Kaluwa Maitre-Avril standing next to her vehicle that has been stolen.

A white Kia Picanto bearing registration number PE7941 was stolen from Monchy, Gros-Islet sometime between Monday evening and this morning.

The vehicle was discovered stolen at about 6:00 this morning by the owner, Kaluwa Maitre-Avril.

The woman said her vehicle was parked in the drive way of her new apartment.

While she does not have a photo of the entire vehicle, Maitre-Avril told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that the car’s interior has orange and grey upholstery.

She said the vehicle’s right side mirror has a crack at the back, while the number plate is partially broken on the right side.

The woman said she is finds it strange that the bandits were able to steal her vehicle, especially since she would have to manually unlock the car. The vehicle is also equipped with an alarm system.

The matter was reported to police, who will be conducting their own investigation.

There have been a number of recent reports about vehicles being stolen in different parts of the island.

Anyone with information of the whereabouts of the vehicle can contact the owner on 719-6645 or 519-8108. Persons can also email her at: kaluwa.maitre@gmail.com.

A young man was hospitalised after he was shot by police on the Chaussee in Castries last night.

The incident occurred by the bus stop, across from Grass Street, around 9 p.m.

The man has been identified as Darel Prevost of Bocage, Castries. He was reportedly shot in the leg by a member of the Special Services Unit (SSU).

The circumstances surrounding the shooting is not yet clear.

Persons living close by reported hearing multiple gunshots. Prevost was later seen lying on the roadside with police officers standing guard.

He was rushed to hospital by ambulance.

Several residents told St. Lucia News Online that they were concerned that the shots were fired too close to the busy bus stop area.

PRESS RELEASE - On Tuesday 6th January, about 9:25p.m the Criminal Investigations Department received information of a shooting incident which occurred on Coral Street, Castries.

Police Officers were on patrol in the city when they were informed of a male individual in possession of a firearm.

During the process of attempting to apprehend the suspect, 23 year old Darel Prevost of Bocage, Castries sustained a gunshot wound to his left thigh

He is presently admitted at the Victoria Hospital in stable condition.

Investigations into this matter are continuing.

Twenty-three-year-old Darel Prevost of Bocage, Castries, who was shot by a police officer last night, claims the incident may have been a case of “mistaken identity”.

Prevost told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that he was wrongfully shot.

“If they give any excuse is that they do something accidentally and they twisting it now,” he stated.

The construction worker said he was about to get something to eat last night, when he saw one of his schoolmates and his girlfriend, and spoke with them briefly.

He said a few seconds after the conversation ended, he heard someone saying, “Hey you, stop there.” At first, Prevost said he thought someone was attempting to rob him, so he didn’t bother to turn around.

“But by the time I turned my back to the road I heard bow, like a firework. I kept walking and then I suddenly fell in the gutter,” he recalled.

Prevost said the police approached him and told him not to move. He then questioned the police as to the reason for him being shot.  According to him, the police questioned him about his schoolmate, who he was talking to minutes before the shooting.

“I told him I don’t know the man, I can’t tell you anything about the man. He put the gun to my face and then everybody started to crowd around us,” he explained. Prevost said he have’nt seen his friend for years and never had contact with him.

Prevost is convinced that the police shot him wrongfully, especially since he was shot from behind and claims the lawman did not know who he was shooting at.

A police statement issued today said that a patrol responded to a report that a male was in possession of a firearm in the same area of the shooting. The police identified Prevost as a suspect. However, the victim has denied any such claim and said the police did not conduct a search on him nor found any weapon in his possession.

He sustained one gunshot to the right side of his buttock. The bullet penetrated  his thigh, broke a bone, and a blood vessel.  He is bleeding both internally and externally. He is expected to undergo surgery shortly.

Prevost’s mother Karen claims that none of the officers explained to them the reason her son was shot. One officer visited the hospital, but did not take a police statement.

The distraught mother said she could have lost her son and is calling for a proper investigation into the shooting.

Kaluwa Maitre-Avril standing next to her vehicle.

A motor vehicle, which was reported stolen in Monchy on Monday (Jan. 5), has been recovered.

The owner of the white Kia Picanto, Kaluwa Maitre-Avri,  said the vehicle was found somewhere in Morne Du Don, at about 4:00.p.m yesterday.

Maitre-Avri, told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that while the car was found in a good condition, the transmission, battery and radiator were missing.

She said that the bandits were able to bypass the alarm system to start the vehicle.

Nevertheless, Maitre-Avri said she is happy that she was able to locate her vehicle.

The vehicle was parked in the owner’s drive way, when it went missing.

Saint Lucia’s top cop, Vernon Francois, has refused to comment on the recent shooting in Castries, though the victim has claimed that he was wrongfully shot by the police.

When St. Lucia News Online (SNO) called to get a comment from Francois today, the commissioner asked his secretary to inquire which media house was seeking the comment.

Once we provided the name of the media house, this publication was then told by the top cop’s secretary that he has no comment to make on the shooting incident.

SNO also contacted the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security, to speak with Minister Victor Philip La Corbiniere, but was told that he is not in office.

The shooting victim told SNO in an exclusive interview yesterday that the incident may have been a case of “mistaken identity”.

A police statement issued yesterday said a patrol responded to a report that a male was in possession of a firearm in the same area. The police identified Darel Prevost as a suspect.

However, the victim has denied any such claim and said the police did not conduct a search on him nor found any weapon in his possession.

Prevost believes he was wrongfully shot. He stressed that the police did not stop him to conduct any searches; instead they shot him from behind.

He said it could have been anybody, because at the time he got shot, he was walking in a crowded area.

After Prevost was shot, the police questioned him about his friend whom he was talking to minutes before the incident. Prevost said he told the police that he does not know about his friends’ whereabouts.

The 23-year-old man said despite the fact that he and the said friend were schoolmates, he was never in close contact with him and haven’t seen him in a while, until the night of the shooting.

Prevost sustained one gunshot to the right side of his buttock. The bullet penetrated his thigh, broke a bone, and a blood vessel. He is expected to undergo surgery shortly.

When SNO contacted Prevost’s mother today, we were told that since the shooting, no police have spoken to Prevost or any of his family members. They are yet to take a statement from the victim and provide relatives with a reason for the shooting.

PRESS RELEASE - The Bordelais Correctional Facility is vigorously pursuing its rehabilitation programme in the New Year. On Monday, January 12, 2014, the Facility in association with C.A.R.E and R.I.S.E. will launch a youth training programme that will target the rehabilitation of a section of its largely youthful inmate population.

This programme is patterned after the Caribbean Youth Empowerment Programme (CYEP) which was sponsored by the International Youth Foundation (IYF) through funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Former inmates who previously participated in that programme benefitted greatly and as a result have been able to lead successful lives outside of prison because of their positive contributions in their respective communities. Inmates from the Bordelais Correctional Facility have participated in the CYEP/ IYF/USAID programme from 2011 to 2013.

According to Officer in Charge Wayne Charlery, “the purpose of the programme is to teach the inmates essential life skills and coping mechanisms, as well as to provide vocational training, so that they are able to live productive and fulfilling lives after incarceration”.

The coordinating team for this programme comprises Dr. Karleen Mason and Mrs. Emma Hippolyte of the Centre for Adolescent Renewal and Education – C.A.R.E., Dr. Stephen King and Dr. Jacqueline Bird of the non–governmental organization R.I.S.E., and Mr. Wayne Charlery, Officer in Charge of the B.C.F.

The stakeholders met in August 2014, to plan and organize the programme. Officials are happy to announce that all is in place to commence the programme with a cohort of thirteen (13) inmates ranging from eighteen (18) to thirty-two (32) years of age. The programme will run for duration of six (6) months.

The programme will be officially launched at the La-Caye,/Mabouya Valley, C.A.R.E. Facility in Dennery at 4:00 p.m.

This venue will also serve as the learning center for the participants of the programme, Honorable Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning & Social Security, Senator, Honorable Victor P. La Corboniere, Minister for Legal Affairs, Home Affairs & National Security, Honorable Shawn Edward, Minister for Youth Development and Sports as well as officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security along with other government officials are expected to be in attendance.

