标签： Bahamas

A Grand Bahama magistrate has sentenced Kenneth Farrington to 30 months imprisonment for a brutal, unprovoked attack on school principal Simone Butler-Cornish, who expressed both relief and disappointment at the judicial outcome while extending forgiveness to her assailant.

The assault occurred in June 2025 at McLean’s Town School in East End, Grand Bahama, when Farrington entered Ms. Butler-Cornish’s classroom under the pretext of requesting a student’s report card. As the educator turned to retrieve the document, Farrington struck her in the head with a metal pipe, causing significant injury. In testimony, Ms. Butler-Cornish described her desperate escape strategy: fleeing the classroom, collapsing outside, and feigning death to halt the attack.

Magistrate Charlton Smith delivered the sentence after considering Farrington’s criminal history, notably a prior assault conviction in 2022 for which he served 18 months. The magistrate characterized this previous offense as an aggravating factor in sentencing decisions.

The courtroom proceedings revealed troubling details about the attack and its aftermath. During trial, Farrington initially declined to apologize directly to his victim, instead proclaiming love for his fiancé seated in the gallery. Only after repeated prompting from the magistrate did he offer a tentative apology, stating, ‘Yes, I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.’

Prosecutor Superintendent Veron Rolle presented five witnesses, including the victim, school staff, law enforcement officers, and medical personnel. Evidence confirmed that Farrington admitted to the assault and assisted police in recovering the weapon used in the attack.

Educational authorities expressed mixed reactions to the sentencing. Steven McPhee, president of the Bahamas Educators Managerial Union, acknowledged the difficulty of accepting the sentence given the attack’s severity and Farrington’s criminal record. The union now focuses on ensuring comprehensive psychological and financial support for Ms. Butler-Cornish, including potential relocation to a safer educational environment.

District Superintendent Maneica Pratt described the prolonged legal process as ‘mentally draining’ while welcoming the resolution. She joined others in characterizing the 30-month sentence as somewhat lenient but acknowledged Farrington’s need for rehabilitation.

The case has prompted systemic reviews of school security protocols throughout the Bahamas. Education officials have drafted enhanced safety measures for school premises access, with proposals receiving positive reception from ministry leadership. Additional meetings with school police officers and plans to employ more security personnel reflect institutional efforts to prevent similar incidents.

The recent capture of a substantial green iguana in Adelaide has amplified concerns from The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) regarding the escalating threat of invasive species throughout New Providence and surrounding regions. BNT Executive Director Lakeshia Anderson-Rolle verified the incident occurred Saturday, confirming coordinated response efforts with the Department of Agriculture.

Anderson-Rolle emphasized the increasing frequency of green iguana sightings, highlighting the nation’s inadequate preparedness for addressing biological invasions. She revealed ongoing discussions with environmental planning authorities to secure critical funding from the JEFF Global Environment Facility, essential for implementing a nationwide mitigation strategy.

The current national invasive species framework, acknowledged as obsolete by conservation experts, requires immediate governmental attention. While BNT develops specialized protocols for managing invasives within national parks, Anderson-Rolle stresses that comprehensive intervention demands centralized leadership.

Ecologically destructive by nature, green iguanas—non-native to Bahamian ecosystems—devour vegetation, devastate agricultural lands, and compromise structural integrity through extensive burrowing along waterways and foundations. These reptiles aggressively displace indigenous wildlife, particularly native lizard species and iguanas, in competition for resources and habitat.

Public vigilance is paramount, Anderson-Rolle advised. Residents encountering green iguanas should immediately report sightings to agricultural authorities and safely contain the animals whenever possible before contacting departmental animal control services.

The Bahamas’ public healthcare system is teetering on the brink of operational collapse as a critical shortfall in overtime funding triggers widespread staff discontent and threatens essential medical services. This crisis emerged following a January 13 internal memorandum from the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) announcing that overtime compensation would be suspended without prior approval from the managing director’s office—a measure unions characterize as penalizing frontline workers for administrative failures.

Key health unions, including the Bahamas Nurses Union and the Bahamas Public Service Union, have urgently advised their members to refuse any additional shifts beyond scheduled hours until outstanding payments are resolved. Union leaders Muriel Lightbourn and Kimsley Ferguson have condemned the situation as both unacceptable and profoundly disrespectful to medical professionals who regularly work beyond their contracted hours to maintain patient care standards.

Consultant Physicians Staff Association president Dr. Charelle Lockhart reported that physicians are departing “in droves,” not due to diminished commitment to patients, but because of perceived abandonment by health system leadership. She issued a stark warning to government officials, comparing the scenario to a live grenade awaiting detonation within the medical care system.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Michael Darville has acknowledged the severity of the budgetary depletion, labeling it a matter of “great concern” and convening emergency meetings to address compensation gaps across healthcare facilities. Minister Darville attributed payment delays to acute staffing shortages within the PHA’s finance department, exacerbated by retirements and private sector migration, though he assured that outstanding overtime “not only must be paid, but will be paid.”

The PHA management maintains that the directive was necessary to preserve funding for critical priorities, including essential hires, and to implement stricter oversight following the exhaustion of overtime allocations. Managing Director Dr. Rolle recognized the inconvenience caused and promised staff further updates regarding payment resolutions.

Authorities in West Grand Bahama are conducting active investigations into two separate residential fires that occurred on Wednesday, both suspected to be criminally motivated incidents that left multiple residents homeless. The first blaze erupted approximately at 3:00 AM in Hepburn Town, Eight Mile Rock, followed by a second destructive fire around 10:00 PM that completely devastated an eight-room structure in West End. Superintendent Nicholas Johnson confirmed that fortunately no fatalities resulted from either incident, though police are treating both cases as potential arson. Survivor Okino Kareem Burrows recounted waking to discover flames emerging from an unoccupied bedroom in the Hepburn Town residence. Despite attempting to contain the fire, the inferno rapidly consumed the entire structure. ‘I have nothing—no documents, no clothes. Everything burned,’ Burrows emotionally stated during a televised ZNS interview, asserting his belief that someone intentionally ignited a mattress to start the fire. The tragedy has left Burrows, who works aboard a fishing vessel, without possessions or critical documentation. His grandmother, Enid, who raised him as her own son, expressed profound grief during a Tribune interview, noting that divine protection had spared his life as he had departed to sea following the incident. Burrows has publicly appealed for community support and building materials to facilitate reconstruction of his destroyed home. Investigators continue to examine both fire scenes for evidence while displaced residents face the challenging process of rebuilding their lives.

Two property owners from Eleuthera have been formally charged following a contentious confrontation with government officials during a demolition exercise in Spanish Wells earlier this month. The incident, which gained national attention through viral social media footage, culminated in court proceedings yesterday.

Blake and Dominique Pinder appeared before Acting Magistrate Gwendolyn Patram where they entered not guilty pleas to multiple charges including disorderly behavior and using obscene and abusive language. Blake Pinder faces an additional count of obstruction for allegedly interfering with official government operations.

The charges stem from a heated encounter between the siblings and members of the Unregulated Community Action Task Force during the dismantling of condemned structures in what authorities classified as a shantytown area. Prosecutors asserted that the defendants engaged in shouting racial epithets and physically obstructed officials during the demolition process—allegations both parties vigorously contested in court proceedings.

As part of their release conditions, judicial authorities imposed strict restrictions prohibiting the defendants from discussing the case or posting related content on social media platforms. The case has been adjourned until February 4 for further proceedings.

This legal confrontation follows a broader government initiative targeting unregulated structures deemed unsafe or unlawful throughout the Bahamas. The operation in Spanish Wells generated significant public discourse after video evidence circulated widely showing intense exchanges between the Pinders and task force personnel.

Prior to the legal charges, Blake Pinder had publicly contested the government’s actions, claiming officials unlawfully demolished family property that had been owned for decades. He maintained that despite efforts to regularize the development—including providing housing with established utility connections—authorities failed to properly engage with him before proceeding with demolition. Pinder further disputed the government’s classification of the property as part of a shantytown, noting his late father’s longstanding ownership and the structures’ established nature.