Damian Junior Gong Marley’s reign at the summit of Bill Board’s Reggae Chart continues for a second week with the Album Stony Hill, maintaining its number one position on the chart.
As the youngest son of reggae icon Bob Marley, Damian has harnessed his innate musical talent and turned it into a lucrative career of his own. The 38-year-old Kingston, Jamaica native is back with his first solo album in 12 years, Stony Hill, which features 18 new tracks and his older brother Stephen Marley on three of them.
Tracks on the album include “Here We Go”, “Nail Pon Cross”, “ Looks Are Deceiving”, “The Struggle Discontinues”, Picture Perfect featuring Stephen Marley and “So A Child May Follow”.
Damian has consistently incorporated Hip Hop into his music over the years. In 2005, he teamed up with Nas on the Welcome To Jamrock track “Road To Zion” and in 2010, the pair released a collaborative album, Distant Relatives. Most recently, he popped up on JAY-Z’s critically acclaimed album 4:44 on the song “BAM”, and headed to Jamaica for the subsequent video.
Chronology by Chronixx fell one place to three, losing its place to the fast rising “Good Life” by Collie Buddz which leapt from six last week to two this week .
Revelation Part II: “The Fruit of Life” by Stephen Marley, which continues to maintain a place on the chart after 53 weeks, has moved two places up the chart from 15 to 13 as it makes a push for the top ten.
The ‘Gong’ rules with “Stony Hill”
Sandals Resorts International-Youth League winding down
Noelita Lawrence – Staff Reporter
The semi-finalists in this year’s St. James FA Sandals Resorts International Under-17/Under-20 Football Leagues have been decided following the decisive round of games in the preliminary round played at the start of the weekend.
MoBay City, Paradise, Granville and defending champions Green Pond, are the teams down to battle in the Under-17 Division with Heights, Bogue, Spot Valley, guest team Petersfield, and Lane with an outside chance, the teams challenging for a last four spot in the Under-20 section.
A double header at the UDC field beginning at 2 p.m. today (Monday) will decide the competition’s finalists.
In the Under -17 Division, MoBay City are down to face Paradise in the opening game before Green Pond opposing Granville.
SNEAKING THROUGH
Talent-packed but unpredictable Granville sneaked through to the last four and earned a showdown with the slick-passing defending champions Green Pond, after Herbert Morrison Technical High (HMTHS) suffered defeat to the former in the final preliminary round match at UDC on Thursday.
Second half goals from substitute winger Chevaughn Duncan and Simon Collins did the business as Green Pond blanked ‘Compre’ 2-0.
After a tough early first half for the champions, which saw them labouring against an unflattering ‘Compre’ side, the Gregory Daley-coached Green Pond final made the breakthough seconds before the hour mark, when Duncan forced the ball into the back of the net.
Nine minutes later, Green Pond made the points safe when a determined Collins got his name on the scoresheet with a well-taken strike from inside the penalty area, benefitting from a loose ball.
Green Pond, with an unblemished and remaining on course to retain their title, finished top of the six-team standings with 15 points, three clear of MoBay City (12).
Paradise ended in third position, amassing 9 points, while Granville squeezed through ahead of ‘Compre’ on goal difference after both finished on four points
Granville, the more attacking of the two, scored 13 goals to Compre’s meager five and slipped ahead into the last four by a mere one goal, and into the last four by a mere one goal.7
From suffering to success
Michael Nattoo – Staff Reporter
Krishna Narine suffered quietly through a life of homelessness, resisted the temptations of lotto scamming, abandoned the influences of taking up a gun, and kept his sights set on becoming a lawyer. He failed to achieve that dream, however, and when depression set in, Narine kept pushing for a silver-lining, and through hard work and perseverance, he found it.
“Life has a funny way of working out sometimes, you know?” Narine, the now 26-year-old Internationally Certified Butler said, as he recalled the twist and turns of his checkered life, which led him away from his dreams of becoming a lawyer, to now finding peace in serving people in a different way.
“I was doing everything I thought would put me on the path to becoming a lawyer,” the 5’9” Narine said in an interview with the Western Mirror, “I was participating in national debate competitions, I read material concerning law where possible, and I even ensured to continuously practice whatever I could to keep my eyes locked onto that dream.” The former Cambridge High School Deputy Head Boy, however, found that life would not be as clear cut as he had imagined.
Originally from Kingston, Narine grew up in the volatile Jungle area, but managed to keep his focus, despite hardships, and landed himself at the prestigious Calabar High School.
