Black Immigrant Daily News

In what the police are describing as “particularly troubling”, children between ages 15 and 17 have been charged with 875 major crimes over the last four years.

This was disclosed by Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, at the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) monthly media briefing on Tuesday.

“In recent weeks, we’ve been dissecting the crime figures and looking more closely at both perpetrators and victims.

“When we examine children as the perpetrators of major crimes, some concerns begin to emerge,” Anderson pointed out.

He noted that though a child, by definition, is a person below the age of 18 years, “most of the perpetrators in this category are between 15 and 17 years old”.

For the four-year period of 2019 to present, children have been slapped with 79 murder charges and 66 shooting charges, Anderson informed.

“A total of 175 children have been charged with rape over the period. There have been 256 charges for breaches of the Firearms Act, 175 for break-ins, 89 for robbery, and 65 for aggravated assault,” he outlined.

“These individuals, if we do not act collectively, are getting into an early career of violence and crime.

“We are bringing this to the nation’s attention, because as a society, we have to decide how we are going to save them,” stated Anderson.

Major General Antony Anderson (file photo)

In furtherance of that point, the commissioner explained that as a constabulary, they also took the initiative of informing the nation relative to these trends “associated with the pandemic of violence impacting our country”, to “demand collective responsibility and action if we are to make a sustained change in behaviour.”

He added that, “We have a responsibility to investigate every crime, but there are some that are particularly troubling.”

Despite the troubling trend relative to children, Anderson reminded that the police have formed various early intervention strategies through its Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) and programmes such as the police youth clubs.

He advised, as well, of the police’s collaborative efforts with the Education and Youth Ministry and its safe school’s programme.

“However, we all must take this matter (children as perpetrators of crime) more seriously.

“The pandemic of violence is affecting our children; they are not merely innocent victims of violence. In far too many instances, children and adolescents are actually the perpetrators themselves,” Anderson reiterated.

The top law enforcer also stressed the importance of “all institutions of society” being vigilant towards the issues and engage in early surveillance of children in the home, school or elsewhere, to identify the early signs of violent tendencies.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

A high-level manhunt is under way by the police for Simeon Sutherland, the man charged in connection with the murder of then People’s National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament (MP) for East Portland, Dr Lynvale Bloomfield.

Sutherland absconded bail on Wednesday.

He was to stand trial in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston for the politician’s 2019 stabbing death at his home in Portland, this after several months of delay.

However, when his name was called at least three times to come inside the courtroom in downtown Kingston on Wednesday, Sutherland was nowhere to be found.

The court was informed that before the start of court, the accused and his parents were at the office of his lawyer, Peter Champagnie.

Sutherland’s mother reportedly claimed that her son was dropped off at the entrance to the Supreme Court building, but said she noticed that he did not go towards the building.

Instead, the accused man man reportedly walked away and did not stop, even while his parents attempted to drive him down.

Sutherland’s mother was ordered by High Court Judge, Justice Leighton Pusey, to be taken into custody to pay her son’s bail bond of $800,000.

A bench warrant was also issued by the judge for Sutherland’s arrest.

Champagnie has also asked the judge to release him from the matter.

Speaking to reporters after the court proceedings, Champagnie expressed surprised at the actions of his client.

“What took place in court today is absolutely surprising, that’s the first thing, and barring any… reasonable excuse for the absence of Mr Sutherland, I would not want the message to be received that it is okay for you to have access to legal representation in the form of myself…, to take leave of the process and re-engage at a subsequent occasion time… and believe that you can have access to representation.

“It doesn’t work like that. We are a part of the justice system and it ought to be respected,” declared Champagnie.

When asked if Sutherland was set to plead guilty ahead of the scheduled start to his trial, the attorney said he would not want to say “yes or no” to that question.

He said if Sutherland is brought back to court, he would not want to prejudice the matter, resulting in members of the public being “sensitised” relative to “a course of action”.

Bloomfield was found dead with multiple stab wounds at his home in Passley Gardens, Portland on the morning of February 2, 2019.

Sutherland was arrested by investigators assigned to the Major Investigative Division (MID) days later, but after denying knowledge of the murder, was initially released by the police.

He was re-arrested shortly after evidence reportedly linked him to the scene of the crime.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Rihanna has tapped Caribbean celebrities to participate in her upcoming Savage Fenty show.

Tobago-born Winston Duke and Sheryl Lee Ralph, whose parents are Jamaican, are among the stars featured in the fashion experience.

A release from Amazon said Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 would feature performances by global musical artists including Anitta, Burna Boy, Don Toliver, and Maxwell.

There will be special appearances from ?ngela Aguilar, Avani Gregg, Bella Poarch, Cara Delevingne, Damson Idris, Irina Shayk, Joan Smalls, Kornbread, Lara Stone, Lilly Singh, Marsai Martin, Precious Lee, Rickey Thompson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Simu Liu, Taraji P. Henson, Taylour Paige, Winston Duke, Zach Miko, and many more.

Rihanna dropped the lineup reveal via her Instagram account.

Speaking on the Jimmy Fallon show on Monday ahead of the second installment of the Black Panther movie, Duke revealed he would be a part of the show.

“The legs will be oiled and they will be out,” he said, “I will be a Savage Fenty man.”

During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, Ralph said that Rihanna called her to ask if she would walk in her show.

“This is no Victoria Secret fashion show baby, this is something on a different level. When I saw the choreography, when I and her vision and what she had walking through the mountains, I was like alright then,” she said.

Since its launch, the Savage X Fenty show has shaken up the industry with its diverse array of bodies and genders. Last year, the show won an Emmy award for its choreography.

Savage X Fenty show Vol 4 will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide from November 9.

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