A pick-up loaded with the suspected stolen items from the warehouse.

Police investigators now firmly believe that the Massade warehouse fire on January 2, 2015 is the work of arsonists after thousands of dollars worth goods from the said warehouse were recovered from a house in Union on Tuesday night, highly-placed sources have told St. Lucia News Online (SNO).

The warehouse, owned by Carasco and Son Ltd., was destroyed by fire at the Massade Industrial Estate in Gros-Islet. The warehouse was stocked with hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, among other items.

However, on Tuesday, January 6 at around 8 p.m. – four days after the warehouse fire – a squad of police officers from the north of the island, acting on information, went to a house in Union. Sources say the house was not occupied when the police arrived.

“The owner was reported to be overseas. Apparently, someone saw the cops at the house and alerted the owner who sent a neighbour to check out what was going on. The neighbour assisted the police in entering the house where they found the items belonging to the warehouse. The items were obviously stolen,” a reliable source said.

A Justice of the Peace (JP) was brought to the residence to witness the police operation.

Three police pick-up vehicles transported the items – electrical and plumbing supplies, to the Gros Islet Police Station, which is spearheading the investigations. The neighbour was detained for questioning then released pending further investigations.

Investigators theorise that the perpetrators broke into the warehouse, stole the items then set the warehouse on fire to conceal the crime.

SNO called the office of Carasco & Son Ltd. for a comment at least four times, but we were told the manager is unavailable.

In a previous interview, Deputy Fire Chief, Lambert Charles, told SNO that the Gros Islet Fire Station received the emergency call at about 11:20 on the evening of the fire.

He said two fire trucks responded, but when the firefighters arrived on the scene, the structure was already engulfed in flames and the roof of the building had already caved in. However, they were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other buildings.

Charles said the fire started from inside the building, which was made of clay brick and measured 40 feet by 60 feet. The warehouse was stocked with a number of hardware supplies including: PVC pipes, copper wire, mattresses and water tanks, among others.

The deputy fire chief had said foul play was not ruled out.

A car was stolen from a residence in La Ressource, Vieux-Fort last night.

The owner said his car, a white Toyota Corolla (PJ4069), was stolen between 7: 30 p.m. last night and 11:50 this morning.

“My cousin usually have it so I thought he was the one that took it. He called me and ask for it and I told him he has it, but I was wrong,” he said.

Persons with information can contact the owner at 718-0689 or 728-7466, or the nearest police station.

The Nissan Tiida that went missing.

A hunt is underway for another missing vehicle.

A dark blue 2006 Nissan Tiida (registration number PJ8547) was reportedly stolen from Sunny Acres between last night and this morning.

Anyone with information can contact Michael aka Vincy at 714-2150 or Anthea at 714-7592 or the nearest police station.

Meanwhile, a white Toyota Corolla that was stolen on the night of January 9 from a residence in La Ressource, Vieux-Fort, was recovered last night (Jan. 11). No further details are available on its discovery.

A man was chopped multiple times last night (Jan. 12), minutes after accompanying his friend to the Micoud Police Station to make a report, reliable sources have told St. Lucia News Online (SNO).

The man, known so far as ‘Indian’ , was transported to hospital by ambulance. No one has been arrested, but police are pursuing two male suspects.

Reports are that at about 8:30 p.m., ‘Indian’ was attacked and sustained wounds to his arms, legs and torso in the Micoud village market area. About 15 minutes prior to the chopping, ‘Indian’ was reportedly at the police station with his friend to report the theft of a bicycle.

The bicycle belong to his friend.

“The police left in search of the bicycle. While they were out looking for the bicycle, it is believed that one of the boys who may have been involved in stealing the bicycle chopped Indian….” the source said, adding that the injuries were serious enough to keep the victim on the ground until the ambulance arrived.

A police officer is being investigated for stealing after a prisoner made a report of missing jewelry, highly-places sources have told St. Lucia News Online (SNO).