“I grew up with my mother, and amidst the crime and violence, we lived on ‘capture land’, so that was not stable,” Narine remembers of his time growing up in Kingston. He went on to tell the Western Mirror that while trying to find his footing at Calabar, hardships intensified as his mother found it difficult to get a job, and was battling with illnesses at the time. As a result, just two years into high school, and in a bid to move away from crime and to have a fresh start, Narine and his mother moved to St. James, in pursuit of a better life.
“I think we came here about a week before the new school term had started in September of 2005, so it was difficult to find a school to get into,” Narine told this newsroom. After making several attempts to get into schools such as Herbert Morrison Technical High, Cornwall College, and other notable institutions, the only school that took a chance on him, on such short notice, was Cambridge High. “Cambridge High School took that chance with me, but honestly, I was reluctant to go there. However, considering that it was close to where my mom and I had been living – Montpellier – I had no objections.” Narine would go on to have an illustrious school career at Cambridge High, where he became a Junior Councillor in St. James, Cambridge High School’s Deputy Head Boy, and an influential student leader, among other things.
Those achievements, however, were spots of sunshine in a rather dark period of Narine’s life
TEMPTATIONS
“While going to school, because of circumstances, for a while, I had to go live with some of my friends. Things got really tough, and it became hard to focus. Some weeks, I would go days without eating, but would still show up to school, until after a time, I stopped going.” After briefly stopping school, Narine revealed that a slew of temptations set in, most notable of which was his introduction to the world of lotto scamming.
“I was directionless, and some friends proposed the idea to me. Just as I found myself getting enticed, a few of my teachers reached out to me and offered to help,” Narine said, revealing that this was when his life took a turn for the better. “I started going back to school, and with the support, I started doing well academically, enough to land myself 8 CSEC subjects.” That trend continued and soon after, Narine ended up back in Kingston, after graduating high school, and attending Wolmer’s Boys, where he pursued Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exams (CAPE) subjects. After reaping success there, Narine decided to apply to the University of the West Indies, Mona. This was to be the beginning of his pursuit of a law degree.
“That didn’t work,” Narine shared, explaining that his efforts to secure a loan, as well as to get the assistance of others, didn’t bear fruit. Broken, he returned to the place he had, by then, considered his home – Montego Bay.
“I tried but when nothing else worked, I started job hunting.” This pursuit landed Narine a job in the call centre industry, a feat he was never comfortable with. After 6 months, Narine abandoned those duties.
“I needed something better.” In comes Butling – the art of becoming a Butler.
When Narine received a tip that there was a job opening at Iberostar for a Pool Concierge, he immediately leapt at the opportunity. Narine was never successful in landing that job, however, not because he wasn’t qualified, but because those who interviewed him saw his skills better suited for a different field of work – Butling. Offered the job, Narine reluctantly accepted.
Now one year and six months later, Narine hasn’t looked back.
WELL-PAYING
“I loved it! I was honestly surprised by how well-paying it was, and how much I enjoyed it. The daily cultural exchange I had throughout my interaction with guests was unlike anything I had experienced before,” Narine revealed. With this new love, Narine set out to research how to get better at his craft, which led him to the premiere butling institution in the world – the International Butler Academy, located in Netherlands.
“The cost though – yeah, that was something,” Narine jokingly mentioned. Having never traveled outside of Jamaica before, Narine stared a daunting figure, if he were to enroll in the Academy, over 3 million Jamaican dollars in the face. Determined to see this through, Narine worked tirelessly for a couple of months, so much so that he was awarded Butler/Employee of the Year. Finally, and through the support of some charitable donations, Narine made his trip to Netherlands, where he would study the many facets of Butling, earning him a diploma and the coveted title of being the only Jamaican to be certified by the world-renowned academy.
“Classes over there were 16 hours per day, and we had to do a number of things – from learning about various wines, various etiquettes, managing private households, and the list goes on.” Narine expressed that it was difficult, however, and adjusting to the 7-hour time difference didn’t help. But the 26-year-old feels it was all worth it for a career that now puts him in a more favourable financial position.
Now back in Jamaica, Narine has his sights on sharing all that he has learnt, and hopes to work on the international scene someday. In the meantime, learning a second language now has the internationally certified butler occupied.
‘Human rights will be protected in Zones of Special Operations’ – Major Anderson
National Security Advisor, Major General Antony Anderson, says the protection of human rights will be guaranteed in the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO).
