标签： Barbados

Following a 12-month break to mark its 150th corporate anniversary, one of Barbados’ most beloved community pet events, Carter’s Canine Expo, has made a highly anticipated comeback. Now in its fourth iteration, the expo departed from its previous location this year, settling into a spacious new home at the dedicated dog training grounds in Waterford, St Michael, and welcoming hundreds of dog enthusiasts from across the entire island.

Built around the core principle of holistic, responsible pet ownership, the event’s shift to a larger venue came as a direct response to steadily rising attendance in previous years. Organizers prioritized creating a more relaxed, enjoyable environment for both two-legged attendees and their furry canine companions, eliminating the overcrowding that had impacted past editions.

From its launch, the expo has centered public education as its primary mission. This year was no exception: visiting pet owners had exclusive access to one-on-one guidance from leading industry experts covering three core pillars of pet care: nutrition, grooming, and behavioral training. All educational sessions and resources were tailored specifically to help Barbadian pet owners improve the quality of life for their animals, addressing common local care challenges and answering individual questions.

But for many attendees, the undisputed highlight of the day was the expo’s signature Novelty Dog Show. Unlike traditional purebred canine competitions that cater almost exclusively to professional handlers and serious breeders, this show was intentionally designed to be accessible and inclusive for everyday pet owners and their rescue, mixed-breed, or companion dogs.

Speaking on behalf of event organizer Carter’s General Stores, marketing coordinator Tammy-Rose Evelyn, who is a self-proclaimed dog owner of seven canines herself, emphasized the show’s core purpose. “We know how much local patrons adore their dogs, and we know they jump at the chance to show their companions off to the community,” Evelyn explained. “Not every pet owner competes at the high standard of the Barbados Kennel Club, so we built open categories that let the average person participate, have fun, and walk away with a prize just for sharing their dog with the crowd.”

While organizers walked into the day with some initial uncertainty about whether they would fill the expansive new venue, those concerns quickly faded when attendance far exceeded expectations, with organizers describing turnout as massive. Though the stands were packed with excited spectators ready to cheer on competitors, some casual owners did hold back from entering the more skill-focused competition categories. Categories including “Best Trained” and “Best Trick” recorded slightly lower entry numbers, as many owners reported feeling self-conscious about their dogs’ ability to perform on command in a public event setting.

As the day drew to a close, organizers closed the expo with a public commitment to continue growing the event in the years ahead. The 2024 return reaffirms Carter’s long-standing dedication to supporting Barbados’ local pet community, with preparations already set to begin for the fifth annual expo, which is expected to bring another day of tail wags, community connection, and accessible pet education to the island.

Weeks after authorities issued a public wanted bulletin over his alleged involvement in serious criminal activity, Nathan Emmanuel Malik Lovell is now behind bars in Barbados. The Barbados Police Service first alerted the public to Lovell and launched a manhunt for him on April 23, naming him as a person of interest in a high-stakes criminal case.

Law enforcement confirmed Saturday that the wanted man has been taken into official police custody, and he is currently cooperating with investigating officers as they work to advance their case. In a public statement issued following the arrest, the Barbados Police Service extended formal gratitude to both members of the general public and local media outlets for their widespread cooperation and support throughout the search operation.

Tips and shared information from the public helped close the net on Lovell, highlighting the critical role of community collaboration in helping law enforcement locate and apprehend wanted individuals, bringing the multi-week search to a successful close for investigating authorities.

On a quiet, somber Saturday at the Cave Hill campus of The University of the West Indies, the air hung heavy with unspeakable sorrow as faculty, staff and fellow students came together for a moving walk and vigil to honor Daquan Roberts, a promising law student whose life was cut short in a recent fatal shooting.

The pain of the loss was palpable across every corner of the gathering, reaching its most raw and heart-wrenching moment when Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law Dr. Ronnie Yearwood delivered a tribute that left him overcome with emotion. Struggling to steady his voice through tears, Dr. Yearwood reflected on the cruel turn of fate that flipped what should have been a joyful milestone for the law school into a period of devastating collective mourning.

“This year was supposed to be a celebration — of life, of our students, of the graduation of a new cohort,” he said, his frame visibly shaken by grief. “For every educator who walks this campus, our students are not just names on a class roster. They are people we grow to care for deeply; over time, they become extensions of our own families, as much our children as the ones we raise at home.”

Dr. Yearwood went on to speak to the one-of-a-kind, unbreakable bond that forms between legal educators and the students they mentor. The Faculty of Law, he explained, does not merely teach statutes and case law — its core mission is to nurture young minds and guide the next generation of legal leaders to live out core values of justice and integrity. That close, nurturing work, he said, makes this senseless loss cut even deeper, leaving the entire department fractured on a deeply personal level.

“I truly do not have the words to capture how sad and broken I feel, how broken all of us are here,” he said. “As a father to a son myself, I cannot begin to fathom the agony that Daquan’s family is carrying right now. I am so, so, so sorry for your unbearable loss.”

For the entire duration of the remembrance event, that heavy, muted grief hung over the entire campus. Even senior faculty leadership, accustomed to stepping forward to steady the community in difficult times, struggled to find language that could match the depth of loss shared by every member of the UWI Cave Hill family.

The Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies has launched formal procedures to grant a posthumous Bachelor of Laws degree to Daquan Roberts, a high-potential third-year law student whose life was abruptly ended by a recent outbreak of gun violence. The landmark decision was publicly announced by Deputy Principal Professor Winston Moore during an on-campus vigil and memorial walk held Saturday, an event organized to celebrate the short but meaningful life Roberts built during his time at the institution.

Speaking on behalf of the university’s principal to a crowd of mourning relatives, teaching staff and fellow students, Professor Moore acknowledged that the entire campus community has been left reeling by an incident of this magnitude, even as the university’s core mission remains centered on nurturing the next generation and building brighter futures for its students.

“Daquan came to this institution to earn this degree through years of consistent effort, unwavering dedication and personal sacrifice,” Professor Moore told attendees. “We hope this honor can bring a small degree of comfort to his family, as they take solace in knowing that his academic journey here has been fully recognized and celebrated by our institution.”

Beyond being just a name on the university’s student registry, Roberts is remembered by the campus community as a deeply committed scholar who entered the legal field with the goal of advancing equal justice for all. Professor Moore called the young student’s death a senseless, horrific tragedy, noting that while the Cave Hill Campus has never experienced a loss of this kind in its history, deadly gun violence has become a depressingly normalized crisis across the broader regional society.

“Gun violence does not merely end a single life—it steals an entire future,” Professor Moore emphasized. “It robs our community of a son, a friend, a classmate, and a future attorney who could one day have stood in a courtroom to advocate for those who had no other voice to speak for them.”

In closing, the Deputy Principal challenged the entire university community to turn its shared sorrow into determined action. He called on all attendees to speak out loudly against the ongoing wave of violence that is cutting short the lives of young people across the region, and to work toward creating safer learning environments where all students can pursue their education free from fear. The event concluded with a formal commitment from the university: the institution will stand in unwavering solidarity with the Roberts family in the years ahead, and will ensure Daquan’s legacy remains a permanent, honored part of the Cave Hill Campus’ history.

In a landmark ruling that underscores the Caribbean nation’s firm stance against proliferating gun crime, a Barbados High Court judge has sentenced convicted killer Shawayne Williams to 38 years and 138 days behind bars, emphasizing that judicial institutions have a non-negotiable role to play in curbing violent armed offenses and safeguarding communities.

Justice Laurie-Anne Smith-Bovell handed down the sentence this week, noting that courts must align their rulings with the public’s urgent demand to tackle the national crisis of gun violence. Williams, a resident of White Hall, St Michael, was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict for the fatal shooting of Tavon Alleyne – cousin of global pop icon and Barbados’ National Hero Rihanna. The attack took place near Alleyne’s home in Eden Lodge, St Michael, on Boxing Day 2017.

During the sentencing remarks, Justice Smith-Bovell referenced the landmark Director of Public Prosecutions Reference No. 1 of 2003 to anchor her decision, stating: “This court has a duty to protect the public as far as it can from the wanton violence perpetrated by some of our young people. Public concern about illegal firearms and violence and the need for general deterrence must be reflected in the sentences passed by the courts. The public are entitled to expect the courts to play their part in fighting the proliferation of firearms and violence. These courts serve the public interest.”

Details presented during the trial laid out the sequence of the fatal attack: at approximately 7 p.m. on the day of the killing, Alleyne arrived via taxi and pulled over on the main road. Moments after he stepped out of the vehicle, multiple gunshots rang out, leaving Alleyne dead on the ground from multiple gunshot wounds. One eyewitness who observed a male suspect fleeing the scene positively identified the runner as Williams. A second witness corroborated the account, confirming Williams had been in the neighborhood earlier that evening, disappeared just before the shooting, and returned to the area shortly after the gunfire stopped.

Outlining the multiple aggravating factors that justified a harsh sentence, Justice Smith-Bovell outlined several key details that elevated the severity of the crime. First, the killing included clear elements of premeditation and coordination: Williams brought an illegal firearm to the scene, and evidence suggested he received advance communication to be in the area exactly when Alleyne arrived, indicating an organized ambush. Second, Alleyne was unarmed when he was attacked, leaving him no chance to defend himself. Third, the shooting was confirmed to be an act of retaliation for a previous non-fatal shooting of Williams by a third party. Additional aggravating factors included the use of an illegal firearm that was never recovered by law enforcement, and the fact that the attack unfolded in a public residential area, putting innocent bystanders – including residents of the nearby home and the taxi driver, who later found bullet holes in his vehicle – at grave risk of injury or death.

To reach the final sentence, Justice Smith-Bovell set an initial starting term of 39 years, adding two extra years to account for Williams’ damaging presentence report, documented history of prior convictions for serious bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm, ongoing illegal drug use, and the assessed high risk he would reoffend if released. The judge then deducted 774 days of pre-sentencing remand time Williams had already served, plus an additional six-month credit for delays in processing the case, resulting in the final term of 38 years and 138 days to be served at Barbados’ Dodds Prison.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Justice Smith-Bovell ordered Williams to participate in a structured suite of rehabilitative programs during his incarceration. Based on psychological and psychiatric assessments, Williams is required to enroll in basic academic and vocational skills training to prepare him for potential reintegration into society after his sentence is complete, as well as any psychotherapeutic programs that mental health professionals or prison authorities deem necessary for his rehabilitation.

The prosecution was led by Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC and State Counsel Paul Prescod, while Williams was represented in court by Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens.