Most of Brad Moise’s body is now covered with burns.

Relatives of a 20-year-old farmer who sustained serious burns from the neck down in a fire last week, believe the incident was attempted murder and is calling on the lawmen to arrest the known suspect.

Brad Moise of Talvan, Babonneau is now in critical but stable condition at Victoria Hospital following a shed fire in Chassin, Babonneau close to 2 a.m. on Thursday. The shed, which was occupied only by Moise at the time, belonged to a farmer he worked with.

Moise has reportedly fingered a suspect, but no arrest has been made to date.

A relative, who prefers not to be named out of safety concerns, told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) in an exclusive interview on Sunday, that she is ”very disappointed” that there have been no follow-up news coverage on Moise’s case.

“Please, make a special effect to assist this young man,” the relative pleaded. “This is an attempted murder case. He was never caught on fire in a shack, somebody set him on fire.”

According to the relative, Moise said he got up when he heard voices and dogs barking.

“By the time he opened the door he was already on fire. He said he took the smell of gas strong and by the time he checked he was in flames. The person who caught him on fire made a remark, ‘you will die tonight’.”

Another relative said Moise normally sleeps in the shed because he works in the “heights” of Chassin.

The Babonneau police has since taken a formal statement from Moise, the relative claimed.

“Brad told the police who (did the crime) because the voice sounded like a voice he knew very well. He left the heights all burned up and walked to the main road for help,” a relative said.

Moise is currently in critical condition at hospital.

WESTERN GAZETTE (UK) - A CHARD man who was found with thousands of pounds worth of cannabis lying around his home and claimed he used liberal amounts in his daily life has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Rastafarian Molly Alcindor said he had been using the drug since the age of 9 and its use for health reasons, for cooking and making tea, as well as recreational smoking was entrenched in his home culture in St Lucia.

Once the numerous quantities of the drug were recovered by police they were analysed and found to be a total of more than 1.7kg with an estimated street value in the region of £17,000.

Further examination by police of his address along with mobile phone records could not confirm any evidence that the defendant had been involved in supplying the drug to other people.

And when he appeared before Somerset Magistrates he said he believed the drug had been grown locally but he had not paid anything for it.

Alcindor, 44, of Fairway Rise, pleaded guilty to being in possession of 1,716g of cannabis (class B) at Chard on December 16 last year.

Prosecutor Lucy Coleman told the court at Yeovil that police went to the defendant’s home and found the “huge” quantity of cannabis.

In a prepared statement given to the police Alcindor said he was a heavy cannabis user for health reasons and had been using it medicinally since the age of nine.

“He said he used it to make green tea for his asthma and for cooking and also smoked it for recreation and it helped with his rheumatism,” she said.

“He said he did not sell it or share it with anyone else and some of it was in bags for his own convenience as he sometimes took it with him when he went out. He said he believed it was grown locally but did not pay for it.”

Following analysis of the drug the court was told that with an average daily consumption of the drug it would take between 5 and 10 years to use the amount found at Alcindor’s home.

Defending solicitor Gareth Webb said that his client was originally from St Lucia and was a familiar figure around Chard doing car valeting and was very well known.

He moved to England in 1999 after marrying a Chard woman, but had separated last year and was now in a new relationship.

“He is a Rastafarian, is an optimistic person and does not really drink alcohol, but after being charged with possession of cannabis there was no evidence that he was selling drugs to anyone,” he said.

“He just uses a lot of cannabis and from the age of nine took it with his father in St Lucia and it was part of their religious rights and is used in a very different way than in this country.

“It was smoked, used in tea and cooking and as a herb and medicine, and that is why there was so much of it and he had it all around the house and showed the police when they arrived.”

He said that Alcindor suffered from sciatica, rheumatism and stomach problems and believed that cannabis gave him assistance with those conditions.

“Cleary this has been an eye-opening experience and he has never had any involvement with the law before and is now seeking other alternatives through his GP,” he added.

The magistrates told Alcindor it had been “a huge amount of cannabis” and sentenced him to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

During that time he must carry out 200 hours unpaid work in the community and was also ordered to pay £85 costs and an £80 victim surcharge. They also issued a destruction order for the cannabis.

Acting Police Commissioner Errol Alexander

Acting Police Commissioner Errol Alexander has said rumours that National Security Minister Phillip La Corbinier received a death threat have turned out to be “untrue”.

In an article published in the STAR, Alexander also made it clear that the minister did not request additional security – it was given by the police force as standard procedure when such information is received for investigation. Click to view full STAR story.

“What I can say is that yes we had some information about such a threat, which the best of our information has proven to be untrue,” he told the STAR.

“In any event, whenever we receive information of any such threat we would immediately beef up security for the individual in question. So it was never a case where the minister himself made any such request,” Alexander clarified.

The top cop also told the STAR he has no information that the threat rumour was connected with the missing guns case involving the Anse La Raye Police Station.

In response to an article in another news medium, several senior police officers contacted St. Lucia News Online (SNO) to rubbish insinuations that police officers were suspected of carrying out the threat.

“Opportunistic lies,” said one of the sources. “It appears a group of persons are out to tear a part the police force, some being perpetrated by officers. Minister La Cobs and investigators knows that there is no evidence that police officers made the threat. In fact, no one knows who made the threats.”

Bail was denied for two Dominicans when they appeared at the Magistrate’s Court on Friday to answer to the charges of possession of marijuana and possession of the drug with intent to supply.

Joseph Stephens, 58, the captain of the vessel “Flying Fish”, was charged with failing to stop, possession of marijuana and possession of the drug with intent to supply.

Meanwhile, Median Defoe, 33, who was a passenger on the boat, was charged with possession of the drug and intent to supply.

Both men were remanded until June 17, 2015 when they are due to make another appearance in court.

The men were nabbed on Wednesday, May 29 with marijuana weighing 60 pounds by St. Lucia Marine Police during a high-speed chase off the coast of Canaries.

Scene of the shooting near Corner Bar in which five people were injured including two suspects.

STATEMENT - Corner Bar in Gros Islet would like to extend its sincerest apology to all its patrons who were inconvenienced by the incident on Thursday 28th May.

We do not condone such reckless acts of violence and have always taken the necessary precautions to protect our customers.  Due to the fact that there are always plained clothed police officers present on our compound at every event, the situation was brought quickly under control.

We are committed to you, our valued customers, and are taking immediate corrective steps to regain your confidence in us. We have begun putting a comprehensive plan in place together with the Royal St.Lucia Police force to provide better safety measures.

The RSLPF is working assiduously to deal with the handful of persons responsible for these incidents and ensures that they will no longer be a nuisance to you our valued customers.

We are confident, as a result of these plans, that Corner Bar will emerge as a safer customer oriented environment for all its patrons.

Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to welcome you again soon and provide you the positive, fun and relaxing Corner Bar experience you have come to expect from us.

PRESS RELEASE (update) - On Friday, May 29, 2015 about 6:30 p.m. 33 year old Daryl Theophane of Bisee, Castries sustained a gunshot wound to his left leg and left hand by a known individual at Bisee, Castries.

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

The police are aggressively pursuing the suspect in this matter.

EARLIER SNO REPORT: Police investigate shooting in Bisee

A man is nursing gunshot injuries following an incident in Bisee, Castries over the weekend.

Reports are that a man, known as ‘Small Boy’, was shot by a known individual later afternoon on Friday.

The victim reportedly sustained non-life-threatening injuries to his lower body and hand and the suspect is believed to have been his friend.

It is not yet clear if the suspect was arrested.

St. Lucia News Online (SNO) will disclose the man’s full name and other details when they’re received.

Denver Melville * Photo submitted

One of the men who were shot by the police in Gros Islet town on Friday, May 29 is scheduled to appear in a Castries Magistrate’s Court this morning, June 1.

Denver Melville, 29, of Marisule, Gros-Islet was charged with possession of a firearm, police officials have told St. Lucia News Online.

Meville sustained a gunshot wound to his left calf and was previously listed as being in stable condition following a shooting incident near a bar in the northern town which left four other people nursing gunshot wounds.

The other man was shot in the stomach and is still hospitalised. Police said he will be charged pending his release from hospital. His name cannot be disclosed until he is formally charged.

Police reported that on Friday, May 29, 2015 at about 2:05 a.m., officers attached to the Gros Islet Police Station responded to reports of a shooting incident in which three individuals and two “suspects” sustained gunshot wounds on Dauphin Street, Gros Islet.

Seventeen-year-old Ricky Maynard a.k.a “Bug” of Gros Islet sustained a gunshot wound to the left shoulder and is listed as being in critical condition at the Victoria Hospital.

Twenty-seven-year-old Lyle Auguste of Gros-Islet sustained a gunshot wound to the right side of his waist and 19-year-old Javene Cools a.k.a “Angus” of Massade, Gros Islet sustained a gunshot wound to his left thigh. Both are listed as being in stable condition at the Victoria Hospital.

Police said two “suspects”, including Melville, sustained gunshot wounds when confronted by the police. The other man was listed as being in critical condition at the Victoria Hospital. It is not clear if his condition has improved.

The police said one .38 revolver was discovered on the scene.

PRESS RELEASE - The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is seeking the assistance of the public in informing Princess Riley formerly of Barre de Chaussee, Javon Jules formerly of Bexon, Janelle Felix formerly of Ravine Chabot and Melvin St. Rose formerly of Ciceron that they are to contact the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions urgently at telephone # 4523636.

Lambirds CEO Iftekhar Ahmed Shams.

Attorney-at-Law Marcus Foster who is representing Lambirds Academy Chief Executive Officer Dr Iftekhar Shams said that the court will decide on June 15, whether his client receives bail or not.

Shams who made a court appearance today (June 1) faces several charges with regards to the alleged scam. He was charged on 60 counts of money laundering. He is also facing human trafficking charges.

His attorney told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that between Tuesday (May 26) to Friday (May 29), the Lambirds CEO was slapped with each individual charge, based on the allegations made by the 60 plus students.

Foster said the magistrate heard the prosecution’s objection to bail case this morning on the basis that he is a flight risk and that the students being kept here might want to get some vigilante justice.

However his argument was that there is no evidence of that nature and no threat has ever been issued to Shams.

The magistrate then decided that he is not going to rule on whether Shams will get bail on the rest of these charges, but that he will deal with formal bail hearing on June 15.

Asked whether he feels confident that his client could secure bail, Foster responded in the affirmative.

He noted however that the system is usually slow, describing the entire situation as “pulling teeth.” The attorney also complained that it has been difficult to get hearings and resolutions on the matter.

Attorney-at-Law Marcus Foster.

“We want to get to trial. Dr Shams wants to have his day in court. And I think the public would like to really see the matter unfold properly before the courts and not on various talk shows,” he said.

Foster said he still has some reservations the matter being heard at the District Court Office, instead of the normal court room settings.

Shams, who suffers from diabetes and hypertension, was hospitalised several times for collapsing in prison.

He along with three other men are accused of using Lambirds Academy as a front to traffic persons from Nepal, The Phillipines, India and other Asian countries, promising them jobs in the US after completion of studies in hospitality management.

Over 70 suspected students were left stranded by the scandal.

Some have returned home, but the majority are still in St. Lucia.

Three police officers have been charged in connection with the disappearance of approximately $4,000 from the Richfond Police Station in Dennery in 2010.

The officers, a sergeant, corporal and a constable, were granted bail on Monday.

The missing funds are monies from maintenance and commitment warrants.

Since the investigations began, the cops were transferred to other departments within the police force.

More details later.

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has released the names of the three police officers who have been charged with stealing.

The officers are presently on bail and have been suspended.

They are as follows:

-Ted Biscette, Police Constable 272, who was charged with the offence of stealing by employee

-Sylvester Joseph, Police Corporal 224, who was charged with the offenses of stealing by employee, failure/refusal to deliver money and false attestation

-Jerson Charlemagne, Police Sergeant 479, for the offense of stealing by employee

The officer who who was charged with false attestation, could serve a maximum of two years behind bars if convicted.

The three police officers were formally charged in connection with the disappearance of approximately $4,000 from the Richfond Police Station in Dennery in 2010.

The missing funds are monies from maintenance and commitment warrants.

Fontenelle

Police have released three persons who were in custody in connection with the death of a Vieux-Fort man.

The suspects were released over the weekend due to lack of concrete evidence, law enforcement sources said.

Despite this, the sources said investigations continue into the death of 36-year old Donovan Fontenelle, also known as “Dan”, of Belle Vue, Vieux Fort.

Fontenelle passed away at St. Jude Hospital on Sunday, May 25, 2015 at about 10 p.m.. He was discovered in a drain near a banana plantation with multiple chop wounds on Wednesday, May, 13, 2015 at about 7:00 p.m. at Vigier, Vieux Fort.

This is the 9th homicide for the year 2015.

Officials from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Government of Saint Lucia will be meeting with students involved in the Lambirds Academy scandal tomorrow.

One of the students, who asked not to be named, told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) Tuesday (June 2) that this information was communicated to them recently.

The student said that police officials will pick them up at 8 a.m. Wednesday (June 3) to transport them to an unknown location for the meeting.

The meeting is being held to discuss with the students, the date and time and process in which they will be repatriated.

The male student, who spoke with SNO on the condition of anonymity, said he and his friends are happy to return home after being stranded here for several months.

He said he is glad that he will be able to reunite with his family, especially since he hasn’t seen or heard from them for the time they have been in Saint Lucia.

According to him, they are now more at ease, because they were given the assurance by government that once the case against Lambirds Academy concludes in their favour, they will have their money returned to them.

During the course of last week, the court heard each individual charge against the academy’s CEO Iftekhar Shams. He is facing charges of more than 60 counts of money laundering and human trafficking.

Shams along with three others are accused of scamming the students who are mainly from Nepal, India and the Philippines.

The group of students claimed that they had responded to an offer of education in hospitality, cruise and business management from Lambirds Academy, which is based in northern town of Gros Islet in St. Lucia.

The foreigners said they each paid US$9, 000 for the courses and US$13,000 to get to St. Lucia, but on arrival here were told by law enforcement authorities that they had been duped.

Some of the students have already been returned to their home with the assistance of the IOM.

Acting Commissioner of Police Errol Alexander.

Saint Lucia’s acting top cop Errol Alexander has said the recent incident involving three police officers being charged for stealing is unfortunate and paints a bad picture of the force, but there is still hope.

“I want to propose to those who feel skeptical about such developments, that not all our men and women have been proven to be bad eggs,” he told a media conference today (June 2).

Alexander said a majority of his officers are upstanding, ethical, disciplined and law-abiding servants.

However, the acting top cop said this matter should serve as an example to police officers that they should not engage themselves in this kind of behaviour because it will not be tolerated.

“We must always subject ourselves to the guidelines, procedures, rules and organisational core values which govern our profession; our actions will always be subjected to review,” he added.

Alexander went on to state that the public can be assured that the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has no reservations or difficulty in allowing the law to take its course in the matter.

Meanwhile, he said the matter was unearthed during a financial audit conducted by the Ministry of Finance.  A document was then sent to the Office of the Commissioner of Police (COP) for investigation.

An investigation ensued shortly after receipt of that letter in 2013 and the findings were submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a ruling.

The force only received the ruling about two weeks ago.

Asked whether he feels there needs to be a change in the manner in which finances are handled by the police, the acting COP said there are guidelines that are already in place.

“It works for us. It was just a result of the officers not following those guidelines, that is why they got into the trouble they did. In addition to that, we have the Finance Act which guides us again,” he added.

Questioned further on whether he thinks there are lapses in the system, Alexander said he doesn’t believe there are any lapses, especially since the Audit Office does spot checks often.

Additionally, the police force, he said has an inspectorate system, where all inventory are checked every six months.

“We are in the process of seeking inspectorate accreditation from the RSS to enforce our Inspectorate Unit and make it more efficient. With that, our people are going to be trained in that field,” he said.

A minibus driver operating the Morne Du Don route has been fined $150 and suspended for one day for the alleged sexual harassment of a female passenger, sources have told St. Lucia News Online.

The bus driver “verbally sexually harassed” a female passenger about her buttocks, the sources said.

The sources said it will not be surprising if no one will go on record to confirm the incident.

“The bus drivers look out for each other so that’s a hush-hush matter,” one source said. “In St. Lucia everything is hush-hush…. the Anse La Raye issue, the officers claimed the incident was a rumour and it turned out to be true.”

SNO contacted several official sources and got no confirmation.

President of the Morne Du Don Minibus Association Allan Duncan said while the incident could be true, nothing of that sort was reported to him.

President of the National Council of Public Transportation (NCOPT) Godfrey Ferdinand said he has not received that report either and referred this publication to the Ministry of Transport.

An official from the Transport Board also said he is not aware of the incident.

The official made contact with a few other minibus association officials who claimed they too are not aware of the situation.

The manager of Wayne’s Bakery in Micoud, Jonathan Crafton, said he is worried about the recent spate of burglaries occurring in the area, particularly his bakery.

Crafton told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that bandits broke into the his bakery, sometime between Monday at around 11 p.m and Tuesday at about 4 a.m.

The bandits stole items such as flour, sugar, bread, lard, and butter.

There was evidence of forced entry at the window and the toilet.

Crafton said prior to Tuesday’s incident, the bakery was robbed more than one week ago.

During that robbery, the bandits took all the cakes and all of the baking ingredients, along with $800 in cash.

The baker said that his workplace was never robbed before and he is hoping that the police can complete a successful investigation and hopefully recover some of the stolen items.

The home belonging to Wayne Providence, the owner of Wayne’s Bakery, was also robbed of clothing and electrical items, which includes a flat screen television set and a laptop.

At least nine people, including eight teenagers as young as 15, and two females have been arrested for those and other burglaries.

Police have arrested nine people, including eight teenagers as young as 15, and two females, following a series of burglaries in Micoud village between late Monday and early Tuesday, several victims of the crimes have told St. Lucia News Online.

Reports are that between Monday at around 11 p.m and Tuesday at about 4 a.m., Wayne’s Bakery, owned by Wayne Providence, was broken into and items such as flour, sugar,  bread, lard, and butter were stolen.

The thieves unsuccessfully tried to break into Anto’s supermarket after a resident saw them and raised an alarm.

The crime spree led the criminals nearby to an unoccupied dwelling house from which clothing and electrical appliances were stolen. It is reported that the owner of Wayne’s Bakery, Providence, lives in the house, but he was off island at the time of the robbery.

Investigations led police to search several houses located near the scene of the burglaries. During the search, some of the stolen items were recovered from one of the houses while a quantity of cannabis was discovered in another.

More details later.

PRESS RELEASE - On Thursday the 21st day of May 2014, Flavien Sonson of Malgretoute Micoud was sentenced to two (2) six (6) months imprisonment terms for the offence of unlawful possession.

Flavien Sonson was arrested on Wednesday 01st October 2014 of the unlawful possession of plantains, by the Southern Division of the Praedial Larceny Unit; he was later charged and bailed to attend the Second District Court.

On December 12th 2014 the Southern Division of the Praedial Larceny Unit again arrested, charged and bailed Flavien Sonson for the offence of unlawful possession of a bag of oranges.

He made a number of appearances before the court but pleaded “Not Guilty”.

On his final appearance before the Second District Court in Dennery he changed his plea to “guilty” to the charge of unlawful possession and was sentenced to two (2) six months prison terms at the Bordelaise Correctional Facility, his sentence will run consecutively.

Government with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will be sending home a batch of 12 Lambirds Academy students to their respective countries on Monday (June 8).

St. Lucia News Online (SNO) understands that the students were informed of the decision on Wednesday (June 3) during a meeting with government and other officials.

Fifteen students were initially selected to travel, but four declined, because they think the case might be completed soon and is hopeful that they could get a refund before returning home.

One of the students who were selected told SNO that they will depart the Hewanorra International Airport at about 6 a.m. (June 8) to United Kingdom, before arriving in India and Nepal.

This process is expected to continue in the following week, whereby students attached to this case will be repatriated.

Each of the students was promised that once the case is completed and their monies are recovered, it will be sent to them. They were all issued statements/tickets by local police, which validates this agreement.

However, they were reminded by the officials, who they met with them on Wednesday that the case could take a maximum of 10 years, or it could be completed in less than two years.

The male student said he and friends are happy to return home after being stranded here for several months. He said he is glad that he will be able to reunite with his family, but is still worried about his future.

The academy’s Chief Executive Officer Iftekhar Shams is facing charges of more than 60 counts of money laundering and human trafficking. Shams and three others are accused of scamming the students.

The students are mainly from Nepal, India and the Philippines. They claimed that they each paid US$9, 000 for the courses and US$13,000 to get to St. Lucia, to undertake various courses.

However on arrival here, they were told by law enforcement authorities that they had been duped.

Some of the students have already been returned to their home with the assistance of the IOM.

Zachary Hippolyte.

PRESS RELEASE - In an effort to bolster its community policing agenda, the Press Office of Royal Saint Lucia Police Force will be hosting a talk show called Police Insight.

The objective of the show is to disseminate information and promote transparency, law enforcement and Community Policing.

The audience can expect to hear discussions from the host and invited guests on a wide range of Policing issues.

The show will also deal with topical issues which are news makers and will endeavor to sensitize the public on laws and matters of safety and security.

Viewers will also have the opportunity to call in and make contributions.

Police Insight will be aired this Sunday and every Sunday thereafter at 7:00p.m. on MBC Television and Real FM Radio.

The show will be hosted by Acting Corporal Zachary Hippolyte, Press Officer of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force.