TCI News
Civilian round up crew asked to stand-down by TCI Police
#Providenciales, Turks and Caicos – Tuesday, May 29, 2018 – The vigilante task force of civilian men, which cropped-up on Monday is being advised by the Police to stand down, as they could be acting illegally and potentially exposing themselves to danger, in their unauthorized capture of suspected illegal Haitian migrants.
“Members of the Public are asked to be very careful with respect to taking matters into their own hands when they see individuals who may appear to be illegal migrants. Only law enforcement officers can question, detain or place persons in vehicles. We appreciate that the public wish to assist Police and Immigration Officers, but they should always call the Police or Immigration to avoid an incident that could have a very negative outcome.”
The group of men have been sharing cell phone video of their apprehension activities; they essentially believe it is a patriotic response to the influx of Haitian sloops which have been making landfall in the Turks and Caicos; the illegal people who are getting away.
In the social media video, as many as five males, described as Haitians, are captured and appear bewildered as they are submissively seated in motor vehicles, with drivers, who are Turks and Caicos Islanders. The captors explain on the video that they are on the way to the Police station to turn the young men into authorities.
In the report from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police, it was said: The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and Immigration Service is investigating the landing of an illegal sloop on Monday, May 28th, 2018. A total of 29 Haitian migrants were caught near Technology Drive in the Long Bay area after a 40-foot sloop landed early Monday. Twenty-three males and six females were taken to the Detention Centre for processing following a joint interdiction effort by Law Enforcement and members of the Long Bay community.”
The self-appointed round up team says the Police need help, and they are among the residents prepared to give the assistance. Police have not said how many migrants the civilians managed to bring in, but they did say residents can safely help by doing this…
“If you have any information on this or any illegal landing or see someone believed to be an illegal migrant, please immediately call 911”.
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Correspondent
#TurksandCaicos, April 25, 2024 – He was busted at the Howard Hamilton Providenciales International Airport on Friday, April 16, 2024.
He allegedly had in his luggage four (4) rounds of 6.5mm ammunition on his departure to his homeland in Oklahoma in the United States of America (USA).
Ryan Watson and his wife were arrested and placed into police lock up. Both were later granted police bail, and upon return to police station the Monday after the couple’s arrest, the husband alone was charged by detective Police Constable Kimberlee Markland for
unlawful possession of the four rounds of ammunition.
Watson was escorted to court on Tuesday, April 23rd, placed before the learned Chief Magistrate Mr. Jolyon Hatmin and remanded to His Majesty’s Prison until his sufficiency hearing on June 7, this (2024) year.
His counsel, Mr. Oliver Smith KC and his junior assistant Mrs. Kimone Tennant immediately sought bail for him in the Supreme Court which was heard the following day (Wednesday April 24) before her Ladyship Ms. Tanya Lobban-Jackson and was granted bail, without hassle in the amount or $15,000.00 cash or surety.
The Crown, in the person of senior public prosecutor Ms. Tassja Mitchell did not oppose bail.
Magnetic Media can report that once again on the afternoon of the Tuesday April 24th, after the accused RYAN TYLER WATSON, 41 was remanded by the Magistrate’s court, the U.S. Embassy issued an warning to it’s citizens and travelers to carefully check their bags when traveling to Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) as TCI authorities are strictly enforcing firearm and ammunition laws and if found you could go to prison for 12 years.
A real question of great concern and public importance is: should the TCI courts sentence tourists to the full mandatory minimum of 12 years imprisonment for simple possession firearm and/or ammunition.
The succinct answer is: Yes!
The Court of Appeal, just last month said in its written judgment that “ALL PERSONS,” including tourist/visitors must go to prison if found guilty or pleas guilty to firearm and ammunition offences.
However, there remains the concern about how much time in prison a judge should give a visitor regardless of the existence of exceptional circumstances.
Should the judge imprison a visitor to the territory, who may have been wrongly informed, for example, the full mandatory minimum term or must a reduced prison term be imposed.
If TCI judges start to give less than the mandatory minimum to tourists/visitors, it is being strong and widely advocated by senior defense attorneys that the same must apply to local or residents of these Islands, who may also present exceptional circumstances.
Arguments about the equity in delivery of justice is what drove the question to the Court of Appeal late in 2023. The decision came this past February.
‘We cannot find ourselves sentencing tourists regardless of exceptional circumstances to lesser sentences, and when those same exceptional circumstances are found in local cases, it’s being ignored by our judges.’
Human Rights Attorney, Sheena Mair has on more than one occasion argued this point; including in firearm and ammunition bail applications. She would put the very same judges and prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution on the spot by reminding the judges and the prosecutors that precedent has been set.
‘You’ve just granted bail to a tourist for firearm and ammunition but now here’s a local person, same charge but because he’s a local he can’t get bail? He has to be remanded pending a trial that could take years before it’s heard?’
Mair has valiantly outlined the wrong in this and clearly stated this practice is “not fair” and it’s “not proper administration of justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Ms. Mair further complained that tourists would plea guilty to possession of firearm and ammunition and be released on bail pending sentencing but as for a local, he or she has to wait on remand at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pending sentencing.
The attorney criticizes the optics of such decisions and is on record reminding the Judge that the Court of Appeal has already set out that the law applies to everyone; visitors and locals alike.
A police statement issued Wednesday April 24 informs: “Today (April 24th), Mr. Watson appeared in the Supreme Court and, following a bail application, was granted $15,000 bail with the following conditions:
1) Not travel out of TCI without the court’s permission.
2) Surrender his passport and all other travel documents to the court
3) Report to Grace Bay Police Station on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 8 am-4 pm,
4) Reside at the given address in Providenciales; any address change will be provided before the court.”
The American from Oklahoma whose story is trending in the US and has been carried by leading news networks was joined by a host of loved ones at the Courthouse.
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