Looking ahead to the 2025 general elections, all eyes are on Belize City Councilor Kaya Cattouse as she hits the ground in the Albert Division. Cattouse is going up against two-time area representative, Tracy Panton. So, is Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow concerned about how Panton will perform against Cattouse? We asked him.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The honorable member from Alberts is a two-time area representative thus I would bet on her. I believe that she has to be given the benefit of the doubt, she won back-to-back, she won, while the margin was not a large margin, it was in the midst of a blue tsunami, and she held her own against a formidable candidate who had all the resources behind him. So, I don’t believe you take anybody for granted certainly Kaya is a popular councilor and thus the honorable member form Albert will just have to continue doing what she does best because, what she knows to do best has worked in Albert.”
Tonight at the Bliss, two contestants in this season of K.T.V. The Remix are going home, another guest judge will also be joining Andazzi and Tremett to critique this week’s performances. It all goes down live at eight p.m. and for a look at what you, our faithful viewers, can expect, we turn to production assistant Monilee Aspinall for a preview of tonight’s show.
A mass of thanksgiving was held today at Saint Ignatius Church in Belize City for the life of Belizean legend, Jennifer Lovell, better known as Jenny Lovell. The seventy-three-year-old Mass in Blues singer, K.T.V. judge and counsellor passed away during on June twenty-seventh at her home in Belmopan. Today, family and friends of the charismatic icon gathered to pay their last respects while the Belize Defence Force band performed renditions of Onward Christian Soldier, and the Belizean and American National Anthems. Lovell served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for twenty-five years, before retiring and returning to Belize to serve her country. She was a professional mental health therapist and volunteered a lot of her time and service to the people of Belize. Known for her flavour and bubbly personality she brought to Channel Five’s K.T.V., Jenny was a popular judge and crowd pleaser with her phrase, “I love it” after the performances that she enjoyed. For those who didn’t know, Jenny was also a mainstay for the Frankie Reneau music projects. William Neal, who hosts the K.T.V. show has worked with Jenny for many years on the show and he was the M.C. before the service began, as several singers paid tribute to the memory of Jenny Lovell. We bring you snippets of the sights and sounds of the musical performances that preceded the funeral service in honour of the late Jenny Lovell.
Brian Lee Perriott, 26, initially pleaded guilty to charges under the Cybercrime Act for circulating nude photos of a woman on Facebook. However, after three days on remand, he changed his plea to not guilty during sentencing today. Perriott, who now has legal representation from Elrington & Co. Ltd., was offered bail of $8,000 with one surety of the same amount.
The court imposed several conditions on Perriott’s bail, including a prohibition on social media engagement regarding the case and a requirement to stay 100 yards away from the victim. During the session, Prosecutor Sgt. Christopher Smith argued against the change of plea, emphasising the seriousness of the offence and the need to uphold privacy laws. Despite this, the magistrate allowed the plea change, noting the defence’s arguments and the lack of evidence suggesting Perriott is a flight risk.
Perriott had been accused of sharing nude photos of a 20-year-old woman and threatening her and her family after the relationship ended. The magistrate warned Perriott about the strict conditions of his bail and the serious consequences of any violations.
In connection with the attempted murder of Andrews Muns and the murder of Clint Castillo on Saturday, July 6, 2024, police have formally arrested and charged 22-year-old Jamal James Hyde, a Belizean construction worker from the Cayo District, with two counts of abetment to murder.
Thirty-nine-year-old Castillo collapsed and died after he was shot in the face shortly before eleven on Saturday night in Cotton Tree Village.
Guyana’s National Assembly recently passed the Criminal Law Procedure (Paper Committals) Bill 2024, marking a significant change in the country’s legal system by eliminating lengthy preliminary inquiries (PI). The bill, presented by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, aims to replace traditional oral preliminary inquiries with paper committals. This shift is expected to streamline judicial processes, reduce case backlogs, and alleviate the burden on the prison system.
Under the new legislation, instead of conducting oral hearings with witnesses present, paper committals will involve a review of written evidence and arguments submitted by both the prosecution and defense. This method, already in use in other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, promises efficiency and expediency, addressing issues of prolonged remand periods and ensuring fair trials within reasonable time frames.
Google Translate has recently expanded its language offerings to include 110 new languages, among them Zapotec, Nahuatl, Maya Yucateco, and Qʼeqchiʼ. These additions reflect Mexico’s rich linguistic diversity, where 68 Indigenous languages are spoken by 7.5 million people. However, nearly 300 Indigenous languages in Mexico are at risk of disappearing.
This enhancement is significant for efforts to preserve minority languages, crucial for Mexico’s Indigenous communities. Zapotec, for instance, with over 50 distinct languages, primarily spoken in Oaxaca by approximately 425,000 people, is part of this initiative. Nahuatl, spoken by about 1.7 million Nahua people in Central Mexico, and Qʼeqchiʼ, used by the Maya people across Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, are also now supported.
Google’s expansion aims to support the world’s 1,000 most spoken languages, benefiting over 614 million speakers globally, or about 8% of the world’s population. This effort utilises advanced AI models like PaLM 2, trained on multilingual texts, which enhances translation accuracy across diverse linguistic contexts.
Currently, Google Translate supports 243 languages at varying proficiency levels, underscoring its commitment to linguistic inclusivity and accessibility worldwide.
We start off tonight with a report of a fatal shooting incident that left a man dead and another in critical condition and paralyzed. The attack happened on Saturday night in Cotton Tree Village, which is one of the communities that the State of Emergency covers. The incident was sparked by an argument among friends and quickly escalated into gun violence when the deceased went out to see what was taking place. He was the first to be shot, then the other man, who attempted to run away. The shooter and the men were reportedly having a few drinks when the altercation happened. News Five’s Marion Ali visited Cotton Tree Village and brought back this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The bloodstained spot on the dirt road is where thirty-nine-year-old Clint Castillo collapsed and died after he was shot in the face shortly before eleven on Saturday night. He was asleep on a sofa in one of the homes when he heard a ruckus outside and went out to investigate what was happening. A group of friends who were drinking on the street got into an argument and Castillo stepped in to deescalate the situation. But it didn’t.
Andrew Muns
One of the men produced a handgun and shot Castillo at close range, before turning the weapon on the man with whom he had the dispute, Andrew Muns. Andrew Muns is reportedly paralyzed and in a critical condition in the K.H.M.H. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Hilberto Romero shares what the police have gathered so far.
“On Saturday, the sixth day of July 2024, about 10:50 p.m., police responded to a shooting incident at Cutting Tree Village. Upon the arrival, they learned that two persons had been shot. They were identified as Clint Castillo and Andrew Muns. Information is that these persons were along with other persons in the area when an argument started between them. One of the persons then pulled out a firearm and fired shots towards him. Causing the fatal injuries to claim Castillo. Andrew Muns remains at the hospital in critical condition. They were hanging out drinking together and at some point, an argument began between them. Uh, we are not sure what the argument was about.”
Castillo’s sister, Anna Middleton, tells News Five that gun violence and tragedy have revisited the family just four months apart.
Anna Middleton
Anna Middleton, Sister of Clint Castillo
“We’re just getting over mourning our brother that they killed March 4th, 2024, Cruz Castillo. We are trying to get over him and they did this to us. Clint Castillo, within four months, I have to be here planning another brother’s funeral. Clint was a sweet, funny dude. He – the only thing we had with him was the drinking, and I wa miss ah. Clint wasn’t a criminal. He wasn’t; just the drinking. They had problem with him.”
Middleton says the family advised Castillo to be careful after their younger brother, Cruz Castillo, was killed in March.
Anna Middleton
“From the time we buried Cruz Castillo, we have always told him, I said, Clint, find somewhere else to live, move out of that village. They’re coming, they will come out to you. They will come out to you because of our brother’s reputation. So every two weeks they be calling me, Anna. Clinton get into and I’d be like, Oh my goodness, my brother when I, when we check into it, he’s not in the wrong. People is always attacking him when he’s drunk. I’m hearing they had an altercation two weeks ago when that same, I think they said the said dude end up punching my brother in his mouth.”
Police have detained one man and are seeking a second in connection with the incident. Clint Castillo would have turned forty next month. Marion Ali for News Five.
Tonight, a father who claims he was keeping a loaded gun for the protection of his family is on remand at the Belize Central Prison. He is forty-five-year-old Ernie Zelaya, who was charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Reports are that on Friday, July fifth, at around twelve thirty a.m., police were conducting mobile patrol on the Phillip Goldson Highway between Miles seven and eight in Ladyville Village when the officers encountered a taxi with no lights on the highway, belonging to Zelaya. The officers instructed the vehicle to pull over and upon search, they discovered a rusty, three-eighty pistol and three live rounds of ammunition, for which he failed to produce a license. Today, in court, Zelaya, who appeared unrepresented, initially pleaded guilty to the offenses, stating that he only kept the gun for the protection of his and his family’s life, which he claims is under threat by a gang member in his neighborhood. Court proceedings were put on pause after Zelaya broke down crying and his family members phoned to calm him. The sitting magistrate asked Zelaya if he understood the offenses he was pleading guilty to. Zelaya was informed that a fine would not be imposed and that he would be going to jail. After the break, Zelaya changed his guilty plea to not guilty. However, due to the nature of the offenses, no bail could be granted and Zelaya was remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until August twenty-fourth, 2024.
Tonight, a thirty-three-year-old man is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being charged for the rape of a sixty-year-old woman inside her home. He is Samuel Bernardez, who appeared in court today and was read a single charge of rape. Allegations are that on July third, 2024, at about four a.m., a resident of southside Belize City heard a noise outside her window and upon investigating, spotted a man she recognized to be Bernardez. She further told police that he pretended to leave her residence, however, after she exited her home to seek help, she was dragged back into her home, attacked and raped. Bernardez appeared unrepresented in court today where he was arraigned. Due to the nature of the offense, no plea was taken. However, Bernardez was allowed to plea for bail to be granted to him, to which he stated that he would like to report to work. Unconvinced by his reason, the magistrate upheld the prosecution’s objection to bail and agreed that the safety of the victim must be considered. Bernardez was denied bail and remanded into custody at the Belize Central Prison until September seventeenth, 2024.
