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Third attack linked to robbery trial

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Published On:Thursday, September 02, 2010

By ALISON LOWE

Tribune Staff Reporter

alowe@tribunemedia.net

A POLICE officer whose house was fired on has become the third person connected to an armed robbery trial to become the actual or apparent target of an attack since Saturday, The Tribune has confirmed.

This newspaper understands there is concern that the incidents may deter witnesses and other individuals involved in the trial from participating.

However, a source in the Attorney General's Office yesterday vowed that it remains committed to the trial.

"It is the intention of this office to move ahead," said the source.

And in response to queries as to whether the incidents may represent a coordinated effort to target individuals connected to the trial, Superintendent Leon Bethel, head of the Central Detective Unit, told The Tribune that as yet police have "no evidence to suggest these matters have any connection at all."

The latest incident involving someone confirmed to be associated with the trial occurred early yesterday morning with the firing of a gun into a house where a police officer lived.

No one was injured and it is not clear if the unidentified officer - who was to testify in the trial, police confirmed - was intended to be the target of the shooting. What is known is that a bullet entered through a window in the home at 1am and hit a ceiling fan.

This incident comes after another man connected to the case, 35-year-old Raymond Bastian, was murdered in a drive-by shooting on Saturday. The assault also saw his three-month-old daughter receive gunshot wounds.

The attack on Bastian - who had been rumoured to have been due to testify for the prosecution in the trial, although this was firmly denied by police and other sources close to the trial this week - was followed on Tuesday by a cutlass attack on Romauld Ferreira, an attorney involved with the trial.

Mr Ferreira suffered non-life threatening injuries to his ear and neck after a man hit him with the weapon in the parking lot of his East Street north law office at around 8.30am that day. Mr Ferreira has declined to comment on the attack.

ASP Cooper, an officer investigating the assault on the attorney told The Tribune that no one had yet been taken into custody or for questioning in connection with the attack.

ASP Cooper declined to provide his first name to this newspaper.

Reader Comments - 9 Total

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Posted By: Dan On: 9/3/2010

Title: Dramatically increase the punishment!

Have a couple extreme sentences for petty crimes and put them on the front page to get the word out.

Posted By: the man On: 9/3/2010

Title: name not important

A.S.P. Cooper is an experience investigator,he knows his job. I always talk about tainted jury pool's.I would tell that officer leave that area right away, protect yourself and your family. them punk's had no regard for the 3month year old BABY you think they care who they take out to kill him. officer my brother I don't what is the big deal about this case go and see Mr. Greenslade and get yourself protected. Don't wait on no investigation.i don't know what the big deal is in this case, the crook's did not get any money one of them get shot after challenge one of us.

Posted By: It begins at home On: 9/3/2010

Title: Sickening

How is it that we have gotten to such a point in our little country, where animals can run around freely masquerading as humans? How come these "people" have so little regard or respect for others and the laws of the land? And even more daunting, how do we weed them out? Corruption is more rampant than ever here, so it is hard to accomplish those thiongs that need to be done. Marshal law would be good. Cat O Nine would be good, too. I think we need to start though, while the criminals are young. Make the parents accountable for the youngest offenders, and maybe then they would do a better job of parenting so society would not be left to suffer the results of their mess. and for the adults, make the punishment suit the crime, and stop allowing these slick lawyers to get these terrorists off and enabling them to go on making decent people's lives miserable. Start by making it hard for the law breakers to afford these lawyers' expensive fees. If they can't prove their money is legit, then it can't be used to pay the lawyers. No slickster, no freedom. Sit in Fox Hell where you deserve to be!

Posted By: Concerned Visitor On: 9/2/2010

Title: MS

I agree a 100% that curfews need to be in place in some areas.... Also any court workers proven to be selling witness list to crimminals need to be exposed and sent to Fox Hill at hard labour!!!! Tommy is WUTLESS!!! Papa need to show him the door and make room for some one else who has a clue on how to get crime under control... ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

Posted By: Lex (yes, that's my real name) On: 9/2/2010

Title: Man in the mirror!!

The preceding comments are interesting to say the least. Even more interesting is that the writers don't seem to realize that solving the crime problem is a community effort. As the attack on the attorney occurred at 8:30 in the morning, I don't know how effective a curfew would be. While there is merit in declaring a state of emergency or even marshal law, I am cynical that it will ever occur simply because of the one-tracked minds of Bahamians, who view every act of the government through political glasses and really have no natiional (objective) view on anything. As to bringing in foreign police officers, I always question the wisdom of this suggestion, because if corruption is the problem, and we are all humans regardless of nationality, what prevents the foreign policeman from being corrupted by local persons here? As to the comments that Cuba is looking better and better, that writer has obviously never travelled to Cuba; and, even if Cuba is looking better, consider the fact that Cuba is not an open society and therefore not prone to the types of issues societies like The Bahamas face. Finally, the reason why people know who is to be a prosecution witness is because of the rule of law...in criminal trials the prosecution is obligated to disclose all of the information it intends to use against an accused person to the defence, this includes names and addresses of witnesses, witness statements, police reports etc.

Posted By: SEERER On: 9/2/2010

Title: foreign help

As a Bahamian i have reached the point where foreign police is needed to help our police force to truly bring back LAW AND ORDER to our nation.ENOUGH TALK, lets take action or get out of the way for someone who can deal with the criminals.The minister of national security and the new police chief has had their time to make some dent into this state of lawlessness.I give the former a (F) and the later a (D). Law abiding citizens will soon take the law into their hands if this state of lawlessness continues.We are to familiar with some of the criminals,so we need FOREIGN HELP!!!!!

Posted By: Mark My Words On: 9/2/2010

Title: If You Do Not

Your country is going into the toilet, if you do not clean up the corruption, you will end up on the “Warning List” for vacationers. Cuba is looking better and better every day.

Posted By: Larry On: 9/2/2010

Title: HOW

How is it, that people know, who it is, that the prosecution, is going to use as witnesses, before the trial begins. There is too much corruption in the court system, and its costing people their safety and even lives now. This goes back to Piceswell SOKA, announcing he knew the verdict of a case, probably by a juror communicating with someone on the outside, before the verdict, was given. This court system, is backwards, corrupt and filled with dishonest, greedy, corrupt people. God, I hate having to live in this country.

Posted By: WIL On: 9/2/2010

Title: WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

WHAT ARE WE COMING TO AS A NATION? WHEN WE ARE SLACK IN THE ENFORCEMENT OF OUR LAWS, THIS IS THE END RESULT. WE NEED TO INVOKE A CURFEW, AND MARSHALL LAWS TO TAKE BACK THE STREETS AND OUR COUNTRY FROM THE LAWLESS THUGS WHO CONTINUALLY TERRIFIES OUR GOOD LAND. PLEASE MR. PM, DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY TO SAVE OUR BAHAMA LAND!!!

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