A financial expert is calling on the Government to provide incentives to private citizens to trade on the Barbados Stock Exchange (BES), which he lamented, remains undersubscribed.

Against the backdrop of a two-way take over battle for Banks Holdings Limited (BHL) between the Trinidad and Tobago conglomerate ANSA McAL and the Brazilian-owned AMBEV, Investment Director at OurInterest Advisors Inc, Craig Harewood questioned the rate at which shares were sold on the exchange.

He argued that the listed share price was not on par with the value recorded on the companies’ books and blamed the low market value on the infrequent level of trading on the BSE.

Citing BHL as an example, Harewood noted that the initial offer made by SLU Beverages Limited was $4.00, way below the fair value, which was estimated by BHL’s valuator KPMG at $5.20.

Earlier in September, SLU Beverages acquired 13.1 million BHL Shares in a block trade after purchasing the shares at $2.49.

Director at OurInterest Advisors Inc, Craig Harewood

“The problem with the share price not reflecting the true value of BHL or other listed companies on the stock exchange had to do with the lack of trading. That lack of trading is caused by a few persons at no fault of their own,” Harewood said.

He pointed out that there were few large entities, trading on the BES and they were engaging in what he called “a buy-and-hold strategy”, which resulted in little movement on the stock exchange.

“It is one of concentration in that we have a few entities or persons owning most of everything and therefore the market is less efficient than it should be.”

Harewood said the problem could be corrected if private citizens were encouraged to trade on the stock exchange and he urged the Government and the BES to take a second look at the rules of raising capital.

“So for example if an investment company is raising capital via private placement in Barbados under our current legislation only certain entities who can invest over a hundred thousand dollars can participate, so we have to find ways to include smaller investors from an early stage.

“The only way to get the prices up on the exchange on a regular basis where they are trading at near share value is if we incentivize persons to trade. Basically, that would entail lowering the concentration between smaller investors and larger investors. The implication is that smaller investors would hold on to shares not for a long time period, maybe a year or two, and then sell them at a higher price for example. So that is how you would go about correcting it and the Barbados Stock Exchange and the Government would have to find ways to incentivize the public and dis-incentivize larger entities from holding on to the shares for too long.”

In an earlier interview with Barbados TODAY, noted economist and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Dr Justin Robinson, had also argued that infrequent trading on the BSE meant that stock prices were not being regularly updated to reflect the current book value and future growth potential of companies.

But amid the scrutiny, General Manager of the BSE Marlon Yarde insisted that share prices were determined by the interaction of investors and while he wanted to see “greater volumes” trading on the exchange, he pointed out that activity was up for the first nine months of the year.

“The total volume of shares traded increased by 284 per cent while total value of shares traded increased 456 per cent when compared with the corresponding period in 2014. The Regular and Put Through Markets recorded increases in terms of both volume and value while there was no activity on the Junior Market,” he told Barbados TODAY.

sandydeane@barbadostoday.bb

A young man charged with three sexual offences was yesterday warned by a Bridgetown magistrate to manage himself and keep away from the 15-year-old complainant.

Jamar Anderson Alleyne, of Farnums Land, Chapman Lane, St Michael is charged with raping a 15-year-old girl between April 1 and 30 this year, committing an act of serious indecency against her on May 25 and indecently assaulting the same complainant between June 1 and 28, 2015.

Magistrate Douglas Frederick read the indictable charges to Alleyne, after which the prosecutor said he had no objections to bail.

The magistrate queried that position, adding that he would need to hear some of the dynamics of the matter since there is a duty of law under the Sexual Offences Act, which bounds him to “protect persons of a tender age”.

At this point defence counsel Verla DePeiza rose and informed the court that the complainant is 15 and under her mother’s guidance while her client was “under the thumb of the law”.

The attorney explained that the girl was “a few months away from being 16” so although the two “could have waited”
they had not, “but that is human nature,” she said.

“Many girls that age don’t look it . . . he is 21 and he doesn’t look it,” DePeiza pointed out.

“The way the law is structured, two young people whether they consent to it or not, the law does not allow them to consent.”

She added that Alleyne had already been instructed to stay away from the complainant.

“Having been found out, he is the one facing the law court,” DePeiza said, stressing that the three-month span appearing on the charge sheets “suggests a certain type of relationship”.

The question of remand “is to address whether an accused person is a threat to society or society to the accused” which is not the instant case, the lawyer contended.

