Judicial Scoop: Bomb threat halted court proceedings in Spanish Town on Friday. Taxi operator gets two life sentences. Police responded to over 70 bomb threats in two days
ST CATHERINE PARISH COURT, Jamaica–A bomb threat halted activities in the St Catherine Court on Friday, November 10, 2023, and forced the postponement of several matters.
The authorities instructed all persons present to exit the buildings after receiving the threat via email.
Ancillary staff quickly placed desks and chairs in the park at Emancipation Square, where cases were called up and formally postponed.
Meanwhile, security personnel combed the area with sniffer dogs. In the end, nothing was detected.
An investigation is underway into the matter.
Andre Thomas gets two life sentences for two American missionaries’ murder.
HOME CIRCUIT COURT, KINGSTON, Jamaica–Andre Thomas, the taxi operator the Court found guilty of murdering two American missionaries in 2016, gets two life sentences.
Justice Leighton Pusey handed down the sentences Friday morning, November 10, 2023, in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston.
Thomas will become eligible for parole after serving 26 years.
On July 27, 2023, a panel of seven jurors unanimously found Thomas guilty of the 2016 double murder of two American missionaries in the Wentworth District in St Mary.
Thomas’ cousin and co-accused, 32-year-old Dwight Henry, pleaded guilty to the crimes in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston in January 2023. He was similarly sentenced to two life sentences and to serve 28 years in prison before being eligible for parole.
The bodies of Harold Nichols, 53, and Randy Hentzel, 48, were found in the Wentworth district, St Mary, on Saturday, April 30, 2016, and Sunday, May 1, 2016, respectively.
Police responded to over 70 bomb scare reports in two days.
KINGSTON, Jamaica–The Ministry of National Security says the security forces have responded to more than 70 reports of bomb threats between Thursday and Friday.
The incidents of threats targeted schools, health facilities, and courts.
The Ministry confirms that all the incidents have turned out to be hoaxes.
“While we are grateful that these were not actual threats, we must emphasize the significant strain such incidents place on our law enforcement resources, which are already in high demand,” the Ministry says.
Ministry of National Security
“The repercussions of these hoaxes are far-reaching, affecting the daily lives of many. They cause unwarranted fear, anxiety, and significant disruption to essential services and public order. We strongly condemn these acts of misinformation and false reporting,” it adds.
Ministry of National Security
The National Security Ministry appeals to everyone to refrain from participating in or propagating such hoaxes.
It warns that if law enforcement officers find anyone engaging in such activities, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.