分类： society

An unexpected turn of events unfolded at an Antiguan secondary school this Friday, when a routine backpack inspection triggered by a concerned father’s report of a missing kitchen knife led to the discovery of suspected illegal drugs.

The incident began when the parent of a 14-year-old student reached out to school administration, reporting that a small kitchen knife had vanished from their family home earlier that week. Worried that his son may have accidentally or intentionally brought the weapon onto school grounds, the father requested that staff immediately search the teenager’s backpack to address any potential safety risks to the school community.

When school personnel conducted the requested search, no kitchen knife was located inside the bag. However, their search uncovered a hidden, sealed plastic bag that contained a quantity of material suspected to be cannabis, a prohibited controlled substance under Antigua and Barbuda law.

School administrators moved quickly to notify law enforcement, alerting the national Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to the find shortly before 10 a.m. that same morning. Investigating officers were dispatched to the school site without delay, where they seized the suspected cannabis as evidence and took possession of the student’s backpack for further forensic testing.

Following the seizure, the 14-year-old student was brought to CID headquarters for formal questioning, with his mother present to accompany him throughout the interview process, as required by local juvenile justice protocols. According to anonymous law enforcement sources, the teenager has claimed he is innocent of any knowledge of the drugs: he told investigators he had left his bag in the care of another person earlier that day when he stepped out to purchase sweets, and had no idea the cannabis had been hidden inside his belongings.

As of the latest update, CID investigators have not announced any charges against the student or any other individual connected to the incident. The case remains active, with authorities continuing to trace the origin of the suspected cannabis and identify any other people potentially involved in the incident.

A landmark ruling from the Industrial Court of Antigua and Barbuda has delivered justice to a mother wrongfully pushed out of her job after taking maternity leave, awarding her more than $61,000 in damages and back pay from local hospitality venue Sheer Rocks Restaurant and Bar.

The case centered on Joshuanette Francis, who built a five-year career with the establishment starting in 2016, working her way up from entry-level staff to the position of Junior Supervisor. When Francis gave birth in 2020, management removed her name from the work roster that October, cutting off her access to shifts before she even began her legally mandated maternity leave. When her leave concluded in November 2021, the restaurant refused to give Francis her job back, and never issued a formal written termination notice to explain the decision, leaving her unemployed and in the dark about her employment status.

In the final judgment handed down on 22 May 2026, the court confirmed that the restaurant had violated clear provisions laid out in Antigua and Barbuda’s Labour Code, which requires employers to reinstate workers to their positions after they complete maternity leave. The ruling labeled Francis’s removal from the roster as “harsh and oppressive”, emphasizing that the employer offered zero communication or justification for its actions after Francis welcomed her child.

Breaking down the total award of $61,118.32, the compensation covers lost wages, accrued unused vacation pay, loss of statutory employment protection, required pay in lieu of notice, legal costs, and exemplary damages. Of that total, $20,000 was allocated to exemplary damages, a designation the court approved after finding the restaurant acted knowingly: management had already processed and approved all required documentation for Francis’s maternity benefits, meaning it was fully aware of its legal obligation to reinstate her, yet still chose to exclude her from the roster permanently. The court has ordered the full amount to be paid to Francis no later than 30 June 2026.

Speaking to reporters following the ruling, Francis called the decision a long-awaited win after years of navigating the legal process. She used the moment to encourage other working people who face similar discriminatory treatment after pregnancy or maternity leave to assert their legal rights and seek justice.

Francis was represented in court by legal advisors Samuel A. James and Simon Leonard from the Antigua and Barbuda Free Trade Union, which supported her through the four-year legal battle. The case sets a new public precedent for enforcing maternity protections for hospitality workers across the Eastern Caribbean.

A landmark workplace ruling from Antigua and Barbuda’s Industrial Court has delivered justice to a working mother who was unlawfully removed from her job following childbirth, ordering the defendant hospitality business to pay more than $61,000 in damages and back pay.

Joshuanette Francis, who first joined the team at Sheer Rocks Restaurant and Bar in 2016 and worked her way up to the position of Junior Supervisor, was abruptly taken off the establishment’s work roster in October 2020, shortly before she welcomed her child. What followed was more than five years of legal wrangling to hold her former employer accountable for violating basic maternity protections enshrined in local labor law.

During court proceedings, the tribunal heard critical details that exposed the unfairness of the restaurant’s actions: no formal termination letter was ever issued to Francis, and when her legally mandated maternity leave concluded in November 2021, the business refused to reinstate her to her role. The court’s final judgment, delivered publicly on 22 May 2026, confirmed that Sheer Rocks failed to uphold its clear legal obligation under the country’s Labour Code, which requires employers to restore workers to their positions following the end of approved maternity leave.

In the ruling, the court sharply criticized the restaurant’s conduct, labeling the dismissal of Francis as both harsh and oppressive. Tribunal members noted that after Francis gave birth, the employer cut off all communication with her and never provided any formal explanation for removing her from the roster, leaving her without income or job security during a vulnerable period.

The total compensation awarded to Francis amounts to $61,118.32, covering a range of losses incurred over the years of her unemployment. The breakdown includes back pay for lost wages, accrued unused vacation pay, compensation for loss of employment protection, required statutory notice pay, exemplary damages, and coverage for her legal costs. The court has ordered the full amount to be paid to Francis no later than 30 June 2026.

Of the total award, $20,000 is designated as exemplary damages, a designation the court made after concluding that Sheer Rocks’ management acted with full knowledge of its obligations. The business had already completed all the official documentation required to process Francis’s maternity benefits, meaning leadership was fully aware of her protected status as a maternity leave employee yet still chose to unlawfully exclude her from the work roster.

In an interview following the release of the judgment, Francis emphasized that the ruling was more than a personal victory—it was a win for all working mothers facing similar mistreatment. After a years-long legal battle, she said the outcome has vindicated her decision to fight for her rights, and she is encouraging other workers who face pregnancy or maternity-related discrimination to come forward and assert their legal protections.

Francis was represented throughout the proceedings by Samuel A. James and Simon Leonard, legal representatives of the Antigua and Barbuda Free Trade Union, which supported her effort to hold the employer accountable. The case sets a clear public precedent for enforcing maternity rights in the country’s hospitality sector, one of the region’s largest employers of working women.

A member of the public has spoken out to question how police responded to two separate sightings of a woman reportedly carrying a large blade in a public area on Friday, warning that a potential safety hazard was left unaddressed.

The witness first caught sight of the individual just before 9 a.m. in the Liberta district. According to their account, the woman was dressed in a bikini top paired with denim jeans, and was positioned close to a local fresh produce stall, clutching what the observer described as a sizable knife. Worried that the open carrying of the weapon put nearby community members at risk, the resident immediately went to the Liberta Police Station to file an official report.

Despite the visit, the resident claims that while an on-duty officer recorded their name and contact telephone number, no formal incident report was logged into police systems. Several hours after the first encounter, the same resident crossed paths with the same woman again, this time close to the main entry point of All Saints. They further allege that the woman remained in possession of the large knife, and was seen throwing a vehicle hubcap directly into an active roadway while moving traffic was passing through the area.

In response to this second, more dangerous incident, the resident placed an emergency call to 911, which was subsequently routed to the All Saints Police Station. Officers were given clear directions to the woman’s exact location to enable them to intervene. The resident later returned to the Liberta Police Station to share details of the second sighting as an update to their original report, but once again, they claim no notes of the new information were taken, and no officer asked for additional context or evidence to support their claims.

To date, the allegations made by the resident have not been independently confirmed by third-party outlets or official investigations. It also remains unclear whether responding police officers ever successfully located the woman, or made contact with her to question her about the reported incidents. Frustrated by the perceived lack of action, the resident chose to reach out to local media to highlight their concerns, arguing that what they view as a potentially dangerous public situation has not received the urgent attention it deserves.