Speaking in an ‘Issues and Answers’ interview recently, Mr. Anderson informed that human rights training for the security forces is a requirement under the Law Reform (Zones of Special Operations) (Special Security and Community Development Measures) Act.
“The law requires selection of the commanders on the ground (and) there is a requirement in the law for them to receive human rights training. The joint forces have received training, and that is ongoing to prepare people to operate within the zones,” he said.
Mr. Anderson assured that the philosophy undergirding the Act “is not to target communities but to target criminals holding communities to ransom”.
“The idea is to go in and leave the criminals with the least opportunity to carry out what they want to do, and provide as much protection to the population there,” he said.
The law gives the Prime Minister power to declare an area a Zone of Special Operations in order to tackle increased crime and volatility in a community. This is in consultation with the National Security Council.
The zone can only be established after the Police Commissioner and the Chief of Defence staff make a request for such a declaration in writing to the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has assured that the special crime zones will not be used to infringe the rights of citizens.
He also said that the law would not give powers equivalent to a state of emergency.
Justice Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said custodes and justices of the peace (JPs) have a critical role to play in ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights, once an area has been designated a special crime zone.
He said once a person has been detained, the police will have to convince the JPs that the person is suspected to have committed a crime.
“If the JPs disagree, then the person must be released. If the JPs agree, within 24 hours that person must be taken before a parish judge,” he said.
Mr. Chuck said that the JPs should also be present, especially when the security forces are conducting searches.
Shelf-packer brutally murdered on the job
Michael Nattoo
Staff Reporter
On Wednesday, August 16, moments before he was killed, 22-year-old shelf-packing assistant, Ocielle Hall, stood face to face with his killer, unaware that just a second later, he would be tragically ambushed in his place of work.
When the first bullet rang out in the busy shopping mall along Great George Street, Sav-la-Mar, women, children, and other consumers scampered away from danger, as Hall plummeted helplessly to the floor with a lone gunman standing over him. There, he was ravaged by a barrage of bullets, taking three to the head, killing him on the spot. The gunman then casually left the area.
All this was observed from the leaked surveillance footage of Hall’s demise making the rounds on social media.
The incident, which took place at 10:57 a.m., evidenced by the time-stamped footage, drew scores of shocked residents along the busy Great George Street, with many expressing their disbelief that such an event unfolded at peak hours, a sentiment shared by Lanford Salmon, Superintendent of Police in charge of the Westmoreland Division
“I have very serious concerns about people being shot in broad daylight, in Savana-la-Mar and its environs,” the newly-installed Superintend told this newsroom. “Such acts are clear and total disrespect for the rule of law, and we will have to come up with tactical solutions to put a stop to these kinds of incidents in Westmoreland.”
In the revealing interview with Superintendent Salmon, this newsroom was informed that Hall, the victim of the brazen attack, was before the court on murder charges, and preliminary detective work is indicating that his death may have been a reprisal.
“Hall was before the court on murder charges, and there’s reason to believe that this may be a reprisal killing,” Salmon offered, when quizzed as to what could have triggered this attack.
DISTURBING TREND
Though the reactions from residents indicate genuine shock and disbelief on their part, additional information gleaned from Superintendent Salmon revealed a disturbing trend of collaboration between local and migrant criminals in the recent murders that have taken place around those regions.
“A major challenge for the police trying to combat these crimes, based on what we have picked up, is that most of these murders (in the city) are being carried out by migrant criminals, who are contracted by local criminals,” Salmon explained, adding that murderers moving from one parish to the next make it particularly difficult for the police to track them.
When quizzed as to how he intends to curtail the spiraling lawlessness, Salmon revealed a segment of his plan. “Right now, we’ll just have to continue to target those criminals that are known to us, and continue to keep the pressure on them, just until we can gather sufficient evidence to bring them before the courts,” the Superintendent explained.
In an effort to calm the rattled nerves of residents in the area, Salmon had this to say: “…I am imploring our residents to be calm, as we the police believe that we can deal with this situation. Just continue to remain calm, and let the police do their jobs,” the top cop concluded.
Hall, who originated from Church Lincoln, Grange Hill, was residing in New Market Oval when he was killed, and despite suspicions of reprisal, the police are yet to officially declare a motive for his killing.
WE SAY: WHITHER THE PEOPLE’S ARCADE?
It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Some ten years ago, the late Arthur Gilchrist, then Mayor of Montego Bay and Chairman of the St. James Parish Council (now Municipal Corporation), responded to the urgent need of finding commercial space for the marginalized and dispossessed citizens who sought to conduct vending in the streets of the western city in an illegal manner.
