标签： Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

A shocking fatal stabbing in Campden Park has left a 27-year-old woman dead, with a repeat offender now facing formal murder charges connected to the violent incident. Vermont resident Kamal Small, also known publicly by the alias Condom, was taken into custody on Saturday, just one day after 27-year-old Rayjens Carter, a native of Fitz Hughes, was killed in a neck stabbing inside Lashum’s Bar located in Campden Park. Carter was pronounced dead at the scene immediately following the attack.

On Monday, Small made his first court appearance at the Serious Offences Court, where Chief Magistrate Colin John formally presented the murder charge against him. Following standard legal procedure for this stage of criminal proceedings, Small was not required to enter a plea to the accusation that he took Carter’s life. Chief Magistrate John ordered Small to be remanded into official custody at a state prison, with the next scheduled hearing in the case set for July 2.

This is not the first time Small has been involved in major criminal proceedings, as he has a documented history of prior offences stretching back several years. In December 2021, he made local headlines for a high-value retail theft, where he stole merchandise worth a total of 68,150 Eastern Caribbean dollars from a commercial store in Kingstown. Just one year later, in December 2022, he was linked to two additional offences in Kingstown: a burglary targeting a local church, and the theft of a ewe goat valued at 400 Eastern Caribbean dollars, committed the same month. As the legal process moves forward, the community awaits further updates as the case against Small proceeds through the court system.

As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially gets underway, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Prime Minister Godwin Friday has delivered an urgent national address, calling on all Vincentians to take immediate action to shore up defenses against potential threats, warning that the island nation is entering the season facing a dangerous overlap of long-running natural challenges and man-made constraints, including a persistent severe drought and depleted funding for disaster response and recovery.

Friday opened his address, delivered on the opening day of the 2026 season, by highlighting the ongoing climate-driven crisis already impacting SVG: a prolonged, unforgiving drought that has plagued large swathes of the country. Even with scattered light rain over recent weeks, conditions remain dire, he confirmed, noting that the current dry trend matches long-term scientific projections that forecast increasingly arid conditions across the Caribbean region in the coming decades.

“This is the new reality of global warming,” Friday emphasized. “It demands that we adapt proactively and take every possible step to reduce its harmful impacts.”

Drawing on data from the country’s Meteorological Office, Friday outlined a clear downward trend: annual rainfall across SVG has dropped consistently over the past eight years, with 2025 recording the lowest annual total on record, breaking the previous benchmark set just three years earlier in 2022. This trend points to a future where dry spells will grow more frequent and longer-lasting, the prime minister added.

Looking at hurricane activity patterns, Friday noted that 2025’s season followed a now-familiar trend linked to a changing climate: total storm numbers were below the long-term average, but the count of major hurricanes (Category 3 strength or higher) was above average. Out of 13 recorded tropical storms in 2025, five strengthened to hurricane status, and four of those reached major hurricane intensity. Fortunately, SVG avoided a direct hit last year – a stroke of good fortune coming just 12 months after Hurricane Beryl caused catastrophic damage across the Southern Grenadines. “We pray we will be equally fortunate this year,” Friday said.

For 2026, leading forecasting bodies including Colorado State University (CSU) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are projecting a slightly below-average season in terms of total named storms. CSU’s forecast calls for 13 named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes, while NOAA predicts a range of 8 to 14 total storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes, and between 1 and 4 major hurricanes. But Friday stressed that storm track predictions remain uncertain, and complacency is not an option. “While predictions may vary, and the paths of the potential storms are yet unknown, we must nevertheless prepare for whatever this hurricane season brings,” he said.

The prime minister stressed that SVG enters the 2026 season with unprecedented levels of uncertainty, compounded by overlapping natural and economic hazards. Most pressing is the limited government funding available for disaster management and post-storm recovery, a challenge exacerbated by global economic volatility driven by elevated oil prices tied to the Gulf War. Friday noted that his administration has already put preliminary mitigation measures in place to cushion the economic blow, as outlined in a separate national address earlier last week. “The potential convergence of multiple crises makes it urgent that we prepare our responses and heighten our vigilance to address all possibilities,” he said. “Our government stands ready to support citizens in both preparation and response efforts.”

Central to Friday’s message is the framing of disaster preparedness as a shared responsibility between government and all citizens. Repeatedly warning against complacency, he urged every household to take practical steps ahead of any potential storm. “Failure to prepare for hurricanes or other weather events will make us more vulnerable to the ravages of nature,” he said. “We cannot allow that to happen. So together we must act and encourage one another to prepare.”

Drawing on hard-won experience, the prime minister pointed to past destructive storms – Hurricanes Thomas, Elsa, and Beryl – as painful but critical lessons. “We have heard it said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so let us take the painful lessons learned from those storms as a call to action, ensuring every family is secured and ready for the 2026 hurricane season,” he said.

To make preparation accessible for all households, Friday boiled his guidance down to five clear, actionable steps:

First, he urged residents to rely exclusively on official information from the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and the Meteorological Office for all updates on impending storms, heavy rain, rough seas, and high wind events.

Second, every household should develop a written, comprehensive emergency plan covering all phases of a weather event. The plan should start with a home safety audit: Friday called for urgent roof repairs where needed, trimming of overhanging tree branches near structures, and clearing of residential and community drains to prevent clogging and flooding. The plan should include input from all family members, with clear roles assigned for before, during, and after a storm, and a full list of emergency contacts for local and national services. Households should also make contingency arrangements for evacuation, whether staying with family, friends, or at an official emergency shelter, and Friday strongly warned against delaying evacuation, noting that late evacuations put lives at unnecessary risk.

Third, residents should stockpile a minimum of one week’s worth of emergency supplies, including food, water, personal hygiene items, and necessary prescription medications. This is particularly critical for anyone planning to stay at an official emergency shelter, where essential supplies may be limited.

Fourth, Friday appealed to individual citizens and private sector organizations to prioritize supporting vulnerable communities, including people living with disabilities, the elderly, children, and women. “Look out for others, especially in emergencies. We have to be our brother’s keeper,” he said, noting that the past five years have made clear how critical cross-community partnerships and strong social support networks are for effective disaster response.

Finally, Friday urged residents to report all observed hazards and damage to NEMO immediately through any available communication channel, including phone lines and social media. Prompt reporting helps emergency responders quickly identify impacted communities and households to allocate support where it is most needed.

On a quiet Saturday evening in February 2024, a senseless act of violence against a defenseless infant shattered the close-knit community of Rose Hall in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, leaving a young mother grieving and a nation confronting the intersection of mental illness, substance abuse, and violent crime. On May 22, 2026, Justice Rickie Burnett of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court handed down a final sentence of 19 years, nine months and six days behind bars to 25-year-old Jeremiah Samuel, also known locally as Mozique, who admitted to kidnapping and stabbing to death 14-month-old Janae Samuel-Wright, his cousin’s infant daughter.

The timeline of the tragedy unfolded shortly after 6 p.m. on February 10, 2024, when Samuel left the grandmother’s home where he resided in Rose Hall’s Park neighborhood and traveled to his own mother’s residence in the nearby New Village section of the community. Samuel’s mother, Myrtle Samuel, was washing clothes in her yard when she spotted her son. She immediately walked 10 seconds away to her sister Joan Samuel’s home, where she asked her daughter Mazonya Samuel to prepare food for the unexpected visitor. When Mazonya retrieved a serving bowl from Janae’s mother Jonessa, who was in the bedroom, the 14-month-old girl was left unsupervised for just a few minutes, sitting laughing and playing in a living room armchair alongside three other young children. While Mazonya was in the adjacent kitchen portioning out food, Samuel—who had been waiting on the front porch—snatched the infant from her chair and fled into nearby dense shrubbery.

Myrtle Samuel turned back from her washing just in time to see her son running with the baby clutched to his chest. She ran screaming into the house alerting Jonessa that Samuel had taken the child, triggering a frantic search across the community. Samuel jumped a perimeter wall with Janae, pulled a black-handled kitchen knife he had stolen from his grandmother’s home earlier that day, and stabbed the child multiple times in the neck before leaving her small body and the murder weapon hidden under a lemon tree in an overgrown patch of bushes. He then evaded searchers from the community for a period of time, until police were called to the scene. Lenroy Robertson, Jonessa’s ex-boyfriend, ultimately located Janae’s body just under two hours after the kidnapping. The infant was pronounced dead by a district medical officer later that night, and an autopsy conducted by pathologist Dr. Ronald Child confirmed the toddler died from multiple sharp force injuries, including fatal cuts to her external jugular vein.

Samuel was arrested on suspicion of murder that same night. A psychiatric evaluation ordered the next day revealed a long and troubling history of substance abuse: the assessment confirmed Samuel had begun smoking marijuana while still in primary school, and by the time of the killing, he was consuming two marijuana cigarettes (known locally as spliffs) per day, starting before he turned 16. Toxicology testing and clinical assessment resulted in a formal diagnosis of psychosis, linked to chronic long-term marijuana abuse. A follow-up evaluation by psychiatrist Dr. Enyinne Williams completed in June 2025 further specified that Samuel was experiencing an acute brief psychotic disorder at the time of the killing, marked by delusional thinking, auditory hallucinations, and severely impaired judgment. Multiple community members told investigators they had observed Samuel exhibiting increasingly bizarre behavior in the days leading up to the murder: he was seen pacing roads talking to himself, screaming curses, and repeatedly telling neighbors that the 14-month-old baby was possessed by demons and “had to be gotten rid of.” He also claimed he could raise dead people back to life after the passing of a close friend, which friends and family said marked a clear shift in his already unstable behavior.

Because his mental impairment satisfied the legal requirements for a partial defense of diminished responsibility, Samuel was not eligible to stand trial for murder. He instead pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, alongside a separate charge of kidnapping the victim. In handing down the sentence, Justice Burnett explained that the legal framework for diminished responsibility applies when a defendant’s mental abnormality substantially impairs their ability to exercise self-control, form rational judgments, or understand the nature of their violent acts. In this case, the court ruled that Samuel’s chronic marijuana use had triggered an untreated, undiagnosed psychotic disorder that met this legal standard.

To craft the sentence, Justice Burnett started with a 30-year starting term, noting multiple aggravating factors: the victim was an utterly defenseless 14-month-old child, the attack was unprovoked, Samuel abused the trust of his own family to access the baby, he used a weapon, had premeditated the act (even if the planning stemmed from delusions), and concealed the child’s body after the killing. The judge added six years to the starting term due to these aggravating circumstances, bringing the total to 36 years. He then subtracted three years to account for mitigating factors, including Samuel’s previously non-violent criminal record, his youth (he was 22 at the time of the killing), his cooperation with law enforcement after his arrest, and his untreated mental illness at the time of the offense. Samuel received a further one-third sentence discount for his guilty plea, reducing the term to 22 years, before deducting the two years, two months and 24 days he had already spent in pre-trial detention. For the separate kidnapping charge, Samuel received a concurrent four-year, one-month and seven-day term, resulting in a final sentence of 19 years, nine months and six days additional time in custody. The judge also ordered that Samuel receive consistent, comprehensive psychiatric treatment throughout his incarceration.

In her victim impact statement, Jonessa Samuel described Janae as a calm, loving, joyful baby who brought happiness to everyone who met her. The young mother said she is left permanently heartbroken, feels empty without her child, continues to cry on what would have been Janae’s birthdays, and feels deeply betrayed that the violence came from within her own family. She emphasized that the 14-month-old girl was completely innocent, had never harmed anyone, and could not possibly defend herself against the attack. Neighbors in Rose Hall, who had previously described Samuel as generally calm, quiet, and helpful to those around him, said they were left shocked and deeply saddened by the unthinkable act.

Justice Burnett noted that there are no formal sentencing guidelines for manslaughter by diminished responsibility in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, so the court relied on UK guidelines, existing case law, and legal submissions from both sides to craft the sentence. He explained that the sentence was structured to meet all four core goals of criminal sentencing: prevention of future harm, retribution for the victim, rehabilitation for the offender, and deterrence of similar crimes. The judge stated that “the court must bear in mind that crime is not only against the state but also against a specific person,” and urged Samuel to use the rehabilitation programs available at His Majesty’s Prison to address his mental illness and substance use disorder, so he can eventually reintegrate into society if he is released.

The case has drawn attention to the devastating impacts of early-onset chronic marijuana abuse and gaps in access to mental healthcare in small Caribbean communities, where undiagnosed psychotic conditions can escalate into unthinkable acts of violence before intervention is possible.

A Canadian non-profit organization has delivered a targeted donation of specialty seeds to support community-led food security work across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, marking the latest chapter of a long-running partnership between international donors and local agricultural initiatives.

Dwight “Bongo” Anderson, founder and executive director of Canada-based Still Kickin’ Charity, contributed three full barrels of mixed vegetable, herb, and flower seeds to the Zero Hunger Trust Fund (ZHTF), a local body working to reduce food vulnerability across the island nation. Fitz Huggins, the former consul general of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to Toronto, formally presented the donation to ZHTF on Anderson’s behalf.

Following the handover, the donation was distributed across three key stakeholders aligned with national food security goals. One barrel was allocated to SVG’s Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Empowerment, Ecclesiastical Affairs and National Heritage, while a second went to Seed Sisters, a local women in agriculture initiative founded with support from Still Kickin’ Charity. The third barrel remains under ZHTF stewardship to support its ongoing community and household gardening programs.

Safiya Horne-Bique, chief executive officer of ZHTF, welcomed the contribution as perfectly timed and closely aligned with the fund’s core mission: delivering community-centered solutions to hunger, poor nutrition, and food insecurity across SVG. “This is a very timely donation, and I know our backyard gardeners and family farmers will appreciate receiving these seeds,” Horne-Bique said, adding that ZHTF looks forward to deepening its ongoing collaboration with Anderson and his team.

SVG’s Minister of Social Welfare Shevern John emphasized that expanding domestic agricultural production is a central pillar of the government’s national development strategy, noting that agriculture holds a place as one of the four core pillars of the country’s economy. “These seeds will go towards farmers who will improve their production and help increase domestic food production. This is an important contribution to food security in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” John said, thanking Anderson and Still Kickin’ for their sustained support and praising ZHTF for ensuring the donation reaches the communities that need it most.

Huggins echoed this sentiment, noting that the seed contribution fits seamlessly into the ongoing food security programming ZHTF runs for local communities every year.

For Anderson, the donation is rooted in deep personal connection to SVG. Anderson, who has Jamaican-Canadian heritage, lived in the country with his family from 2021 to 2024, where he built close ties with local farming communities and gained firsthand understanding of how critical local food production is to Vincentian livelihoods. This experience motivated him to expand his charity’s support for the country’s food security efforts. Still Kickin’ first began sending seed donations to SVG immediately after the 2021 eruption of the La Soufriere Volcano, which disrupted local agriculture and left many communities facing acute food shortages, and has continued supporting related initiatives ever since.

“We are well aware of the food security issues in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the natural disasters that farmers and the wider population have faced,” Anderson said. He explained that Seed Sisters, the SVG-based group that received one barrel of the donation, was established through his charity to support female smallholder farmers, boost local food output, and lay the groundwork for a national sustainable seed bank.

“The aim is not only to grow seeds for selling or personal use, but also to develop a strategic seed bank in St. Vincent that can help to reinvigorate the agricultural sector if it is affected by storms, volcanic activity or other challenges,” he said. Anderson also encouraged Vincentian households to embrace small-scale seed saving and home seed banking as a strategy to build greater national resilience, particularly at a time when global economic volatility and supply chain disruptions disproportionately threaten small island developing states.

Anderson extended special thanks to Westcoast Seeds and its donations coordinator Erika Simms for their ongoing support that made this latest contribution possible. In a closing statement, a press release from ZHTF reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to partnering with local, regional, and international stakeholders to advance sustainable, nutrition-focused food security initiatives across SVG, ranging from supporting backyard gardening and youth engagement in agriculture to expanding community food production and improving access to nutrient-dense foods for all residents.

In a heartbreaking loss for communities across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sweet-I Robertson, a woman who turned a life-altering act of senseless gun violence into a story of relentless resilience and academic triumph, passed away Monday night following a sudden short illness. She was 33 years old.

Robertson’s journey of struggle and success began in October 2010, when the 15-year-old star athlete and fifth-form student at Petit Bordel Secondary School was struck by a stray bullet outside her school’s campus in Petit Bordel. The bullet hit her neck, leaving her permanently paralyzed from the waist down. The tragedy did not end with her injury: in 2013, Shelton Hooper, the man convicted of wounding her, was sentenced to five years in prison. Hooper and his two co-accused relatives also received 12-year sentences for a separate attempted murder, and Hooper faced additional prison time on firearms charges. In a remarkable show of grace just days after her 21st birthday in 2014, Robertson told local outlet iWitness News that she had fully forgiven the men responsible for her injury, noting that holding onto resentment had no place in her new life. “You can’t hold a grudge forever,” she said at the time.

Against all odds, Robertson refused to let her paralysis define her future. Just a year after the shooting, in 2011, she sat for the CXC O’Level examinations and passed four out of five subjects, earning the highest possible Grade 1 in mathematics. She went on to pursue higher education, graduating from St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College in 2017 — crossing the graduation stage in her wheelchair, pushed by her older sister Racquel, an educator, to accept her certificate.

With support from Island Scholars Inc., a United States-based educational charity, Robertson continued her studies at the University of the West Indies. In July 2023, she reached a historic milestone, completing her degree program and graduating with a first-class honours Bachelor of Science in psychology. She had been preparing to launch an online counselling service to support others facing adversity when her health declined unexpectedly, leading to her death.

Local leaders and institutions stepped in to support Robertson in the years after her injury. Then-Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves took a personal interest in her case after reading news reports of her assailants’ sentencing. Gonsalves, who used Robertson’s story to draw attention to the unregulated arms trade plaguing Caribbean communities, told a 2013 regional workshop for the UN Arms Trade Treaty that her experience was a “symbol of the creeping scourge of arms and ammunition into the most remote corners of our Caribbean civilisation”. In 2013, Gonsalves’ government arranged for Robertson to receive three months of rehabilitative treatment in Cuba, where she regained full control of her upper body, which had been left with only limited mobility in one hand before therapy. While doctors confirmed the lower half of her body was irreparably damaged, the treatment vastly improved her quality of life and restored her self-confidence. In 2014, the administration donated a custom-built, mortgage-free home to Robertson in Fitz Hughes, a gesture she said lifted a huge financial and emotional burden from her family.

Robertson’s death marks the second time in recent months that a promising young Caribbean athlete has died from complications of violence committed near their school. In March, 17-year-old top athlete Alia Mc Dowall died at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, more than a year after she was stabbed in the throat outside Central Leeward Secondary School, where she was a student. The alleged attacker, 17-year-old Bethel High School student Doriel Duncan, has been charged with wounding with intent, granted EC$15,000 bail, and the case remains ongoing in the courts.