标签： Barbados

Delivering a passionate address at the third annual prayer breakfast hosted at Bridgetown’s iconic Golden Square Freedom Park last Sunday, Barbados Deputy Commissioner of Police Adrian Broomes issued a stark, urgent warning that the Caribbean island nation cannot afford to write off an entire generation of young people to harmful external influences and life-altering negative outcomes. The gathering, which forms a core component of the country’s annual Crime Awareness Month, was organized by the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit under the official theme “Barbados at 60: Knowledge for Crime Prevention, Partnerships for Safety, Progress for All”, and also featured keynote remarks from Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley. Broomes, speaking to a crowd of community members, faith leaders, educators and local stakeholders, framed youth agency as the most powerful tool for steering clear of criminal paths, emphasizing that every young person holds full authorship over their own life narrative. “Your story is uniquely yours to craft. The choices you make today will shape the legacy that is remembered of you for decades to come, and no set of difficult circumstances gets to pen that story for you,” he declared during his speech. He went on to specifically caution attendees against ceding control of their life trajectories to external forces: volatile neighborhood environments, toxic peer groups, misleading social media content, and pervasive societal pressure to conform to harmful norms. Pushing back against common misconceptions of strength and belonging that circulate among at-risk youth, Broomes stressed that carrying a weapon is never a marker of courage, participating in illegal activity never earns genuine respect, and blindly following crowd mentality is never a prerequisite for being accepted. Instead, he encouraged young people to center four core values in their daily decisions: courage, integrity, community service, and clear personal purpose, noting that the bravest choices many of them will ever make are the deliberate ones to walk away from violence, criminal behavior, and other self-sabotaging patterns. Expanding his call beyond the youth audience, the deputy commissioner issued a direct appeal to all adult stakeholders across Barbadian society: parents, guardians, school teachers, and faith leaders must step up to take a far more proactive, supportive role in guiding young people, rather than relying solely on top-down lectures. He acknowledged a longstanding gap in intergenerational communication across the island, noting that too often older community members prioritize speaking over listening to the legitimate concerns and struggles of young people. Broomes confirmed that the Barbados Police Service will continue to prioritize targeted outreach programs designed to help youth unlock their full potential and avoid entanglement in the criminal justice system, emphasizing that sustainable, long-term crime reduction cannot be achieved by law enforcement acting in isolation. Cross-sector partnerships that bring together families, educational institutions, faith organizations, local businesses, and neighborhood communities are the only proven path to cutting crime rates and lifting overall public safety for every resident of the island. A photo of the event’s attendees was captured by Lauryn Escamilla for Barbados TODAY.

A celebrated Barbados-born innovator, seasoned corporate leader and dedicated environmental steward with deep roots in Trinidad and Tobago, Buddie Miller, has passed away at the age of 81 on a Wednesday, leaving behind a multifaceted legacy spanning engineering, patented inventions, public advocacy and community leadership. As the younger brother of Dame Billie Miller, the former deputy prime minister of Barbados, Miller relocated to Trinidad in 1965 to launch a decades-long professional journey that would cement his reputation as a towering figure in the country’s innovation and industrial circles. Over the course of his corporate career, he climbed senior leadership ranks to serve as chief engineer at global food giant Nestlé, then took on the role of regional general manager at consumer goods firm Chesebrough Ponds, before later establishing a respected practice as an independent business consultant. Parallel to his corporate obligations, Miller dedicated extensive time to research and development, securing a portfolio of international patents for his original inventions, per official statements shared by his family in their public death announcement. His most commercially lauded creation, the Jojovera exfoliating and skin-conditioning soap, took home the top special award for highest commercial potential at the inaugural 2000 Prime Minister’s Awards for Innovation and Invention in Trinidad and Tobago, a national program administered by the country’s leading scientific research body NIHERST. He went on to earn further national recognition in subsequent years: a special merit award for innovative diversity in the 2002 edition of the same competition, and a first-place prize in the mechanical engineering category in 2004. One of his most widely discussed works was a 1977 patented general knowledge board game named *Brainstorm*, which Miller publicly alleged had been copied and repackaged as the globally bestselling trivia franchise *Trivial Pursuit* by a Canadian firm, featuring nearly identical subject categories and question sets. He launched formal legal proceedings over the alleged intellectual property infringement in 2000, and the case remained active for years after he first spoke about it in a 2009 profile with *Caribbean Beat* magazine. Born in Barbados in 1945 as the second child of Frederick Edward “Freddie” Miller — who served as minister of health and social services in the 1956-1961 Hugh Gordon Cummins administration — and Mildred Miriam (Lashley), a trained nurse, Miller nurtured a lifelong passion for the outdoors, hunting and the protection of Trinidad and Tobago’s native forest and wildlife ecosystems. He served two separate terms as president of the Hunters’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago, where he spearheaded policy initiatives to modernize hunting regulation, strengthen sustainable wildlife management practices and protect vulnerable native species. In his 2009 *Caribbean Beat* interview, he called on national authorities to pass more robust wildlife protection legislation, conduct a full national wildlife population census, and roll out a formal licensing framework for wild meat vendors. He repeatedly highlighted that habitat loss, agricultural and industrial pollution, unregulated commercial poaching, and the introduction of invasive non-native species posed existential, underaddressed threats to the country’s unique biodiversity. “There are very few experiences that can compare to being out along one of the Northern Range’s forest streams under the moonlight,” he shared in the 2009 profile. “To be a hunter, you must have a deep, abiding love for the outdoors and for being in the forest, because every creature that can bite, sting, cut or harm you makes its home there.” Miller, a long-term resident of Maracas Valley, St Joseph, is survived by his wife Kamlyn (Ho Sing), his partner of 57 years, five adult children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Beyond his sister Dame Billie, he leaves behind brother Luther, a veteran real estate professional, and sister Cecille; his two siblings Attlee and Tim predeceased him. His official funeral services are scheduled to take place in Tacarigua, Trinidad on the following Tuesday.

Just a handful of weeks after marking her extraordinary 108th birthday, Dame Avisene Carrington, a trailblazing Barbadian educator whose decades of dedication shaped thousands of young lives across the island nation, has passed away, triggering a nationwide wave of heartfelt tributes spearheaded by Prime Minister Mia Mottley. The official statement from the Prime Minister’s office was released on a Saturday, as Barbados put final preparations in place for its annual Independence Lighting Ceremony, the traditional kickoff to a month of national festivities commemorating two major milestones: the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence, and the fifth year since it transitioned to a parliamentary republic.

“Barbados is in mourning today, as we lay to rest one of the brightest, most enduring lights this nation has ever known,” Mottley shared in her official address. “Our country has lost a towering giant of public service, and I personally have lost a lifelong steady anchor who helped steer my path long before I took public office.” Mottley went on to share a deeply personal anecdote about Dame Avisene, who served as her principal at Merrivale Primary School, noting that the educator was one of the most influential figures outside her immediate family who helped form her core values. “No matter how much my life changed as the years went by, she was always simply Mrs Carrington to me, and that is the beloved figure I am saying farewell to today.” The Prime Minister recalled that just weeks prior, at Dame Avisene’s 108th birthday celebration, she had marvelled at the centenarian’s razor-sharp memory and surprising, unimpaired mobility, a source of joy for everyone who knew her.

Mottley added that for many Barbadians, there had been consistent comfort in knowing Dame Avisene was still present in the community, with her signature warm smile and unwaveringly curious, engaged interest in the world around her. Even with the incredible gift of 108 full, rich years of life, the Prime Minister noted that every citizen would have happily welcomed many more months and years in her company.

Looking back on Dame Avisene’s decades of impact in the education sector, Mottley emphasized that multiple successive generations of Barbadian schoolchildren had thrived thanks to her unshakable belief that every single student held untapped potential, and her consistent willingness to carve out extra time to support the most vulnerable learners who needed extra guidance. “Mrs Carrington never, ever wrote a child off,” Mottley said. “Her former colleagues still talk about her rushing through her lunch break every single day, just so she could squeeze in extra one-on-one tutoring for a pupil who was falling behind. That level of patience, that choice to put a child’s needs before your own comfort, is rooted in profound, selfless love.”

Mottley also highlighted Dame Avisene’s legendary humility, pointing out that her official biography, penned by her daughter-in-law Hazel Lindo-Carrington, bears the quiet, unassuming title “Simply Teacher”. Even after a lifetime of landmark public service and a long list of professional accolades that earned her a damehood for national service, Dame Avisene insisted she wanted to be remembered first and foremost for that simple, core identity as an educator. On behalf of the entire Barbadian government and all of the island’s residents, Mottley extended formal condolences to Dame Avisene’s immediate family members Ronnie, Shelley, Ian, Hazel, and every member of the wider Carrington household. “You shared someone so precious with generations of Barbadian families, and while the nation’s collective gratitude can never erase the sharp pain of your loss, I hope it brings you a small measure of comfort to know just how deeply loved and admired she was by every corner of this country.”

Mottley closed her tribute by noting that Dame Avisene’s long, purpose-driven life perfectly embodies the core national values Barbados is celebrating throughout this year’s independence anniversary events. “She built this nation not through concrete or policy papers, but through the tens of thousands of young people she nurtured and encouraged to reach their full potential. She understood better than anyone what a small spark of unwavering belief can do to change the trajectory of a child’s life. Every time we choose to offer that same vote of confidence to someone who needs it, we are honouring her legacy. The light she lit for this nation will never fade, it lives on in every life she transformed, and in every act of kindness and support we extend to one another moving forward.”

In a recent proceeding at Barbados’ No. 4 Supreme Court, prosecutors have formally rejected the defence’s proposed 15-year base sentence for 24-year-old Keon Curwen Downes, who admitted to the 2021 manslaughter of his 68-year-old grandfather Grenville Cumberbatch, and are instead advocating for a 25-year starting point for his sentence. Downes, a resident of Rose Hill, St Peter, initially pleaded not guilty to murder charges related to the June 16, 2021, fatal incident, before entering a guilty plea to the lesser manslaughter count, which the state accepted due to documented elements of provocation in the case.

Representing Downes, defence counsel Safiya Moore emphasized during the hearing that not every manslaughter conviction merits a life imprisonment term. While Moore openly acknowledged the array of severe aggravating factors in the case — including the 47-year age gap between 21-year-old Downes and his elderly victim, the fact that the attack unfolded in Cumberbatch’s own private home, and the brutal use of four separate weapons: a knife, pair of scissors, hammer, and floor tile — she argued the incident was rooted in long-running household tension, not premeditated violence. Moore told the court that the initial trivial dispute over stolen luncheon meat was merely the “last straw” for Downes in a chronically volatile domestic environment, noting that Downes sustained injuries during the altercation before being taken into custody, and that he had acted in retaliation after being attacked, even if his use of force far exceeded the bounds of legitimate self-defence. The defence counsel requested a three-year deduction from a proposed 15-year base sentence, citing mitigating circumstances including Downes’ clean prior criminal record, full cooperation with investigating officers, expressed remorse for his actions, and widespread community testimony that the outburst was a complete anomaly for the usually mild-mannered young man.

Acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod, who led the prosecution alongside acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC, forcefully pushed back against the defence’s framing of the incident as a mutual scuffle, arguing that Cumberbatch was not a willing participant in a fight but a vulnerable elderly man “fighting for dear life” to defend himself against a relentless, unprovoked assault. Citing Downes’ own formal police statement, Prescod laid out the full sequence of the attack: after confronting his grandfather over eating his luncheon meat, Downes briefly retreated to his bedroom before chasing the 68-year-old as he walked toward the bathroom, stabbing him with a knife, striking him repeatedly with a tile and hammer, inflicting multiple lacerations with scissors, shoving him down a flight of stairs, and throwing the hammer at him as he lay at the bottom. Prescod also highlighted Downes’ deliberate post-offence steps to cover his tracks: changing out of his bloodied clothes, leaving the property to dispose of the incriminating garments, and attempting to distance himself from the killing when he returned to the scene to interact with first responders. He warned that accepting a 15-year starting sentence would make the state a “laughingstock” and send a dangerous public message that fatal domestic violence against elderly relatives in their own homes would only merit a trivial “slap on the wrist.”

The full sentencing hearing is scheduled to resume before Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell on the following Monday, when the court will deliberate on the appropriate base sentence and final penalty for Downes.

A recent ruling from Barbados’ High Court has ordered D’Nairo Shaquille Greaves to serve nearly seven more years at Dodds Prison, after the presiding judge determined that a monetary fine would fail to match the severity of his unlicensed firearms offence. Earlier in 2024, Greaves, a resident of Third Avenue, New Orleans, was found guilty by an 8-1 jury majority of unlawful possession of a Glock 19 Gen 4 9mm Luger pistol alongside 14 matching rounds of ammunition, a charge stemming from an incident on July 20, 2022. Handing down the formal sentence in Court No. 4 of the Supreme Court, Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell emphasized that non-custodial penalties were entirely unsuitable for this case. “A custodial sentence is clearly warranted to drive home the seriousness of the offence, deter other members of the public from committing similar violations, shield local communities from preventable gun-related harm, and preserve widespread public trust in the fairness and rigor of the island’s justice system,” the judge stated. In her sentencing framework, Justice Smith-Bovell set a baseline custodial term of eight years for the unlicensed firearm offence, and a separate six-year baseline for unlawful possession of the linked ammunition. Multiple aggravating factors justified these elevated starting points: Greaves’ deliberate, premeditated choice to have the firearm in his custody, the fact that the weapon was loaded and ready for use, his presence alongside an individual who was actively wanted for a capital offence at the time of the incident, and his documented attempts to evade arresting officers. The court acknowledged that Greaves has consistently maintained his full innocence regarding the offences, claiming his decision to assist a friend led to his current legal circumstances. During proceedings, Greaves confirmed he was present at the scene of the 2022 incident but denied ever touching or having knowledge of the firearm and ammunition, and also expressed explicit distrust of his interactions with the criminal justice system. A formal pre-sentencing risk assessment classified him as having a moderate likelihood of reoffending. After applying standard statutory deductions for pre-trial time served and good conduct credits, Greaves’ adjusted sentence totals six years and 248 days for the firearms offence, plus four years and 248 days for the ammunition possession charge, to be served concurrently, resulting in a combined remaining custodial term of just under seven years. The court heard full details of the 2022 arrest operation: when law enforcement officers arrived at a residential property in Bush Hall to execute a warrant, they spotted Greaves at an upstairs window holding a firearm. He immediately fled from the window, and officers reported hearing a loud explosion shortly after, before apprehending him in the property’s yard. The loaded 9mm pistol was later recovered on the living room floor of the residence. In his unsworn personal statement to the court, Greaves explained he had traveled to the Bush Hall home that day to pick up his friend – the individual wanted on a capital charge – with the intention of driving him directly to a legal representative’s office to surrender to authorities. He claimed he arrived too late in the day to make it to the attorney’s scheduled office hours, and was waiting for his friend in the property’s separate workshop space when he heard the loud explosion and saw two masked armed men identifying themselves as police officers. Under oath, Greaves told the court, “I honestly have no idea, knowledge or anything about that gun. I was never by no window with no gun, and I could swear to God and in front of all these people here that I am innocent and had nothing to do with that gun.” Greaves was represented in the proceedings by defence attorney Shadia Simpson, while the prosecution was led by acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod.