Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Home Blog Page 24

Nightmare Ward

By
admin
-
988
Sakile Stewart
  • Mother, unborn child’s deaths a mystery

Michael Nattoo – Staff Reporter

For Romario Murray, October 12, 2020 couldn’t come soon enough. It was the day set for his 25-year-old girlfriend, Sakile Stewart, to have their first child together. However, after Stewart was admitted for a standard checkup at the Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover, Murray, instead of making plans to be a first-time father, is now busy making plans for the funerals of both his girlfriend and unborn child, who he alleges, died as a result of negligence on the part of the hospital’s staff, after being admitted to a ward he feels has turned his life into a nightmare.

“We didn’t even have the chance to try again for another one,” a mourning Murray shared with the Western Mirror.

“I lost them both – my child and my baby mother, and it all comes down to one word – negligence.”

Murray’s recollection of the events leading up to the tragedy surrounding his girlfriend and unborn child begin with his girlfriend, Sakile, making a visit to the Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea, Hanover, for a checkup.

“At no point throughout her pregnancy was she sick or anything like that, but she decided to visit the hospital for a checkup. We thought she was just going to get a simple treatment and get discharged, but that was not the case. It turns out she had high blood pressure, so the hospital decided to admit her on Thursday (September 24, 2020),” Murray explained.

Murray revealed that even while admitted, Stewart had been in dialogue with him, keeping him abreast of what was happening to her. Her last update for him came when she indicated that she had heard some chatter from the doctors and nurses about inducing labour.

“She told me that the doctors on the ward said the reason why her pressure was so high was because of the baby, and because of that, they couldn’t let her out without inducing labour, because as long as she had the baby in her, her pressure would stay that way,” Murray shared.

DOCUMENT SIGNED

Following that revelation, Murray said Stewart reached out to him again, after she was asked to sign a document at the hospital. “She said they gave her a paper to sign, but that she didn’t understand what it said or what it meant. She told me she asked a nurse, and a nurse told her it was basically about the doctors inducing labour.”

Murray visited the hospital afterwards, and was given a prescription to fill for Stewart, but after searching some five pharmacies in the Lucea area, he had no luck.

The next news Murray heard from the hospital was that Stewart had died. Though distraught, Murray held hope the hospital at least managed to save his child. He was crushed to learn that they hadn’t.

“I had some time to visit her before all of that, and around two o’ clock that day, she was doing alright. Around 3 o’ clock, she started complaining of shortness of breath, and asked if she could be moved to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, but was told no. After that, someone who saw her after we left said she coughed up blood, and in the blink of an eye, died.”

ANSWERS NEEDED

Now, Murray needs answers, and his mother, Almena Martin, has joined him in his quest.

“She didn’t die in labour, because when we guh visit her, she did alright, and she wasn’t in any kinda labour, so somebody need fi gi wi some answers!” exclaimed an emotional Martin, she spoke to this newsroom following that tragedy. “You mean fi tell mi seh dem couldn’t at least save di baby? You a try tell we seh di baby dead immediately as the mother dead? Dat nuh soun’ right and we need answers!”

Martin also revealed that when they were called to identify Stewart, she was already wrapped up in a white cloth and tagged. She further shared that when they asked why the child couldn’t be saved, she was allegedly told no doctors were available to perform a C-section.

It was revealed to the Western Mirror that Murray, Stewart’s brother and another family member, were called to a hospital for a meeting following what happened, but they left with no new information.

“They called us for a meeting, but it sounded more like they were wishing us condolences. We got no answers to explain what happened to Sakile and our unborn child,” Murray pointed out.

The family is calling on Minister of Health, Dr. Christopher Tufton, to investigate their case.

In the meanwhile, efforts to contact the Noel Homes Hospital proved futile up to press time.

Dead supermarket robber identified

By
admin
-
1381

The man killed during a robbery at a supermarket in Hopewell, Hanover on the weekend, has been identified.

He is 28 year-old Johnay Rose of a Grange Hill address in Westmoreland.

Rose was killed and another of his cronies shot and wounded and admitted to hospital when they attempted to rob a popular supermarket in the town and were challenged by an off-duty policeman and a licensed firearm holder.

A male customer was also shot and wounded.

The Hanover police report that about 6:40 p.m. on Saturday, the operators of the supermarket were in the process of locking up, when armed men rushed into the establishment and demanded money.

An off-duty policeman and a licensed firearm holder who were also among the shoppers saw what was happening and challenged the men.

During the exchange of gunfire, three men, including a supermarket customer, were shot. 

The wounded gunmen who took cigarettes, a quantity of assorted goods and an undetermined sum of cash, escaped in a waiting motor car which drove to the Noel Holmes Hospital, where the wounded men were reportedly thrown from the vehicle by the other occupants of the car, which then sped away.

Rose subsequently died, while the other man has been admitted in hospital under police guard. According to the police, the wounded man is set to face charges of robbery with aggravation.

The male supermarket customer whose wound was not said to be life threatening was treated at hospital.

The Independent Commission of Investigation, INDECOM, is also investigating the incident.

Mother shot dead

By
admin
-
3
Veneta Brown

Barrington Flemming – Staff Reporter

A St. James woman was shot and killed last Wednesday in what many persons have surmised could be related to her efforts to protect her underage daughter from the overtures of an older man.

 The woman’s daughter has since been placed in protective custody.

The deceased has been identified as 38-year-old maintenance worker, Veneta Brown of Red Ground district, Montpelier, St. James.

Reports from the Anchovy police are that Brown was at home on Wednesday evening about 7:15 p.m. with family members, when a lone gunman kicked open her door and shot her several times all over her body.

The police were called and she was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.  Her family members escaped unhurt.

Meanwhile, reports gleaned by the Western Mirror from a reliable police source indicate that Brown’s 16-year old daughter would regularly run away from home to be with the older man.

In the most recent incident, the daughter is said to have run away to the man’s house and Brown made a report to the Anchovy police, who accompanied her to the man’s house last Monday, where the daughter and the man were found, along with two other men.

The girl was taken home by her mother, while the men were taken into police custody for failing to report a child in need of care and protection.

Following that incident, Brown is said to have taken her daughter to court on Wednesday and the court committed the girl to a place of safety.

 It was later that evening that her mother was shot and killed.

Battle against mosquitoes continues

By
admin
-
0
Guardians of public health in St. James, Medical Officer Dr. Francine Phillips Kelly and Chief Public Health Inspector, Sherika Lewis. – CWP photo

The fight against dengue fever is not over. With the island now in the rainy season, mosquito breeding continues to pose a threat although the index in St James is falling.

Chief Public Health Inspector, Sherika Lewis, says for the month of August, approximately 14,000 premises had been inspected covering 151 communities “1,600 of which were positive for mosquito breeding,” resulting in an aedes index of 11.5 percent. In June, the index was above 15 and just over 13 for July.

And, according to Medical Officer of Health (MOH), Dr Francine Phillips Kelly, “(we) have not seen the numbers that we would have noted between last year January coming into this year.”

Some 34 of the inspected communities were fogged for mosquito control and while not having the desired complement of vector control workers, the eradication programme continues apace with fogging now being carried out seven days a week.

Even though the Ministry of Health has declared the dengue epidemic over, “we still maintain a vigilance and we’re still in our communities educating and maintaining the aedes indices at a lower level because the lower the index, then the lower the possibility of the disease spreading and hence the lower the risk to life,” said Dr Phillips Kelly.

SEARCH AND DESTROY

And, Ms Lewis has underscored this appeal: “The country is still in the rainy season and this can contribute to an increase in mosquito breeding in communities so the health department is advising community members to ensure that they search and destroy mosquito breeding sites at least once per week.”

For its part, the health department will also be conducting mosquito control programmes seven days per week in a bid to ensure that an aedes index of ten percent or less is attained and maintained.

Meanwhile, with the focus now on the corona-virus, COVID-19, the Medical Officer reported that “in the parish we have been seeing increases in cases. Over the last two weeks, our numbers have jumped exceedingly for this parish both in respect of persons who are diagnosed and, unfortunately, we have lost some lives in the last two weeks.”

Man killed, gangsters wounded

By
admin
-
0

The St. James police have reported that two of the parish’s top tier gangsters engaged them in a daring gun battle in the Catherine Hall area last Friday morning, minutes after one of them shot and killed a man in the community.

The two alleged gangsters were shot and injured during the exchange of gunfire and are now under police guard in hospital.

Twenty-four year-old Renor Anderson was the man killed by one of the two gangsters.

 Reports are that at about 11:20 on Friday morning, Anderson was watching over his friend’s roadside vending stall when he was approached by one of the suspects who shot him several times to his head and upper body. The suspect then ran into a waiting Nissan Note motorcar, which sped off.

Members of the St. James Quick Response Team (QRT) were immediately deployed and a chase ensued. The occupants of the vehicle opened fire at the police team and eventually crashed into a parked vehicle. Four men alighted from the vehicle and continued firing at the police, before fleeing in separate directions.

The chase continued on foot and Toussaint Lewis, o/c ‘Dada’ along with Andre Reid, o/c ‘Lil Zulus’, were accosted suffering from gunshot wounds. Two illegal firearms suspected to have been used to commit the murder were recovered from both men.

 Anderson was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead later in the afternoon. The injured gangsters remain at a hospital in serious condition under police guard.

DETAINED UNDER SOPE

The police say Lewis and Reid were recently released from detention in the St. James State of Public Emergency (SOPE). They are currently before the courts for charges ranging from murder, illegal possession of firearms and other violent crimes.  One of the two is a person of interest in a murder committed two weeks ago. Both are currently subject to conditions of bail requiring them to report to police stations in Hanover and St. James. Andre Reid is to reappear in the Western Regional Gun Court on October 2, 2020 to answer charges of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.

In the past 18-months, four illegal firearms have been recovered by the police from one of the suspects on three separate occasions.

Man, woman found dead

By
admin
-
0
Raheem Walters

The communities of Salt Spring and Retirement in St. James featured on the police’s radar on the weekend when the lawmen were summoned to two homicide scenes as murders continue to challenge the security forces.

The deceased have been identified as 23-year-old labourer, Raheem Walters of Meggie Top, Salt Spring, and 54-year-old Jean Jarrett, shopkeeper of Red Dirt, Retirement Phase 1.

Reports from the Montego Bay police reveal that on Sunday, about 10:15 a.m., residents of Meggie Top reported hearing explosions like gunshots being fired and summoned the police.

On the arrival of the police, Walters was seen slumped on the step of a dwelling house suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds to his upper body and head.

He was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

In the meantime, reports are that Jarrett was last seen by residents on Friday evening. However, on Monday morning about 9:45, her brother, who had made several calls to her cell phone, all of which went unanswered, became concerned and went to her house to inquire about her welfare.

The brother, on arrival at the premises, smelled a foul odour coming from the house. He entered and there he discovered her lifeless body.

He called the police who saw Miss Jarrett’s decomposing body lying on the side with hands and feet bound with duct tape and electrical cord.

The body was later removed to the morgue.

Son kills father

By
admin
-
1
Barrington Shaw

The gruesome tale of a son chopping his father to death continues to traumatize the Shaw family at Mt. Carey in St. James.

The younger Shaw is being held in police custody in connection with the killing.

The deceased is 68-year-old Barrington Shaw of Mt. Carey, who was employed to Montego Bay Metro Company as a bus driver and was the father of ten children.

The police report that about 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Shaw, who was also a farmer, went to Carey Village to tend to his animals, when he saw his son and confronted him about cutting the throat of one of his cows last week.

An altercation ensued and the younger Shaw is reported to have used a machete to inflict several chop wounds to the neck and upper body of his father.

Residents who came to Shaw’s, rescue rushed with him to the Cornwall Regional Hospital, where he later died.

Shaw’s widow Girlette, with whom he had been married for 43 years, struggled to communicate as she was still to come to grips with the pain of losing her life partner.

“Oh my God, he was a wonderful husband, a family man; my friend, the chief breadwinner. He was a hard worker and now he is gone. The children, some of them had to go to the doctor to cope. Some of them are not eating. This is upsetting everyone and I am trying to keep strong.”

She said Shaw was a Christian man who attended the Mount Carey Baptist Church, while she and the children attended the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

“He was a very good man; he loved his family and was always so loving. I really miss him,” Mrs. Shaw bemoaned. 

Communities under water

By
admin
-
1345
Pictured here are some of the affected homes and road networks, which were flooded as a result of the recent heavy rains

Hundreds of residents in several communities in Westmoreland are now marooned by floodwaters from a major downpour triggered by a trough induced by the passing of Hurricane Laura near Cuba on Sunday, which dumped several centimetres of rain across Jamaica, leaving millions of dollars in damage to the road network in a number of parishes.  

The affected communities in Westmoreland include: McNeil Land, Little London, Paul Island and Carmel, which remained inundated up to press time.

Hilma Tate, Disaster Coordinator for Westmoreland told the Western Mirror in an interview that despite pleas from the municipal corporation, many residents of the affected communities have stoutly refused to temporarily evacuate from their homes, despite the threat posed by rains which came yesterday (Tuesday), triggering run offs from the hillsides.

“So, what we are seeing is that some areas remain inundated while water has receded from a few communities. However, some residents have refused to be evacuated despite our suggestions and pleas.”

Miss Tate said they are concerned that residents are walking in the water, which is posing serious health threats because the water is very dirty.

“We are advising residents not to wade or walk through the water in McNeil Lands or other areas but especially McNeil Lands, because the water is very dirty and contaminated and could pose serious health risks from waterborne diseases or infections.”

She indicated that technical officers from the Ministry of Labour Social Security and Sport were in the community on Tuesday conducting assessments and offering food packages.

Miss Tate said representatives from the health department will today (Wednesday) be visiting the communities, advising residents how to treat drinking water and to reinforce health message relating to flood water.

In the meantime, The National Works Agency visited Whithorn, Darliston and Bath Mountain, where land slippages occurred and cleared debris from the roads which were rendered impassable.

Daniella Anglin

By
admin
-
2
Daniella Anglin

Noelita Lawrence-Ricketts

Like an eagle gliding through the clouds with elegance, grace and ease, Daniella Anglin is one day hoping to soar onto the local and international stage, fulfilling her bid of becoming a professional athlete.

The lanky High Jumper, also known as ‘DUMPLIN’, after fighting a boy in Primary school over a dumpling, is the Western Mirror’s latest featured athlete as the entity continues its light-sided look at those who delight us in our sporting entertainments throughout each year.

Daniella was born on November 15, 2001, in the rural area of John’s Hall district in St. James.

Soft-spoken Daniella, who has four siblings, three sisters (including a twin) and a brother, and is the second in the pack, attends the Herbert Morrison Technical High School and is now a resident of Spring Mount district.

Daniella started her sporting activities as a Netballer, travelling often to the Montego Bay Boys’ and Girls’ Club to participate in the annual Burger King Under-12 Competition as a key component of the John’s Hall Primary School.

She then gained a place at Rusea’s High School in Hanover following her sitting of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), but was recruited by then Physical Education teacher at the institution, Rita Spence. 

The now Grade 12 student, who aspires to gain a scholarship to study overseas, began her education at the Salters Hill Basic School.

Anglin is preparing to sit CAPE subjects Biology, Advanced Food, Communication Studies and Physical Education.

She says she admires and would like to one day hold the accolades of Mutaz Barshim, the Qatari athlete, and national record holder who won bronze at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio.

Almost always displaying a quiet and shy demeanor, Daniella revealed to the Western Mirror that though picking up the sport late, she has decided on pursuing a career as a professional High Jumper, one who will capture the hearts of the nation and the world.

“I started out playing Netball and it was my favourite sport at the time until I got introduced to High Jump by Mr. Grant while at ‘Compre’”.

Anglin, a National Youth representative, says her selection to the CARIFTA team was even more inspirational as “it made me realize I can do anything I put my mind to. But, overall, it has helped me to become a better person”.

She looks back at her start at the Bogue-based school as “welcoming”, , revealing that her arrival is filled with fond memories. Daniella also revealed that under the watch of coach Spence, no longer at the institution, her netball capabilities significantly improved and her love and passion were even greater. “She made me feel confident in the sport. She taught me things I didn’t know”.

For her coach, Claude Grant, “The world is at her feet. She has won medals at every National Girls’ Championships since 2014 ,and there are a lot of universities eyeing her.Daniella is an incentivedriven student-athlete. She comes to training with the willingness to learn and make adjustments  to her technique. She wants to maximize her potential.”

Filled with pride and a sense of accomplishment, the highly thought of coach Grant reminded the Western Mirror that Daniella, under his watch, has won every single High Jump competition she has participated in, and is the record holder for the western Championships Class 1, with a mark of 1.75 metres.

Alleged ‘sister killer’ and company remanded

By
admin
-
0
Three of the females implicated in the murder of Tamara Geddes leave the Trelawny Parish Court on Wednesday under heavy police guard

The four persons arrested in connection with the brutal murder of Tamara Geddes had their first day in court when they appeared in the Trelawny Parish Court on Wednesday.

Appearing in court promptly at 10 a.m. were Nadeen Geddes, sister of Tamara, her two daughters Shanice Ruddock and one too young to be named. A fourth woman, Tashana Young of a St James address, who was also implicated in the murder, was at the hearing. They were all remanded.

Attorney Ernie Smith, who is representing Geddes and her daughter Shanice, explained that they made a no bail application on Wednesday and in his own words “nothing happened”, as the file is in incomplete. The matter has been set for a new date of September 4.

He, however, urged caution with how information was being disseminated by the press and across social media. He pointed out that the presiding judge has in fact ordered that since a juvenile is involved, details of the case ought not to be shared by the media with the general public, which Mr. Smith deemed as the correct approach in dealing with this matter.

Miss Young is represented by attorney Charles Sinclair, while the minor is being represented by Marissa Dalrymple Philibert.

The accused arrived in a police convoy, where they were greeted by a throng of persons, including a number of residents from the community of Reserve, where the incident occurred. By the time the accused were ready to leave court, some in the crowd could be heard chanting words like “murderer”, “wicked gal” among other terms as they sought to express their feelings on the matter that has brought much anguish to persons in and around Trelawny.

One resident indicated that the women were wicked as they turned out for a candle lighting ceremony, even though they had orchestrated the act. Another accused them of starting rumours that Tamara was the reason for her own demise.

Residents are calling for blood and are expecting the court to dish out the harshest punishment at the conclusion of the trial.

Geddes was killed at her home on Friday, June 19, when a gunman invaded her home where was she was watching television with her ten-year-old daughter. He robbed them of valuables but reportedly killed her after she refused his request for sex.

Following investigations, the sister and the others were taken into custody and a confession given by one of the accused in relation to the murder. A fifth person, a male, who is now in custody, is being interrogated in relation to the incident. The police indicate that charges could be laid in short order. 

1...232425...101Page 24 of 101

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

Newspaper is your news, entertainment, music fashion website. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the entertainment industry.

Contact us: contact@yoursite.com

FOLLOW US

© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv