标签： Barbados

Nearly five years after Kevin Atherley was found dead with multiple stab wounds in rural Barbados, his accused killer Joel Philemon Maynard will have his case laid out before a 12-member jury when testimony begins next Monday at the country’s Supreme Court.

Maynard, a 38-year-old resident of Padmore Village, has repeatedly maintained his innocence in the September 26, 2019 killing, entering a formal not guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder. Atherley’s remains were discovered shortly after his death in Harrow Land, a district in the parish of St Philip, and coroners confirmed he had sustained several penetrating wounds before his death.

Court officials completed empanelling the jury earlier this week, which is made up of seven women and five men. The high-profile case will be overseen by Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell at the Supreme Court’s No. 4 courtroom.

Opening the prosecution’s case on Wednesday, Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC, who is working alongside acting Senior State Counsel Paul Prescod and State Counsel Tomeisha Sobers, told the court that the victim and the accused had a long-running friendship that deteriorated into conflict in the days leading up to Atherley’s death.

According to the prosecution’s narrative, on the day of the killing the two men encountered each other on an isolated path, where a heated confrontation turned violent. The clash left Atherley with multiple fatal wounds across his body, Seale said.

Law enforcement launched an extensive investigation immediately after the body was discovered. The probe wrapped up nearly 12 months after the incident, when authorities took Maynard into custody for questioning. He was formally charged with murder following the interview, Seale confirmed. Maynard’s legal defense is being led by attorney-at-law Sian Lange, who will challenge the prosecution’s evidence over the course of the trial.

Barbados’ President’s Trust has formally announced the launch of The Chapman Challenge, a groundbreaking national youth empowerment initiative operating under the patronage of the island nation’s President Jeffrey Bostic. As the first flagship programme launched by the trust since Bostic took office, the effort marks a key milestone in the administration’s pledge to deliver tangible, life-changing impact for ordinary Barbadians.

President Bostic shared the origins of the programme in comments announcing the launch, noting that empowering younger generations has been a core priority since his election. “From the moment I took office as President of Barbados, my goal has been to advance initiatives that move the needle for our people,” Bostic explained. “The Chapman Challenge is the first of these efforts, and it stands as the flagship undertaking of the President’s Trust.”

At its core, the programme is built on a simple but powerful vision: to open doors for every child and young adult in Barbados by providing the foundational support they need to turn their personal and professional goals into reality. “We built this initiative on the belief that every young Barbadian deserves the scaffolding to reach their own definition of success,” Bostic said. “We will deliver every tool necessary to help them map their unique path, stay on track through challenges, and cross the finish line to achieve their dreams.”

Designed as a transformative developmental framework, The Chapman Challenge combines mentorship and structured support to nurture key traits among participants: a drive for excellence, strong leadership skills, personal growth, resilience in the face of adversity, and deep national pride. The three-tiered programme targets young people between the ages of 10 and 24, with a mission to help each participant unlock their full potential in whatever field or passion they choose to pursue. Beyond individual growth, the initiative also aims to cultivate a culture of community service, collaborative teamwork, and responsible, active citizenship across the island’s youth population.

The programme aligns directly with the President’s Trust’s core mission: investing in Barbados’ people to create sustainable opportunities that drive long-term social and economic progress for the entire nation.

The official public launch ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, October 9, at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium. As patron of the initiative, President Bostic will deliver the keynote address at the event. Prime Minister Mia Mottley will also join the ceremony to share remarks and signal the government’s support for the landmark national project.

The launch is expected to bring together a cross-section of stakeholders, including senior government officials, local community leaders, programme partners and sponsors, registered participants, and grassroots supporters. Attendees will gather to mark the start of what many observers expect to become a transformative platform for youth development and community growth across Barbados.

Viral social media clips capturing reckless stunt driving by groups of motorists on private commercial property in Barbados have reignited widespread public anxiety over unregulated unsafe driving and trespassing, prompting the affected business to ramp up security measures following persistent late-night disruption and property damage.

Quality Tyre Plus, an automotive service provider based in Lower Estate, St Michael, has confirmed that its open car park has morphed into an unauthorized weekend gathering spot for stunt drivers and their spectators over the past year. The disruptive activity, characterized by roaring engines, high-speed maneuvers and reckless drifting, often drags on until just before sunrise, plaguing nearby residents and business operations alike.

In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, a spokesperson for the company outlined the growing untenability of the situation, noting that for more than 12 months the firm has fielded constant complaints from local residents about the noise and chaos. “It’s been over a year now that we’ve been struggling with this. We have poured significant resources into additional surveillance technology to identify perpetrators and pursue legal prosecution,” the spokesperson explained. Complaints have poured in around the clock, from midnight through the early pre-dawn hours, with the reckless driving echoing through neighboring St George as well.

Following guidance from local law enforcement, the business has already erected clear trespassing warnings for after-hours visitors and upgraded its camera network. Yet these interventions have done little to deter the groups, who continue to treat the car park as a informal hangout spot. The spokesperson noted that even with the new surveillance, alerts of groups gathering on the property still arrive at all hours of the night, with dozens of cars flocking to the site on a regular basis.

The problem is not a new one, and Quality Tyre Plus has already paid a tangible price for the illegal activity. Roughly two years ago, a driver performing a high-risk maneuver lost control and crashed directly into the company’s building, shattering the showroom’s front glass and causing major damage to an entry shutter. “It’s come to a point now where we’re not standing for it anymore. Any identifying information we collect will be turned over to police immediately. Enough is enough, we can’t keep tolerating this,” the spokesperson emphasized.

Complicating the company’s response is the fact that it cannot simply block off access to the car park entirely, due to long-standing access arrangements with emergency services and towing providers. The facility regularly accepts damaged vehicles dropped off after hours for repair the next business day – a common practice for motorists who run over potholes and rupture tires or crack rims after operating hours. Blocking entry with permanent gates would cut off this critical service for legitimate customers, a trade-off the company is unwilling to make. “If we close it off, we block access for the customers who rely on us to accept their vehicles after a breakdown. That’s not a service we want to end, so we’re looking for alternative solutions,” the spokesperson added.

Currently, the firm is working to develop targeted measures that will ban stunt drivers and spectators after dark without restricting access for authorized after-hours drop-offs. The activity follows a predictable pattern, the spokesperson noted: groups begin arriving as early as 7 p.m. on some nights, with gatherings often lasting until 3 or 4 a.m. Participation spikes after rainfall, when drivers are eager to perform drifting stunts on wet pavement. Word of the informal gatherings spreads quickly through social media, drawing growing crowds of participants and onlookers each weekend. “It’s a terrible situation for our business and our neighbors, but we simply cannot allow it to continue,” the spokesperson said.

Roland Lowe, president of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA), confirmed that the trend of illegal car stunting on private property marks a shift from years past, when unregulated stunt activity was largely limited to motorcyclists. In recent months, BRSA has recorded a sharp rise in reports of four-wheeled vehicles performing stunts and drifting in empty commercial car parks and other unused private spaces across the island.

Lowe stressed that the unsanctioned activity carries severe, avoidable safety risks, as stunts are performed without any of the protective infrastructure or emergency response protocols that exist in licensed motorsport venues. “When you do this in an uncontrolled environment, you open yourself and everyone around you up to devastating collisions and serious accidents. There are no safety personnel on site to respond when something goes wrong,” Lowe explained. He added that reckless stunt driving should only be conducted in regulated, designated venues with trained emergency staff on standby to handle injuries or crashes. Closing with a stark warning to participants, Lowe said: “Doing this anywhere else is nothing less than putting your own life and the lives of innocent bystanders at unnecessary risk.”