Hashtag: #MagistratesAndSupremeCourt
Court Dismisses Appeal From Man Asleep In Car
The Court has dismissed an appeal from Sabur Burrows – who was convicted after being found asleep in his car — stating it “sees no reason to disturb the Magistrate’s finding and the sentence he imposed.” The ruling said, “Mr. Burrows was found at 3.30 a.m. on 26th June 2020 asleep in his car in an area of Harmony Close, South... Read more of this article
Man Charged With Murder Of Keith Gordon
A 45-year-old man appeared in Magistrate’s Court today [June 27] in connection with the murder of 70-year-old Keith Gordon. Clinton Smith was not required to enter a plea as the charges must be heard in the Supreme Court. He was remanded in custody and is set to reappear during the Supreme Court Arraignment Session on August 1st. Related Stories CAA... Read more of this article
Cannonier & Watson Trial Starts In Court
The trial for Sophia Cannonier and Michael Watson, who are accused of allegedly breaking Covid-19 quarantine rules, got underway earlier this week, with a number of supporters outside as the trial commenced. The couple have put forward the view that since they had had tests which showed they had “robust levels of antibodies” there should be consideration... Read more of this article
Court: Suspended Sentence For Willful Damage
A man who pleaded guilty to willful damage in connection with car fires was given a suspended sentence, with the Judge noting the accused was the recent victim of a burgled home shortly prior to his commission of the offence and he was unable to retrieve his medication. Justis Iris appeared before the Court for sentence following his guilty pleas... Read more of this article
Court Rules ‘Mailboxes Has Sufficient Interest’
The Supreme Court of Bermuda has declined an application from the Government to ‘set aside the grant of leave,’ and ruled that Mailboxes ‘has sufficient interest’ to be ‘granted leave to commence judicial review proceedings.’ The ruling said, “On 24 November 2021 I granted Mailboxes leave to bring judicial... Read more of this article
Proceedings Shall Be Tried Before Another Judge
Supreme Court Justice Shade Subair Williams has recused herself from the court proceedings related to former Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, with the ruling — which was the second application – saying, “I grant the application for my recusal and direct that these proceedings shall be tried before another judge.” The ruling [PDF] said,... Read more of this article
‘Interesting Solution, Not Entirely Problem Free’
Considering sentencing discounts of up to 30% in “applicable cases where the defendant enters an early guilty plea is certainly an interesting solution” as an “early and unequivocal guilty plea by a defendant benefits society as whole and our justice system,” however it “is not entirely problem free,” OBA MP Scott... Read more of this article
Temporary Sentence Discounts On Guilty Pleas
A notice has detailed a “temporary policy of sentence discounts on guilty pleas” which is “intended to assist in the clearing of the backlog” and states that the “Court will strongly consider applying an additional sentencing discount of up to 30% in cases” where people “unequivocally accept their guilt in... Read more of this article
Court Dismisses Case About School Covid Policy
The Court has dismissed an “application for judicial review and constitutional relief” in a case brought about the Covid testing policy in schools, in effect ruling on the Education Ministry’s side. The ruling said, “These judicial review proceedings relate to the decision by the Minister for Education [“the Minister” or “the... Read more of this article
Court: Man Found Guilty Of Murdering MP Amess
A man has been found guilty in a British court of murdering Sir David Amess. a British MP who served as the Chair of the Britain-Bermuda All-Party Parliamentary Group. The BBC website reported, “An IS fanatic has been found guilty of murdering Sir David Amess MP. The Southend West MP was stabbed more than 20 times during a constituency surgery... Read more of this article
Former U.S. State Department Employee Jailed
A Washington DC-based former U.S. State Department employee was sentenced to 12 months in an American prison for “conspiring to commit honest services fraud” in relation to a security upgrade to be performed at the U.S. Consulate in Bermuda. A statement from the U.S. Justice Department said, “May Salehi, a former State Department... Read more of this article
Photos & Video: Supreme Court Special Sitting
[Updated with video] Today [April 7], the Supreme Court of Bermuda held a Special Sitting to commemorate the retirement of The Hon. Mrs. Justice Charles-Etta G. Simmons, Puisne Judge of the Supreme Court for Bermuda. The Sitting was held in Court No. 1, Sessions House. A Government spokesperson said, “Today, the Supreme Court of Bermuda held a... Read more of this article
Court Circular: Provision Of Court Services
The Registrar for the Courts of Bermuda has released Court Circular No. 3 of 2022, regarding the provision of Court services. The official circular, dated April 1st, says, “This Practice Direction is issued further to Circular 01 of 2022. It should be noted that the health, safety and welfare of the Members of the Public, as well as Court Administrative... Read more of this article
Court: Grant Leave To Appeal Against Sentence
“I would regard 25 years as the appropriate sentence in this case, and would therefore grant leave to appeal against sentence and allow a variation of sentence from 30 years’ imprisonment to one of 25 years,” the ruling said. The ruling said, “Josef Vlcek arrived in Bermuda on 23 September 2017 on board a commercial flight from London. He is... Read more of this article
Appeals Court Ruling On Municipal Reform Bill
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Municipal Reform Bill “if enacted will not contravene section 9 of the Constitution” and has dismissed the appeal brought by the Corporation of Hamilton. The ruling said, “The Corporation of Hamilton contended before the Chief Justice that the decision of the Government of Bermuda to convert the... Read more of this article
Court: Man Pleads Guilty To Killing His Father
28-year-old Tyshaun Brown pleaded guilty to killing his father Amon Brown in a stabbing incident in July, 2020. Speaking on the ZBM broadcast, Police Detective Sergeant Jason Smith said, “There are no winners in this case “The family is distraught, understandably, and at least today there is some satisfaction that justice has been served. This... Read more of this article