Some 400 vendors were relocated from the Shoe Market and Harbour Street Arcade by order of the parish council on lands belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation. Thus was born the People’s Arcade. This move was also done to facilitate the South Gully (Creek) drainage improvement project. Prior to this development, there was constant tug-o-war between the vendors and the authorities, as many of them oftentimes take to the streets to peddle their wares.
Today, the perennial problem of illegal street vending continues to rear its ugly head, and there is yet to emerge any meaningful and sustainable solution to this vexing problem. Mayor Gilchrist’s bold initiative has been, to date, the most positive approach, however, it has suffered from poor forward planning and the willingness of our city fathers to genuinely seek to empower these persons at the lower rung of the socio-economic ladder.
As a result of this ambivalence and partisan wrangling, the facility has been plagued with many problems including criminality, lack of an effective marketing plan, as well as security of tenure. According to a major stakeholder, “The Jamaica Railway Corporation has held up this vital project for 18 years, thereby suffocating the main economic engine of Montego Bay, which happens to be Small Business Enterprise.”
Last Friday, JRC Chairman, Feris Zaidie, gave the shop operators an ultimatum to register now or go, while assuring them that the plan was to improve the facility in a bid to streamline its operations. However, there is a fear that ultimately, there is a plot to wrest the shops from them and sell the property to a certain investor who has other plans for the area. It is against this background that there is a call for the shop owners/operators to be sufficiently recompensed for the monies expended to construct and equip concrete structures.
Any move to expel the shop owners without any compensation would be a wicked and unconscionable act that should not be condoned by the powers that be. It cannot be that the poor and dispossessed in the society are to be ignored in their quest for economic independence,s while a small percentage of the privileged and moneyed class capture and retain the commanding heights of the society for themselves, their heirs and successors.
Aqua Sol directors silenced, to pay $3.5M
Clinton Pickering
Freelance Writer
Reopening of Aqua Sol Beach mere days after it was closed down by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), has come as a pyrrhic victory for the operators, Reggae Adventures Limited.
The reopening is for only 60 days, up to October 10, and the operators must pay the UDC $3.5 million in three tranches by September 15, this year.
Should Reggae Adventures, represented by Carlyle Allen and Raymond Kerr, fail to meet the deadline for any of the three payments, entitlement to remain in possession of the beach till October will be forfeited immediately. It will then revert to the UDC unconditionally.
Last week, the UDC, which owns the former Walter Fletcher Beach (renamed Aqua Sol Theme Park after it was leased) closed its gates, four months after the lease had expired in April. This action was quickly met with a legal challenge from Reggae Adventures’ lawyer.
The matter was heard in Chambers August 9, 10 and 11 by Mr. Justice Laing. Conrad George and Andre Shekkleford, instructed by Hart Muirhead Fatta, appeared for Reggae Adventures with Queen’s Counsel W. John Vassell and Johnathan Morgan, instructed by DunnCox, appearing for the UDC.
A Consent Order outlining terms agreed to by both parties was issued in the Supreme Court on Friday, stipulating that the UDC restores the property to Reggae Adventures effective that date on condition of being paid $700,000 immediately. Two other payments were scheduled, one of a million dollars not later than August 31 and the other of $1,811,830.14 to be paid on or before September 15.
Having consented to the terms arrived at, the Aqual Sol operators agreed to withdraw all claims made against the UDC and to discontinue proceedings that had been initiated in court.
The judgment also prohibits Mr Allen, directors, agents and employees “from issuing any statement or providing any information to the press, media or other public forum that are in any way related to the subject-matter” or issues raised on the claim for an injunction or the terms of the Consent Order. However, the UDC was authorised to make a public statement, agreed to by Reggae Adventures’ lawyers, advising that Aqua Sol had been reopened for business but making no reference to the temporary nature of its reopening.
That statement issued by the UDC on Monday, noted that in 2007, the Corporation entered into a 10- year lease with Reggae Adventures Limited to operate the Walter Fletcher Beach under the Aqua Sol name.
NO RENEWAL
“The UDC opted not to renew the lease on its expiration on May 31, 2017, which was communicated to the lessee and a period of 60 days afforded the group to wind up operations. The 60 days expired on July 31, 2017. The UDC did not repossess the property until August 8, 2017 in order to facilitate the operations spanning the two public holidays (Emancipation Day – August 1 and Independence Day – August 6), when we are aware that a significant number of patrons visit the beach.”
In relation to an injunction sought on August 8, 2017 to continue operating the property, a Consent Order was agreed by the parties “in the interest of trying to resolve the issues without litigation” and settlement reached on August 11 allowing the claimant to remain for a further 60 days on the conditions stated.
Reacting to comments by attorney Jennifer Messado, in defence of Reggae Adventures that “this is a trend” and accusing the UDC of “acting improperly as was done with Cosmos in Negril”, the Corporation further outlined that “one year into the renewal of a 49-year lease, Cosmos advised the UDC that he was retiring and in keeping with the terms of the agreement, sought permission to assign his lease to someone of his choice to operate his interest.”
Walter Fletcher Beach is one of three beaches created by the UDC in the 1970s for public use and will be incorporated in redevelopment of the Montego bay shoreline into a major public park that also includes Closed Harbour (Dump Up) and Gun Point.
The Corporation says, “It is the intention of the UDC that the Walter Fletcher Beach will continue to operate as a public beach, but one that is in keeping with the acceptable standards of public comfort and safety.” Also, “The UDC has indicated in all the presentations that the developments are for the benefit of the people, and further that the development concept is informed by the interaction with Montegonians, who indicated what they would wish to see in any such development.”
Fatal Collision
Shamir Brown
Trelawny Correspondent
Family and friends of Michael Campbell are now mourning his untimely demise after he lost his life in a motor vehicle collision in the early hours of Sunday morning in Montego Bay.
Campbell, 31, of a Greenwood address, was killed when the Honda CR-V he was driving slammed into the back of a parked Freightliner truck that was set along Sunset Boulevard in the vicinity of the airport. He suffered multiple fractures and contusions and was trapped in the vehicle.
The Fire Department was called in and his body had to be extricated from the vehicle using hydraulic equipment. However, their efforts proved futile as the injuries he received proved fatal, even though he was rushed to hospital for treatment.
According to reports, Campbell, a former Cornwallian, was on his way home when the accident occurred. While the police have not released a cause for the accident, there are different theories going around as to what could have led to the accident. One is that the truck was poorly illuminated in its parked state, while another suggests he may have fallen asleep at the wheel. However, the police have yet to corroborate these theories.
The death of Campbell has thrown his family and friends into a tailspin as he was a man who was very much loved. He reportedly leaves behind a young child and one on the way.
Campbell, who was a chicken farmer, also did mechanic work at his father’s garage in Savanna-la-Mar from time to time.
Aquasol’s closure sparks legal battle
Barrington Flemming
Staff Reporter
One of Montego Bay’s most popular beaches and night spots, the Aquasol Beach Park, was closed on Wednesday, sparking a legal battle between the Urban Development Corporation and the lessees of the facility, Carlyle Allen and Raymond Kerr.
The UDC, in a statement, indicated that the temporary closure will facilitate the rehabilitation of the beach park, improvement of service delivery and bringing its recreational facilities on par with global standards of service.
The Corporation also said it was undertaking repair work to groynes along the Montego Bay waterfront to assist in the protection of the ecosystems and to prevent flooding along the central business district.
A lawsuit was filed in the St. James Parish Court on Thursday by the lessees’ Attorney, Jennifer Messado, who argued that while the lease agreement between the UDC and messrs, Allen and Kerr for the operation of the Aquasol Beach Park ended in April this year, they were not formally served notice or given a timeline by the UDC to vacate and quit the premises. Allen has been operating the facility for the past ten years.
“We are hoping that they will make a settlement that will allow us a chance to make a bid for the extension of the lease and at least an orderly exit if we don’t get such a chance,” Messado explained.
Messado said the situation is untenable as her clients cannot gain access to their resources at the facility and sub-tenants are also being made to suffer.
“We employee 57 persons and they are now out of jobs. They have families, how will they deal with that? So, we are waiting on the court to decide what’s next.”
CLOSE WATCH
Meanwhile, former Mayor of Montego Bay, Senator Charles Sinclair has raised concerns with the temporary closure of the popular Aquasol Beach Park, expressing fear that the facility could be wrested from the public domain and placed into private hands, based on historical precedent.
“What I am going to be watching for is that when this refurbishing, renovation takes place that we do not hear that Aquasol is going to move from being a public facility, one that the public has access to, into private development where the public is going to be locked out,” Sinclair explained. “That is something that I will not sit and watch because I think that St. James has lost all its beaches, places that locals or visitors could go to enjoy good beach facilities or so forth have been losing them.”
“We have lost Damali Beach, lost Cornwall Beach, we have very few public facilities to look forward to and I cannot sit and watch that happen to another of those facilities,” the former mayor declared.
“Our locals may have to jump off cliffs to access the sea. We are an island state so we love going to the beach and have proper facilities. It is a concern I have so I will be watching this one carefully as it moves forward,” he concluded.
Girl Survives Savage Attack
- Raped, buggered, stabbed and left for dead
Michael Nattoo
Staff Reporter
Imagine stumbling upon the unconscious, bloodied and beaten body of a young woman, who was evidently raped, buggered, and left for dead. Imagine learning that the victim is suffering from a cracked skull, a slashed throat, blunt force injury to the left ear, a stab wound to the right eye, and a back scarred from attempts to burn her alive. Now imagine learning that this is your daughter. This is not the scene from a dark movie, but the trauma experienced by Claudine Spence, when she found her 17-year-old daughter a day after she had gone missing, after leaving home to get credit for her phone.
Claudine Spence, mother of the 17-year-old, in an exclusive interview with the Western Mirror, revealed the details of the incident that has left her daughter fighting for her life, and her family in shambles. “On the 28th of July, a Friday evening, Jamie* (not her real name) went to a nearby shop, which was less than 10 minutes away, to get a phone card,” Spence began, indicating that this was about 6 pm that day. “About 6:35, when she did not return home, I attempted to call her phone, but did not get through to her.” Spence explained that as her suspicions grew, she decided to visit the Montego Police Station to make a report, after Jamie’s two brothers’, one 21 and the other 8 years old, search for her turned up nothing.
“I sat up all night on Friday, trying to figure out where she could have been. I know my daughter, she would have been home already, so I feared something was wrong,” Spence told the Western Mirror. After organizing a search party that night, which also turned up unsuccessful in finding Jamie, Spence sunk further into despair, fearing the worst to have happened to her daughter, who had only a month before graduated high school, where she was a prefect and model student. The following morning, Saturday July 29, an early search party revealed a most gruesome discovery.
THE DISCOVERY
Jamie’s bloodied and unconscious body, seemingly moments away from death, was found in bushes in her community of Bogue Hill in St. James. “She was practically dead,” Spence relayed to the Western Mirror. It gets worse, as details revealed by doctors indicate a far more gruesome picture than many had suspected when they found the teen in the early hours of the morning. “She had a cracked skull, resulting in fragments of her brain being hit – as a result of them using a stone to hit her in her head,” Spence told this newsroom. “They stabbed her in the right eyeball, so I’m not sure if she’ll be able to see once she is conscious, her throat was slashed, she was buggered; her left hand is not moving – something doctors suspect may be nerve damage, and they battered her left ear with a stone.” It was also discovered that the teen’s back was badly burnt, not from acid, as has been incorrectly reported, but from an unidentified chemical the perpetrators doused the teen with, before setting her on fire.
“I’m just trying to be strong for her, but I’m hurting… I’m angry, and I’m sad, but I’m trying to be strong for her,” Spence offered, when asked how she has been coping in the aftermath of that incident.
SUPPORT
For Spence, who has spent all of her 41 years alive in that community, expressed that she has witnessed incidents of crime before, but none of this magnitude, referring to what has happened to her daughter. “Since that happened to Jamie, it has brought the whole community closer together, and I am getting a lot of support.” Despite the strong sense of community, and individuals expressing their warmth and empathy to Spence’s family, a silent anger brews among residents. “Community members here want the perpetrators to be caught, but by them, not by the police,” Spence revealed.
For Jamie’s brothers, who both adore their sister, the tragedy is weighing on them in different ways. For the elder brother, who is 21, silence, and a loss of appetite since the traumatic experience has been his expression of the hurt. “He is very protective of his sister, so much so that he wouldn’t allow her to go to certain places in MoBay,” Spence said, “so to see this happen, I don’t know what he is thinking, but I know he is hurting.” For the younger brother, the eight-year-old, Spence told the Western Mirror that despite him asking constantly for her, she does not intend to give him the full details of what happened until he is older.
Jamie has since been visited by members of her school community, who remembers her as a punctual student, as well as her commitment to reaching school early in the mornings, just so she could help to prepare breakfast for the students who were on the breakfast programme.
“I will not let this rest. We will pursue this for as long as we need to. We need justice,” Spence concluded.
The police are treating the incident as abduction, rape, buggery, and attempted murder.