Magistrate Frederick ordered Alleyne to stay away from the girl, adding that the law is there “to protect young people from themselves”.

“Your responsibility is to manage yourself,” the magistrate told Alleyne, “even if she comes to you, you have to run away”.

The accused was granted $5 000 bail and his case adjourned until February 15.

The performance of the Barbados economy, which was forecast by Government to grow by one per cent this year, has not lived up to expectations.

As a result of this underperformance, the Central Bank today announced it had revised downwards the 2015 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth projections to 0.5 per cent.

At the end of June, the Central Bank said it was expecting growth of about one per cent this year, rising to a range of two to 2.5 per cent over the next three years.

The projected one per cent growth rate would have been the best performance in several years.

In his latest economic review and outlook, Central Bank Governor Dr DeLisle Worrell said the lower-than-expected performance was mainly due to the delayed implementation of more than US$500 million in private and Government-funded investment projects.

He explained that the island’s economic prospects depended heavily on the success of the Government’s medium-term programme for growth and fiscal adjustment.

“This strategy could reverse the slide in the country’s international credit rating, once it features fiscal deficits that fall below the growth rate of GDP, to reduce debt levels and the burden of interest costs,” said Worrell.

“Assuming that these projects will now be underway next year, growth rises to about one per cent in 2016 and two per cent thereafter. It is possible to improve significantly on these forecasts,” added Worrell.

“Factors that can make for much better performance include the improvement of administrative efficiency in the public service, initiatives to increase labour productivity and worker engagement, an aggressive policy of fiscal consolidation, more effective incentives and support for green energy and new and more appropriate financing of the development of the cultural and heritage sectors,” he said.

Total investment in hotels currently scheduled to be under construction in 2016 amounts to over US$500 million, to be spread over two to three years.

In addition, the private sector is awaiting approval of other commercial investment projects estimated at about US$50 million and there are potentially more economically significant investments in alternative energy, said Dr Worrell.

“Because these projects may save on fuel imports, they have the potential to multiply their impact on growth in much the same way that tourism does,” he went on.

There was a $144 million reduction in the fuel import bill for the first nine months of the year, representing about 20 per cent of annual imports. This was mainly responsible for the small decline in foreign payments for the first nine months of this year, when compared to the same period in 2014.

“The volume of fuels imported was eight per cent higher, but the average price was 41 per cent lower. Foreign income from services, including international business and financial services, has held steady since last year,” said Dr Worrell.

The Government’s principal economic adviser said over the years a widening gap had opened up between labour costs and productivity. He warned that a medium-term strategy for closing the gap “has to be placed high on the agenda for action by the Social Partnership”.

On the bright side, Dr Worrell said Barbados’ economy remained competitive by international standards and the quality of life remained high, making the country an attractive place to visit, retire and do business.

He also reported an “encouraging” 2015 performance from tourism, the island’s main foreign exchange earning sector, with arrivals increasing by 14.5 per cent up to the end of September, relative to the same period last year.

He said while growth in long-stay arrivals was “expected to moderate” following the significant restoration of airlift capacity from North Atlantic markets last winter season, the cruise tourism business was expected to get a major boost from an expansion in home-porting services at the Bridgetown Port.

“However, construction activity fell short of expectations, and the spillover effects to the retail and domestic services sectors were muted, resulting in growth of 0.3 per cent for the year so far. Average unemployment over the first half of the year was 12 per cent, and inflation, which is mainly imported, fell to 0.8 per cent in the 12 months ending July,” said Dr Worrell.

He said the foreign reserves had reverted to normal since the end of 2013, adding that, “all through 2014, and so far in 2015, foreign reserves have remained around the one billion dollar mark”.

At the end of September, the international reserves stood at $976 million, providing cover equivalent to about 14 weeks of imports of goods and services, he said.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

Magistrate Douglas Frederick today refused to give accused George Stephenson Springer personal bail or to throw out his case.

However, he assured Springer that if he could secure someone to stand as surety for him, he would consider granting him bail when he returns to court next month.

Springer, 54, of Chapman Village, St Thomas has been on remand for some time. He is charged with four April 2014 counts of fraud involving large sums of money, with one of them being $100 000.

If not personal bail, Springer asked the court to then consider an “acquittal” since “the prosecution is unable to proceed any further”.

Magistrate Frederick explained that the case “was not ripe for dismissal” at this stage and asked the prosecution to make every effort to get the file ready since he cannot “keep him in prison all the time”.

Springer’s case was adjourned until November 24.

Magistrate Douglas Frederick today refused to give fraud accused, George Stephenson Springer, personal bail or to throw out his case.

However, he assured Springer that if he could find someone to stand as surety for him, he would likely consider granting him bail when he returns to court next month.

Springer, 54, of Chapman Village, St Thomas has been on remand for some time. He is charged with four counts of fraud, allegedly committed in April 2014, and involving large sums of money,  including $100,000 in one case.

If not personal bail, Springer asked the court to then consider an “acquittal” since “the prosecution is unable to proceed any further.”

Magistrate Frederick responded by explaining that the case “was not ripe for dismissal” at this stage. He asked the prosecution to make every effort to get the file ready since he cannot “keep (Springer) in prison all the time.”

The matter was adjourned until November 24.

Pay up before any construction is carried out on private property compulsorily acquired by Government for the execution of public projects!

Opposition Senator Wilfred Abrahams made this call in the Senate today during debate on a resolution to compulsorily acquire a parcel of land at Durants, St James, to build a roadway which would facilitate access to a proposed nursery school on the site of the old St John the Baptist Boys’ School.

He said: “My issue is not with the use for which the land will be applied. It is in relation to the whole acquisition process. Somewhere in the last few years, in relation to the compulsory acquisition of land, it has become a burden.

“I say it is a burden because it is the ambition of every Barbadian to own a piece of the rock. So Barbadians acquire property. Everybody down the line hope to get piece of the estate. My point is, land in Barbados is almost sacrosanct.”

Referring to Section 6 of the Constitution Of Barbados, Abrahams noted that no one should be arbitrarily deprived of their property without adequate compensation. The practising attorney-at-law told fellow senators that in his work, he has come across many clients who have had their land compulsorily acquired without receiving compensation.

Abrahams noted that in some cases, there were disputes over the true market value of the land, but he contended that this should not be the case today when they are many competent valuers.

“We can understand the delay in paying compensation for land when there were few valuers in the country, but today there are many valuers in Barbados. There is no excuse for the delay in paying landlords whose properties were compulsorily acquired by Government.”

He suggested that a policy be put in place where the land is not used or converted until Government pays compensation to the landlord.

Teachers in Barbados need to be properly trained to recognize the substantial differences between boys and girls from an early age.

So says Independent Senator

Senator Alwyn Adams, who has warned that until this is done, boys will continue to be left behind from as early as the primary school level.

“Unless our teachers are trained to recognize the significant differences between boys and girls, especially since it manifests itself at an early age, unless that is recognized, we will increasingly find that in our schools as early as the primary school, we will be seeing a high number of disaffected, sometimes alienated and underachieving boys.

“The numbers are far too great. If we were to take some time out after praising the students who do very well at the 11-Plus and then look at the students who do not perform and are not performing well and then analyze it, what we would find is that the majority of those students are boys,” Adams explained.

He made the comments today during debate in the Senate on a resolution to acquire land for the construction of a road to the proposed Maria Holder Memorial Trust Nursery School in Durants Village, St James.

“I hope that the expansion and extension of the nursery schools would begin to address the problem so that within a reasonable time frame we would be able to see that that gap has been closed…,” said Adams, a retired principal of the Coleridge and Parry School.

Adams said he hoped to see the numbers of those underachieving students go down by half at least, as well as for the wide discrepancy in that group between boys and girls to be reduced.

Barbados is lagging behind other Caribbean states in terms of the achievement of universal early childhood education.

This acknowledgement from the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Senator Harry Husbands, in the Upper Chamber today while introducing a resolution in support of Government’s plans to construct a nursery at the site of the old St John the Baptist Boys’ School at Durant’s, St James.

Husbands told the Senate that the planned acquisition of land and construction of a nursery school at Durant’s, as well as five other nursery schools, would assist the Government in fulfilling its major aim of universal early childhood education.

Senator Harry Husbands

“Some of our sister territories in the region have already realised that dream of universal early childhood education,” he noted, adding that while “Barbados has excelled in other areas, this remains the one major area it is working assiduously to put in place”.

Stressing the critical importance of pre-school education to a child’s development, the Government senator said: “It is widely established in educational circles that the earlier one can hold young minds in a formal educational environment, especially children of lower socio-economic standing, the better it is for them in the long run.

“So nursery education can be seen as providing the absolute basis, not just for formal education, but the proper development of the society in general.”

The former educator told the Senate that the Ministry of Education sees the establishment of nursery schools as its way of ensuring that children can be children.

“There is a tendency nowadays where children are growing up extremely quickly,” he said, adding, “In the majority of cases it is not of their own doing.

“Adults have placed them in a position where they have to grow up extremely quickly. The nursery school provides that opportunity for children to play in a structured environment and spend part of their childhood being children,” Husbands said.

He noted, “There are many parts of the world where very young children are forced to enter the world of work. Fortunately, we are not in that position,” the Government senator said.

Husbands however warned parents that the facilities the Government was providing were not to be taken as a way of escaping their responsibility to the children.

“These are supplementary to the family and the family whatever form that family takes, if it is one parent family, it is a family and the parents have a responsibility to be the prime shapers of the children, allowing them to be children,” the education official said.

He lauded the Maria Holder Memorial Trust for its contribution to the construction of the first pre-school at Sharon School, which currently caters to the needs of 120 children.

He also disclosed that the Trust has volunteered to train the teachers in early childhood education, noting that the first batch had already been trained, with the second cohort about to be trained.

Husbands also revealed that the Maria Holder Trust had also volunteered to offer a postgraduate certificate programme in early childhood education. (NC)   

In what he described as “a rare occasion,” High Court judge Olson Alleyne has reprimanded and discharged a man whom police found with two guns and ammunition at his home two years ago.

Charles Wendell Pile, of The Mount, St George, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to having two .32 revolvers and 16 bullets on September 27, 2013 when police executed a search warrant at his home.   

Justice Alleyne found that Pile had already lost “time on remand, his job and status”. Therefore, he opined, no useful purpose would be served by “exacting further any penalty” from the former Central Bank of Barbados security chief.

Additionally, the judge noted, Pile is already voluntarily performing community service.    

The sentence was handed down in the No. 4 Supreme Court this morning.

Principal Crown Counsel Elwood Watts, who presented the prosecution’s case, had outlined that when lawmen went to Pile’s residence, he directed them to a safe where they found the ammunition, for which he did not have a valid permit.

He had 66 bullets but, as the prosecutor explained, the law allows one to have a maximum of 50 bullets at any one time. Pile therefore had exceeded the lawful amount by 16.

According to the prosecutor, the security officer had also directed police to where he kept two revolvers which were not “currently licensed;” one belonged to himself for which he had not renewed the license since 2009; the other to his deceased aunt.

Handing down the sentence, Justice Alleyne stated that he considered Pile’s favourable presentencing report which “contains no negative features,” his remorse, and that he was considered as being at
a low-risk of reoffending.

Alleyne also referred to the testimony of character witnesses Mary Redman and Livingston Headley who, between them, described Pile as an honest, sincere, responsible, straightforward, no-nonsense man.

Further, Pile’s “national contribution to cycling”
was taken into consideration, along with the fact that
it was one of few occasions when “counsel on both sides of the adversarial divide” agreed that a guilty person be reprimanded and discharged.

In speaking to Pile, though, Justice Alleyne informed him that the offences were serious “and can attract a lengthy sentence” but even though that was so, “imprisonment is not automatic.”

Alleyne explained that he had a duty to “tier a sentence to ensure that the ends of justice are met
in each particular case.”

“In my view, you displayed ignorance in keeping the firearm which belonged to your aunt…and showed
a surprising lack of judgement in allowing your firearm
to go unlicensed for the length of time that you did.”

Part of the judge’s determination was influenced
by Pile’s “hitherto impeccable record” and there being no evidence that he had used the firearms or intended to do so “for nefarious purposes”.

Pile was represented by attorney-at-law Arthur Holder.

Risk management came under the microscope yesterday as accountants and other business professionals were reminded that no business or sector was immune to risks.

And vice president of international market for Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Canada, Nancy Foran, is urging business operators and Government officials to put the necessary systems in place to help them identify risks and manage them while remaining transparent.

Foran was speaking to Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of a risk analysis and mitigation strategies seminar at the Hilton Barbados, which focused on enterprise risk management.

Pointing out that risk management was critical for any individual, private sector, non-governmental and Government organizations, the accounting official said because risks were often seen as negative, people would avoid doing the activities they deemed risky.

However, she said, sometimes the greatest opportunities came about when one took risks.

Nancy Foran

“So expanding into a new product line, expanding into a new market, perhaps engaging in an area of business that is new to you, it is all very risky; but if you can look at what makes it inherently risky, and what maybe you can do to prevent some of those negative consequences . . . , then you have what we called residual risk; and that is what you really want to manage,”
she explained.

Foran, who is based in Canada but has been doing work in the local market over the last eight years, acknowledged that making certain adjustments was not usually easy, but urged business operators to train staff when they have to make adjustments within their organizations to manage or mitigate risks.

“I would always encourage any organization whether it be for profit, or not for profit, Government or what have you, to always make sure it is transparent as possible in its reporting and disclose all of those factors that are required for decision making,” she said, adding that every sector was vulnerable if the risks were ignored.

“Look at the oil and gas industry. Who would have expected that oil [price] was going down so quickly. All of these industries that we thought were very much protected are not. Government is no different,” she warned.

“What happens if you have a global trigger that hits you here in Barbados? It may affect your tourism industry. So I don’t think any industry is ever protected from risk. You always have to be on top of it, and [be able] to identify what things could happen, and how they will impact your business –– however remote and however likely,” added Foran.

During the one-day seminar, participants were made better aware of how to identify risks in their organizations, the likelihood of risks, the impact, and how to reduce the impact or the consequences of those risks.

Executive partner of the management consulting firm Performance Measurement & Management, Brett Knowles, said risks stood to “erode the value in an organization and in government”, and therefore should not be taken lightly.

Brett Knowles

“So it is important that any organization identify what the risks are and determine how much money and resources it can consume in reducing the risk,” he said.

Knowles said it was also important that operators looked at what had happened in the past and put systems in place should they occur again, pointing out that accountants were “scorekeepers” and therefore had a very important role to play in indentifying and determining if and what resources should be invested in mitigating risks.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding an early morning accident which claimed the life of 24-year-old Suleman Ekalvava.

Ekalvava, of George Street, Belleville, St Michael was involved in a crash around 12:55 along the west bound lanes of the Barrow Section of the ABC Highway between the Clyde Walcott and Everton Weeks roundabouts.

According to reports, Ekalvava, the driver of the motorcycle, lost control and struck a barrier. He died on the spot.

Investigations led to the closure of that section of the highway, but it has since been reopened.

An elderly man who went missing for over three days has been found.

Police have confirmed that Glenville Louis Norville, 65, of Seaman Village, Brittons Hill, St. Michael, has been located and is now safe.

Norville had last been seen in the area of the First Caribbean Bank, Rendezvous, Christ Church around 8:20 a.m. on Monday.

The police thanks the public and the media for their invaluable assistance.

The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has embarked on a major project to improve lighting in The City as part of its efforts to breathe new life into the country’s capital.

Through its Revitalization Of Bridgetown Initiative, in partnership with Caribbean LED Lighting, the BCCI will be seeking to address the issue, which has been identified by stakeholders as a major problem.

Executive director Lisa Gale said the initiative was also one of the objectives of the BCCI’s council to advance the green economy.

“This project will reduce The City’s carbon footprint, improve sustainability and reduce energy use. We have therefore partnered with Caribbean LED Lighting to install energy efficiency LED streetlights within The City and its environs. LED lights appear brighter than traditional street lights, have longer life-span, lower maintenance costs and greater energy savings,” said Gale.

LED lights will be installed on private buildings within the UNESCO World Heritage Site and connected to the electrical panel of the respective businesses. The streets which have been identified span over 25 regularly travelled streets and will also cover alleys in The City.

The project should result in better lighting for shoppers, workers and businesses during late hours, especially over the Christmas season. Improved lighting will be along the main streets and car parks.

Gale did not disclose how many bulbs would be installed or the cost associated with the project.

However, she pointed out that improved lighting was expected to “alleviate concerns highlighted by the Royal Barbados Police Force and have a positive economic impact on retail, food and beverage, entertainment and cultural sub sectors after regular business hours”.

In a release today the BCCI said the lighting project would assist with achieving the Revitalization Of Bridgetown Initiative’s primary goal of developing projects and activities to protect and grow the existing 1,400 businesses and 7,000 employees in The City, while providing an environment for new job and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The project would also further the efforts to transform Bridgetown into a 24-hour city to expand the island’s economic base and promote international competitiveness, it said.

“Participating companies are eligible for a 100 per cent tax rebate under Section 12E of the Income Tax Act, which Government has provided to all companies that make cash contributions to the Revitalization Of Bridgetown Initiative through the Tourism Development Corporation of Barbados,” said Gale, explaining that although the tax rebate has been reduced many businesses could still benefit from the opportunity to install LED street light fittings.

“Businesses can opt to sponsor the purchase and installation of lights on an entire street or streets, or a set of lights within a given area,” she added.

It is hoped that the improved lighting would encourage more pedestrian traffic and an increase in social activities while contributing to a safer and more pleasant city.

“The BCCI is therefore very pleased to be a part of this venture, which will help it to achieve a more diverse city, attracting more tourists and locals,” said Gale.
(PR/MM)

Local and regional officials in the financial services sector are being urged to be more proactive when it comes to addressing issues affecting the sector.

“We usually sit and wait for others to make the decision for us,” said Minister of Industry and International Business Donville Inniss. “We only answer when we are asked a question; and even then we answer late,” he added.

Inniss made the comments at the recent Caribbean Banking and Caribbean International Financial Services Sector Workshop in Curaçao.

The workshop was a precursor to the Global Forum of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) scheduled for Bridgetown tomorrow and Friday.

Likening the rules set by international establishments to a form of neocolonialism, Inniss said: “Each of these institutions has its own set of rules, and we are constantly trying to play by them so that we don’t lose our correspondent banking relationships
or don’t get blacklisted. We need to change this.

“We have to build regional partnerships and identify issues and solutions long before international entities ask us any questions. We must start sending the message that we are knowledgeable, responsible and engaged,” said Inniss.

During the seminar, participants were encouraged to push for a regional secretariat to be established that would advocate and formulate policies for the region.

In his contribution, board member of Florida International Banker’s Association (FIBA), Wayne Shah, agreed that the Caribbean should be more engaged and present at various discussions while ensuring it played by the rules.

“The Caribbean needs to work on a coordinated response. The Caribbean financial services sector should partner with countries in Latin America and other regions to get the mainstream media in the US to cover their plight in its true light,” said Shah. (PR/MM)

Senior Technical Officer of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council Paul Puckerin is reporting a significant demand for the services of that standards and qualifications body.

And he has promised that officials of the TVET Council would continue to review the programmes in order to maintain high quality.

Among other things, the TVET Council is the awarding body for the National and Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (NCVQs) and the industry setting body for industry practices in Barbados.

“Since the launch of our NCVQ programme in May 2012 and with the stimuli of the Competency Based Training Fund in 2014 we have seen a significant demand for our services. We have had an increase from ten approved centres to 53, of which 26 are now training and delivering NCVQs across Barbados,” Puckering told the fourth graduation ceremony for the Youth in Agriculture Farm Programme, yesterday.

Puckering stressed that although the programme was “rapidly expanding every year” officials of the TVET Council were cognizant of the need to ensure the high quality was maintained.

He added that as a result of the increasing demand for the TVET Council’s services officials have started to embark on “a development of a malpractice and procedures policy, which when finalized, will seek to set the framework for how the quality of training and assessment within a centre must be maintained and protect the integrity of our status and awarding body”.

He stated that every effort would be made to carry out a full review of the programme at the end of this year to identify areas for improvement, and ensure that special plans were put in place for 2016.

Jason Lamont Batson was given six months in which to pay the court $10 000, or he will have to spend two years in jail.

The 33-year-old carpenter, of Ivy, St. Michael pleaded guilty to five drug charges before Magistrate Douglas Frederick last month and was remanded until yesterday, when he reappeared in court.

The facts which Station Sergeant Neville Watson outlined were that a warrant was executed at Batson’s home on September 29.

Police found two plastic bags containing cannabis atop a chest of drawers, while in the yard the lawmen also came across 18 seedlings ranging from two to eight inches in height, growing in a plant pot.

Additionally they found three four-feet plants in the yard, weighing four pounds in total.

Mitigating on behalf of Batson, attorney-at-law Dennis Headley said that his client had “accepted responsibility early for these transgressions” and asked the court “to show mercy” on Batson.

Headley asked the court to take into consideration that the quantity was not “a high amount in terms of poundage or value”.

He added that the convicted man is a father of two who supported his children and had been gainfully employed as a carpenter for the last seven years. Batson also coached football to children in the Ivy area, he said.

However Magistrate Douglas Frederick queried why Batson “keeps getting into drug matters”.

The magistrate then referred to the fact that Batson had already been fined by other magistrates $10 000, $5 000 and another $500 for drugs. “So the question is where does this stop?” Frederick said.

The lawyer asked the court to consider the Penal Reform Act, but the magistrate felt that “if he (Batson) has already been fined, the court has to run out of those options at some point. Are you going to put another fine on a fellow like him?” Frederick asked.

Headley responded that going forward, should Batson not “adhere to this court, then he’s on his own.”

“Your history shows you have been involved in drugs habitually,” Frederick told Batson, “You can’t be doing these things and then claiming you have two children. Stop doing these things in the first place. And I hope that you won’t go and sell more drugs to get the money,” the magistrate stressed.

Former Commanding Officer of the Barbados Coast Guard, Major Sean Reece, was laid to rest this afternoon.

Reece’s family and friends, as well as military personnel and representatives from the government and opposition, including Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite and Opposition leader Mia Mottley, gathered at the Abundant Life Assembly on Bank Hall, St Michael to bid him farewell to the 56-year-old who was found dead in his apartment earlier this month with a gunshot wound to the head.

Pall bearers carrying Reece’s casket into the church.

In a tribute from the military, Lieutenant Colonel, Atheline Branch described the late Commanding Officer as a “gentleman in many ways” who gave over three decades of service to the military.

“Reece was a man of duty and a man for duty. He believed in duty and he took it seriously, very seriously. Whenever or wherever duty called or danger was to be found, he was never wanting there. He had always answered the call of duty,” Branch said.

She told the congregation that Reece excelled academically at Harrison College and later won an exhibition, but had a burning desire to attend the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.

Having completed studies at the University of Reading, he was sent to Sandhurst where he successfully completed his initial officer training.

Reece’s open casket at the Abundant Life Assembly

Branch said during his long career Reece held the position of Staff Officer Operations and Training where he was responsible for the planning, directing and controlling and co-ordinating the operations and training of the force, among others, before assuming the office of Commanding Officer of the Barbados Coast Guard.

Reece was a military officer of nearly 30 years’ experience, was a member of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) from 1982 until his retirement in December 2011.

Following the two hour service, Reece’s mortal remains were interred at the Military Cemetery, Gravesend, St Michael.

A Trinidadian man had to part with BD$30,000 yesterday, after the fine was imposed on him by Acting Chief Magistrate Christopher Birch at the District ‘C’ Magistrates’ Court.

Russell Philip Charles James pleaded guilty last week to possession, importation, trafficking and intent to supply 2.19 kilograms of cocaine on October 16.

Sergeant Azel Skeete told the court that police saw James along St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church, pulling a suitcase. He began acting suspiciously when he saw police and they stopped him. He consented to a search and that was when lawmen realised that his suitcase carried a false bottom.

James apologised to the court yesterday, after explaining that a man here promised him money for bringing the cocaine into Barbados.

He was fined $15,000 each for importation and possession, while he was reprimanded and discharged for trafficking. He was also convicted, reprimanded and discharged for intending to supply the substance.

James was handed over to immigration officials for deportation. (SD)

Residents of Edey Village, Christ Church can look forward to “reliable, dependable and safe service” from December 1, when the Barbados Transport Authority launches the Transport Authority Service Integration (TASI) pilot project.

Addressing a public meeting at the St. David’s Anglian Church, Transport Board Director Alex Linton told the audience: “there are some deficiencies in the current system to this route by Transport Board and we are trying to correct those by enhancing the service provision in this area.”

The six-month project will be also applied to the Sturges, St. Thomas and Martins Bay, St. John routes.

A section of the audience at today’s meeting.

Under the TASI project, the services of publicly operated and privately owned transportation will be integrated under one entity.

However Linton stressed that the project will only deal with the services provided, and has “nothing to do with their ownership or capitalisation”.

Linton noted that with 20 percent of Barbadians relying on public transportation, the island was well below the international standard of 95 percent reliability.

“Customers are not satisfied…we need to correct that properly. We want to….realise effective coordination and regulation.

“What we are trying to achieve, [is] enhanced reliability, that is the number one problem we have been hearing from people through generations,” Linton explained.

Officials of the Transport Board hosted a public meeting to discuss the Transport Authority Service Integration (TASI) pilot project, to begin on December 1.

The project will also aid in easing the competition for customers between route taxis, minibuses and the Transport Board buses.

“Instead of having that competitive behaviour with the private operators jumping two to three minutes ahead of a Transport Board bus and going down the road, we now have them scheduled…maybe 10 minutes ahead…he don’t (sic) need to speed or do any of those foolish things to try and get customers, he knows he has a time slot to work under,” Linton said.

He added that the regulations upheld by the Transport Board will also be implemented by the privately owned service vehicles. Those vehicles carrying the TASI logo will follow the standardised stipulated free bus fares for pensioners and school children.

Pensioners and school children will continue to ride for free under the TASI project.

He also stated that drivers and conductors will be trained in customer service and defensive driving.

Coordinator and board member of the Barbados Transport Authority, Junior Jordan added, “the idea is for you, to be totally comfortable once this pilot project is launched bright and early as scheduled December 1^st, so have no fear the persons will be trained with you in mind to deliver each and every one of you to your destinations…safely.” (KK)

The residents of the parish of St Philip pride themselves on having an identity of their own which emphasises community spirit, and it came to the fore tonight when hundreds of the residents of that eastern parish turned up at Long Bay to join in a candlelight vigil for the four young ladies who lost their lives early Sunday morning in a horrific car accident on Two Mile Hill, St Michael.

Heading the procession, which ended a few metres away from the home which cousins Shakira Sheperd and Shameka Shepherd shared with other relatives, were St Philip North MP Michael Lashley and St Philip South MP Adriel Brathwaite.

It was at this location that the heads of the religious denominations which cater to the spiritual needs of the Long Bay community offered prayers for the departed and paid tribute in song.

Residents sang hymns in memory of the accident victims.

Pastor in charge of the Salvation Army Church in Long Bay, Envoy John Coultrust, remembered the two cousins as smiling young girls who grew up in the district.

Coultrust told the grieving relatives that the members of his church were willing to share their pain because they felt as if they were part of their family.

Later, members of the Salvation Army choir paid tribute in song to the departed souls with the rendition of two hymns “Strength” and “Power of Your Love”.

Another church choir from the surrounding district also paid tribute in song with “My God is Awesome” and “How Great Thou Art”.

National songbird Kareen Clarke moved some members of the crowd to tears with a smooth rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer”.

St Philip residents turned out in their numbers to remember four of their own who died on Sunday morning.

Also attending tonight’s candlelight vigil and prayer session were Pastor in charge of Restoration Ministries Reverend Dr David Durant, who resides at Fortesque, St Philip; St George North MP Gline Clarke and Barbados Labour Party caretaker for the St Philip North constituency Indar Weir.

Meanwhile, in a brief address to the crowd, Brathwaite said the tragic passing of the four young women brought back memories of the loss of his son, Adondre Brathwaite, who drowned in St Croix at the tender age of 14 on October 14, 2013.

Recalling the tragic death of his son, Brathwaite said he began to question how a God who sees everything and knows everything could allow his son to die under such circumstances.

“I questioned God and asked,  ;How is it that a God who sees everything and knows everything could have taken my 14-year-old from me?’.  I was annoyed. There are times when I am still annoyed, but then there are times when I give praise and say, ‘thank you God for the 14 years Lord. Thank you for the fact that I was able to have such a beautiful child.’ He passes by me every once in a while and says hello, because the memories are there. In fact, if two or three days pass and I do not think of him, I am saddened. I still keep him close to me by doing things we shared together,” the Attorney General said.

In an equally brief address, Lashley reminded the crowd that it was not a case of St Philip North or South, but one big St Philip family sharing in the grief of some homes.

The Minister of Transport and Works told the crowd that tonight represents the love, the regard and the  respect they have for each other and the four young ladies who died.

Three young members of the community remember the late Shameka and Shakira Shepherd, Waveney Johnson and Carey Brathwaite.

“The country was shocked, the country was shattered, by that tragic incident on Sunday morning. Not only does this incident touch me as a representative, but it also touches me personally given the fact that Carmale, Waveney Johnson’s mother is extremely close to my family. She is like an adopted sister in my family. I want to say to everyone tonight that we must continue in the way we are going, in that we must show and continue to show the love and continue to comfort the families,” Lashley said.

He announced that just 30 minutes before he began to speak, he received a call indicating that Nakisha Shepherd, the lone survivor of Sunday’s accident, who remains hospitalised, has “tremendous hope of recovery”. (NC)