The officer is reported to be a male executive member of the Police Welfare Association (PWA).

Sources said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) commenced the investigation this week.

It is alleged that a prisoner, upon being released from a police station in a northern part of the island, went to collect his items when he discovered his jewelry missing.

The police officer under investigation was involved in the arrest of the complainant. The officer, however, was not attached/assigned to the station where the complainant was detained.

This news comes about three months after a Castries Central fireman was charged with theft after a woman reported that her wedding ring was stolen.

Reports are that the woman was picked up by an ambulance and transported to a hospital after she had collapsed in Castries. The woman reported losing her wedding ring after she was picked up by the ambulance. She accused the fireman, who was responsible for taking her to the hospital, for stealing the item.

A report was made with the Fire Service and the Criminal Investigations Department of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), and the fireman was subsequently arrested and charged.

A video-still shot of the man entering the office. SEE VIDEO BELOW

A suspected thief was caught on camera this morning, daringly entering and leaving the National Initiative to Create Employment (NICE) Project Office in the Blue Coral Shopping Mall in Castries.

A representative of the NICE office, located on the third floor of the Mall, told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that the incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. in the “back office”, which is not open to the general public. The front office was occupied at the time.

The representative, who prefers not to use her name, said the culprit stole a Samsung Galaxy Note 3,  a DL700 cell phone, and a wallet containing cards and personal documents.

“The Mall opens at 8 a.m. and it is a high traffic area. This individual entered a back office. The occupant had stepped away for a brief moment. He probably was monitoring the situation,” the source said. “Normally you would have to go through the main office to be allowed access to this office.”

St. Lucia News Online (SNO) obtained three security surveillance video clips of the suspect: one with him rushing up the steps of the Mall with the footage labelled “First Floor – South”; a five-second clip showing  him walking on the first floor near the elevator, and a one-minute clip showing him appearing to talk on a cell phone as he enters the office, then exiting about 28 seconds later.

Combined video-still images of the suspected thief. SEE VIDEO BELOW STORY.

His face was not visible in any of the clips; he wore a cap and had a small bag. It is believed that the culprit knows the office building very well.

“That’s what we are suspecting because he deliberately avoided having his face shown,” the company representative said. 

Vernon Fracois. Photo credit: nationnews.com.

PRESS RELEASE - The Royal St.Lucia Police Force will seek to continue to build on its record of outstanding community engagement in 2015.

Commissioner of Police Mr. Philip Vernon Francois in his end of year message ushered members of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force into the New Year, with words of encouragement and recognition for the hard work which had been undertaken throughout the course of 2014.

The commissioner also made an appeal for errant officers to fall in line or face disciplinary actions.

According to the commissioner’s statement, “We were able to exceed our target of quarterly community town hall meetings with the commissioner and senior level officials of the force.”

“Community town hall meetings were convened in Micoud, Soufriere, Laborie, Grace and La Resource, Dennery. The community town hall meetings provide the executive of the Force and locally based officers with the opportunity   to interact with various communities around the island.”

In terms of crime reduction the police commissioner says there was a reduction in major categories of crimes such as Murders, Burglary, Sexual Offences, Stealing of motor vehicles and Firearm offences. The commissioner says   that a downward trend in murders which began in 2010 has continued.

Commissioner Francois also commended the public   for working together with the police in the upholding of the law. Mr. Francois emphasized that citizens cannot allow criminals to hinder and impede the safety of the public nor visitors to the island.

From left to right: Helen Gobat, family Attorney Peter Foster and Theo Gobat.

The parents of slain Saint Lucian hotelier, Oliver Gobat, have alleged that “corrupt police officers” in Saint Lucia may have had a hand in their son’s murder.

Theo and Helen Gobat told the Mail Online in London that there is a “probability” that corrupt police officer here could also be part of a cover up to prevent Oliver’s killers from being caught.

The Gobats said vital forensic evidence was destroyed, just hours after Oliver’s death. They said instead of being taken away for detailed forensic examination, the Range Rover vehicle that Oliver’s body was found in, was taken to a police yard where it was left in the open.

Helen told the Mail Online, “Of course we do not have the proof, it is just our opinion, but we feel that very strongly that this is the case. When we talked with the Commissioner of Police he said it was ineptitude on the police that meant forensic evidence was lost.”

Oliver’s father Theo told the newspaper, “We feel it was corruption. It is well known that corruption is rife within the police force. The prime minister has admitted to us that corruption is a problem. We do not know who we can trust.”

Oliver Gobat.

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony had publicly admitted there were problems within the force in an interview in November 2014. The United States Government has also expressed its own concern about corruption and in 2013 suspended all aid to the local police.

The Gobats speculate that Oliver could have been stopped by police as part of a carefully planned ambush by his killers. They said something made Ollie stop his car on the night he died.

Helen said, “The doors on his car lock automatically as soon as he drives off. He would only have stopped for someone he knows or if the police had a barricade up. We don’t know what happened, but he was bundled out of the driver’s seat and into the passenger seat.”

Reports are that Oliver was on his way home from playing golf on the evening of April 25, when he was suddenly stopped in his Range Rover.

Helen remains convinced her son’s death was no ordinary murder and ruled out robbery as a motive. “Ollie was assassinated. It was a contract killing and could have been someone from England or a local person,” she told the Daily Mail.

The Gobats have pleaded for British police to be sent to the island to carry out an independent investigation. However, this could only be done if government agrees not to apply the death penalty. Dr. Anthony has since dismissed the request, stating that it is “improper”.

The family has already employed a forensic team from the UK to assist with the investigation. This was made possible through a fund created by friends of Oliver. The reward offered for information on his murder was recently doubled from EC$250,000 to EC$508,000.

Oliver was found dead on April 25, 2014 in the passenger seat of his Range Rover Evoque, burned beyond all recognition, on a remote track on the island’s exclusive Cap Estate – less than two miles from the luxury hotel he ran.

He had been shot in the head and the vehicle set on fire in what is believed to have been an attempt to destroy forensic evidence.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2906895/Death-Paradise-Parents-millionaire-hotelier-executed-burned-Range-Rover-fear-corrupt-St-Lucia-police-mystery-murder.html

Oliver’s body was found in this burned out car. Photo Credit: Splash News/ HTS News Force.

Police used against a mentally challenged man in Mon Repos this morning.

Reports are that two non-lethal rounds were discharged on the man’s arm as he allegedly approached the driver of the police vehicle – a corporal  attached to the Micoud Police Station – with a cutlass at around 9:30 a.m.

The man was taken to St. Jude Hospital for treatment.

Reports are that this was not the first time the victim attacked police. He was shot in the groin area in a past incident after attacking the police.

Hope and Matthew Defoe. Photo Credit: North London Newspaper.

NORTH LONDON NEWSPAPER - The parents of Hannah Defoe have begun to see a glimmer of hope after battling for more than two years to expose the truth behind their daughter’s tragic death in the West Indies.

Hannah Defoe was just 20 -years- old when she was electrocuted and died while swimming in the pool attached to luxury hotel complex in Vieux Fort on the Caribbean island of St Lucia, on July 25, 2012.

Ever since the tragedy, her family has battled bureaucracy in both St Lucia and England to try and find out exactly why and how the water their daughter was quite happily swimming in one minute suddenly became charged with enough volts of electricity to transform it into a death trap, which delivered electric shocks to would-be rescuers who tried to save the aspiring dancer.

Despite repeated adjournments of a British inquest and a St Lucian inquest that lasted nearly a year, the family and their solicitor, Janice Brennan, maintained constant pressure on the authorities, culminating two weeks ago in the delivery of a verdict of manslaughter from the inquest in Vieux Fort, St Lucia.

“At first I didn’t know what to feel,” Hannah’s mother Hope admitted about the moment when she and her husband Matthew finally heard the news that they were one step closer to finding out the truth behind what happened that night.”

“Lots of my family were really excited by the news, because it seemed for some time that the inquest was just going through the motions,” she told the Advertiser.

“And I did start to realise that this could open the door to finally holding someone accountable for what happened but then, of course, she is still dead and when that thought strikes you, you wonder, ‘what is this all about.’”

Matthew and Hope said that with the verdict of manslaughter, the door could be opened for criminal prosecutions against whoever is found to be responsible for the pool becoming charged with electricity.

DECEASED: Hannah Defoe.

But the thing that has kept them going throughout the process is the thought of protecting other families from the heartache they have suffered. “We want the government to feel under pressure to put its books in order,” Hope explained.

“We believe that in the course of the inquest the ministry of infrastructure were apportioned some responsibility because of the lack of robust certifications and re-inspection procedures.”

The couple wants the verdict to pave the way for an island-wide crackdown on any possible faulty electrics in public places.

“We want other people, other owners of hotels to want to check their businesses and unless that process is made public then the people of St Lucia will be kept in the dark,” added Hope.

The family are waiting to see the full inquest break-down before deciding what course of action to take next.

PRESS RELEASE - The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has reviewed an article captioned “Death in Paradise: Parents of millionaire hotelier found ‘executed’ in his burned out  Range Rover  fear corrupt Saint Lucia  police were in on murder mystery” on the Mail Online website dated Thursday, January 15, 2015.

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force calls upon the Gobat family to provide evidence of the “probability” of Police corruption in this matter. Alternatively, they should publicly retract their allegations and proffer an apology to the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force.

Commissioner of Police Mr. Vernon Francois in responding to the damning article remarked that: “Our investigators have diligently investigated this matter and continue to pursue all possible leads. On Wednesday, January 07, 2015, members of the investigative team and the Commissioner of Police convened a meeting with the Gobat family.

“At that meeting, which was considered by all the parties to have been cordial and fruitful, the family was updated on the investigation.  There was absolutely no suggestion from the family of the “probability” of corruption on the part of the Police or Police having played a role in the commissioning of this crime”.

The Commissioner of Police categorically denies any suggestion of “ineptitude” on the part of police officers, as it relates to the movement of the burnt out vehicle.  He asserts that it was a judgment call on the part of the investigators on the crime scene.

Notwithstanding the pronouncements from the Gobat family, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force proposes to fulfill its legal responsibility to diligently investigate and pursue every possible lead in the matter.

READ THE ENTIRE MAIL ONLINE ARTICLE HERE: http://www.stlucianewsonline.com/gobats-blame-corrupt-st-lucian-cops-in-sons-murder-investigation-mail-report/#sthash.aZROyhzq.dpuf

From left to right: Helen Gobat, family Attorney Peter Foster and Theo Gobat.

PRESS RELEASE - ”On behalf of the Gobat family, I would like to offer a full and unreserved apology to the Royal St. Lucia Police Force, to the Commissioner and officers working on the Oliver Gobat murder case, for the comments made in the recent article in the Daily Mail Online.

Up to this point we have been working well with the RSLPF and we have every confidence that the officers involved in the investigation will solve this dreadful crime.

The grief of a parent over a murdered child is something I would not wish on anyone and certainly my parents are struggling to make sense of their rest of their own lives as a result.

I believe these comments, which should not have been made, were in a moment of deep grief, pain and frustration overcoming patience, combined with journalism seeking a sensationalist angle.

This situation has not been easy for our family to come to terms with, and we deeply regret the impact of the statements in the article on the image of the Saint Lucia Police Force.

We the family greatly appreciate the services to date of the RSLPF and are confident that every effort is being made to bring Justice to Oliver.

A car was discovered in Belair sometime this morning with what appeared to be bullet holes. A shoe and a shirt was also discovered away from the car.

The Marigot Police Station confirmed that they received the report, but referred this publication to the police press office for details.

An official from the press office said that the police are still trying to put the pieces together.

The official said the matter is being investigated and a statement in that regard may be issued on Monday.

A source told SNO that the car was found in the same area where a burnt body was discovered in a shed about a year ago. The source told SNO that the owner of the car who lives in Vanard is reported to have been kidnapped.

Gun shots were heard in the area by residents on Thursday evening. The car is presently at the Marigot Police Station.