By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#USA, June 30, 2022 – Convicted sexual predator Robert Kelly, better known as R. Kelly will spend the rest of his life in federal prison. He was sentenced to 30 years to life on Wednesday.

R. Kelly appeared before a federal judge in Brooklyn for Racketeering and Multiple Predicate Acts, Including Illegal Sex with Minors, Sexual Exploitation of Minors, Bribery, Coercion and Forced Labor racketeering.

The verdict was read by Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for New York east. Prosecutors say Kelly deserves to be sentenced in excess of 25 years because of the nature of his crimes. Kelly has been found guilty on all 9 counts. 45 witnesses testified against him. Kelly was found to be the head of a racketeering ring that involved his former security guards procuring children for him to have sexual relations with.

“Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification,” said   Kasulis.

Kelly was convicted of bribery involving a public official regarding deceased singer Aaliyah who he illegally married when she was 15 years old and he was 27. The marriage was quickly annulled by her family and Aaliyah’s mother told documentary journalist Jim DeRogatis her daughter said she never wanted to see Kelly again.

After the two parted ways Kelly abused dozens more girls according to the prosecution.

“Mr. Kelly ran a criminal enterprise whose mission was to serve his sexual gratification by setting up a complex organization of enablers and handlers.  When his victims tried to escape, Mr. Kelly and his accomplices silenced them through bribery, intimidation, and physical violence,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh.

The prosecution explained that young women were identified at concerts by Kelly who directed members of the Enterprise to escort them backstage following his musical performances. They then exchanged contact information with girls and women so that he and other members of the Enterprise could arrange travel and lodging for them to visit Kelly after.

The 54 year old will face a minimum of ten years in prison as the prosecution seeks the maximum sentence. Kelly’s lawyers say they are seeking a lower term considering his traumatic childhood where he was assaulted by a female family member as a child.

Charges against Kelly came in 2021 two years after the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly’ premiered in 2019.

By Shanieka Smith

Features Writer

#TheBahamas, June 30, 2022 – The 14 year old girl, said to have been allegedly sexually assaulted at the Princess Margaret Hospital, in the restroom is now denying the claim.  The teenager, in media reports about the  investigation launched over the weekend denies that she was raped and that she engaged in sexual activity at the hospital.

The National Security Minister, Wayne Munroe in updating an outraged nation on the matter said he received a recent briefing from police on the matter saying that the “mother made a complaint to police with a view to saying her daughter may be engaging in sexual relations with a boyfriend.”

The briefing continued: “Whether it’s voluntary or not, that’s a crime. And so police took her to the hospital for checking. She tested positive for COVID. She was detained for COVID. And during the course of that detention, a janitor at the hospital made a report about her and a 52-year-old patient. The young child was discharged, the report was made to the police; they investigated.”

Both the young girl and the 52-year-old patient deny what the janitor reports. On Saturday, social media released the reported rape and the news spread like wildfire.

Following it was a statement from the Public Hospitals Authority, that the matter was turned over to the Royal Bahamas Police for investigation.

Minister Munroe, advised that “the police continue to investigate.”

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#Texas, USA, June 30, 2022 – At least 62 people, including children, crossed the US-Mexico border in a truck on Monday, probably hoping for a better life, and while they made it into the country 46 of them died before the truck’s doors could open and five more died at hospital.  Local media are describing it as the deadliest human smuggling case in modern US history.

US authorities say it was heatstroke and dehydration, the people were in what was supposed to be a refrigerated truck not unlike the ones used to ferry fresh food to supermarkets, only there was no working air conditioning in the truck and when firefighters arrived on the scene they say there was no sign of water either.

San Antonio Firefighters were called when one person stumbled out of the truck and collapsed by the road.  Fire Chief Charles Hood described in a press conference what they found when the doors opened.

“The San Antonio Fire Department responded to a report of a dead person and found the trailer — with a body outside and several that they could visibly see inside once the doors were open.  We’re not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there.  None of us come to work imagining that.” he lamented.

Temperatures in San Antonio where the truck was discovered were as high as 37 degrees (Celcius).  When temperatures reach between 32° and 40° heat cramps and a little heat exhaustion starts to appear, between 40° and 50° heat exhaustion is apparent once the temperature goes past 54° then deadly heat strokes are likely.  Temperatures in cars can rise exponentially on hot days, dwarfing the temperatures outside.

A study from  Arizona State University found that cars can reach 71° in summer.   A surface that hot will give human third degree burns.  The study found that cars can hit that mark in under an hour. This usually only refers to parked cars since moving vehicles either have the windows down or the air conditioning on.  The truck carrying the migrants had neither.

Miraculously 16 survived initially, four of them being children, unfortunately later the public would learn, five of the survivors passed away at hospital.

“The patients that we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heatstroke and heat exhaustion, no sign of water either,” said Hood.

The nationalities of several of the dead have been confirmed to be Honduran, Mexican and Guatemalan.

Three people are said to be in custody.