-going gang war in the community, but thankfully no one was injured during this latest incident. Members of the Jamaica Defence Force have reportedly been brought in to assist the police in maintaining law and order in the area.
