News
Quick GUILTY verdict; Man to be Sentenced for Gun and Ammunition Possession
Wilkie Arthur
Freelance Court Reporter
#TurksandCaicos, November 14, 2023 – Wednesday November 8th was the final day of a four-week-long unlicensed firearm and ammunition trial being held at the Grand Turk Supreme Court.
On trial for the unregistered gun and 12 rounds of ammunition was JEAN ETIENNE DOR aka FIRE of Five Cays, Providenciales.
Magnetic Media was in court for the jury decision in the matter, the accused having been on remand for over a year. A five-member jury; three women and two men with one of the males, speaking on behalf of the jury as the foreman,
delivered their conclusion after only two hours of deliberation.
Before being sent out for deliberation by the learned trial, Judge the Hon Mr. Justice Chris Selochan took around three hours with one break in between, to sum up the entire four week trial to the jury, reminding them repeatedly of what was the case against the accused and what was his defense in response to the Crown’s case.
The judge outlined to the jury, what was the law in relation to unregistered firearms and ammunition possession. He explained the burden of proof rests solely on the prosecution in criminal cases but he told the jury, that, there is a bit of burden that rest on the defendant as it relates to when one is charged with illegal possession of unregistered weapons.
Judge Selochan explained to the jury how they are to approach consideration of the evidence presented in the case against the accused.
The Judge took the jury back to the date of the police findings on April 25th, 2022, when a team of officers arrived at the home of Jean ETIENNE DOR armed with a warrant. Although the warrant was in the wrong name (not in the name of the accused), a search of the premises was conducted and found was a firearm in or on top of a barrel covered by a blanket in a room not occupied by the accused.
The wrong named warrant was raised as an issue during the trial by the senior defense counsel, Lara Maroof Misick.
The judge went on to tell the jury of certain things the accused said to the Police when and after the firearm was found. Even though, these various, different utterances were challenged and denied by the defendant, when it was his turn to give evidence in his own defence on the stand.
The judge reminded the jury, in his lengthy summing up, that they have to treat the case of the defense, with the same weight and importance as the prosecution’s case.
He went on telling them that it’s a matter for them how they regard the account of events as reported by the Police Force at the time of the search and arrest and what the accused man testified in the witness box.
The judge reminded the five member jury, when counsel for the defendant Mrs. Maroof Misick asked the officer(s) for notes, pertaining to their investigation stages, the officer(s) did not have any notes for some important areas, activities and alleged utterances of their investigation. The jury heard that what was important in that fact, as laid out by the defence attorney Maroof-Misick, is those notes – if they were signed by Jean Dor – could have been supplied to them, as members of the jury for review during the trial. Without that information, the judge said it was left for the jury to decide who they believe.
The police had said, the defendant told them he had someone living in that room where the firearm was found. He gave them a name that was mentioned in court. He said the person had recently left.
When testifying, the female officer who found the gun did admit to having had to remove clothing before reaching the blanket and under or in the blanket she found the gun; the gun was not in plain sight.
According to the Crown’s case, ETIENNE DOR had told police he was supposed to turn the gun in to a pastor. The judge continued and explained, the Crown is therefore saying Mr. Dor had knowledge of the gun in that room, which he said was, until recently occupied by a different man.
The Defendant’s version of events to the jury may have been more believable had the defendant’s DNA not been found in such a high ratio on the firearm, after it was forensically tested. During the trial, it was submitted that the DNA on the green and black gun came back with a strong, positive match for Jean Etienne Dor.
Still, during the judge’s summation the jury was reminded that the defense had an explanation for the DNA presence on the gun; that it could have been transferred there.
The DNA expert, when he testified did explained how transfers can and do occur as was possible in the instant case against the accused. The police did admit that certain testing and packaging of the firearm and ammunition was done in the open, in the presence of the accused. This suggests that his DNA could have been transferred on the firearm through communication while the gun was already in Police possession.
Evidence during trial also revealed that Dor’s was not the only DNA found on the firearm; other persons DNA was detected on the gun as well.
The police also said when the accused was asked about the gun, he said how his mother has a shop and plenty people round here robbing. He said he has bills, he works at the airport for some 14 years. He also said, I can’t explain it, it’s a long story. He initially had Chal Missick as his attorney when some of these many utterances were said.
The judge told the jury that throughout the investigation and the trial the defendant had a right to remain silent and nothing negative could have been taken from that because that would have been his right.
In the end, and after a mere two hours, the jury announced it had a decision and found the evidence as presented by the DPP’s office was believable; they found Jean Dor guilty as charged.
Sentencing in this matter is fixed for November 27th, 2023.
Senior Public prosecutor Ms. Tassja Mitchell represented the office of DPP in this trial. The defendant is facing seven years in prison for the firearm and the ammunition conviction.
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: — Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort recently collaborated with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and the Department of Social Services to support a youth camp hosted at the Oseta Jolly Primary School, underscoring the resort’s ongoing commitment to youth development in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The camp, which brought together security forces, government agencies and private sector entities, focused on equipping young participants
with practical life skills and character-building tools. A team from Beaches Turks and Caicos’ leadership and training departments joined the programme to deliver sessions on basic table etiquette, dining mannerisms, polite demeanour and public speaking fundamentals, all designed to help the students present themselves confidently in formal and professional settings.
General Manager of Beaches Turks and Caicos, Deryk Meany, said the resort views national development as an integral part of its corporate social responsibility. “We are always happy to be supporters in the development of the youth of the Turks and Caicos Islands. We continue to commit our team to help in creating the next generation of leaders who will provide support to the islands and help in its development,” Meany noted.
The initiative also received strong endorsement from the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Community Development, which has been championing holistic programmes aimed at building well-rounded young citizens. Minister Rachel Taylor highlighted the importance of collaborations like the camp in helping youth access structured guidance and mentorship. “We are happy to join in celebrating the growth and development of our youth here in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Beaches Turks and Caicos continues to be one of our primary supporters in helping to develop well rounded individuals. This commitment from this resort has grown with the vision of the youth ministry to help in their overall development,” she said.
Taylor further emphasized that the camp’s timing was especially significant, coming as youth across the islands seek positive outlets and
constructive engagement. “This camp came at the most ideal time for our adolescents. With the support of our governor, the security forces, the social services along with Beaches Turks and Caicos, we are confident that the training needed for them to improve is on the right track,” she added.
Beaches Turks and Caicos Public Relations Manager, Orville Morgan, described the collaboration as an exemplary model of cross-sector partnership. “To be able to join with the security forces to provide support for the youth of the Turks and Caicos Islands is exceptional. We are happy to provide the necessary support to equip them to grow into being productive citizens of these islands,” Morgan said.
He noted that the resort team focused on practical etiquette and hospitality-driven skills that can be carried into the youths’ future experiences. “As a team, we were able to share in the basic table setting and dining etiquette for them, skills we are sure that they will be able to use in their next fine dining experience,” Morgan added.
Organizers expressed optimism that the camp’s blend of discipline, mentorship and soft skills training will have a lasting impact on participants. With stakeholders pledging continued support, the Beaches Turks and Caicos team and their partners aim to expand similar initiatives, further investing in the personal and professional growth of the next generation of Turks and Caicos Islanders.
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
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