Belize District - Channel 5 Belize

CEMO Meets to Discuss Natural Disasters

The National Emergency Management Organization often meets around this of year for a disaster communication workshop as part of its preparations for the upcoming hurricane season. But with climate change and forest fires having so much impact on the environment, the City Emergency Management Organization included all these occurrences in the discussions. Today’s workshop had the participation of all the relevant departments that would be first responders in the event of a natural disaster. Because Belize City is low-lying, flooding and erosion are primary topics. News Five’s Marion Ali was present for the early part of the workshop and filed this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

This morning, teams from various government departments met with personnel from the Belize City Council for a workshop to streamline their communication capacity to better respond to natural disasters. Minister of Disaster Risk Management, Andre Perez pointed out that because the world is under constant threat due to climate change, the discussions can no longer be centered on hurricane preparedness.

Andre Perez, Minister of Disaster Risk Management

“It’s no longer June to November. We’re talking about not only storms now, we have the serious threat of fire. Climate change is real and rising sea level, erosion, everything is affecting this city, which is the hub, the economic hub of the entire country. So it’s crucial, and we have that focused and organize leaders as it relates to NEMO to be prepared. It’s always about preparedness as we enter into the hurricane season. And today’s session invited all the relevant departments to conduct a session to see where we can work together in terms of when storms come around or when we have the threats of other potential dangers that come to the city.”

CEMO Liaison Officer, Melanie Dawson says today’s session was key because having optimum communication among a working group of first responders can spell the difference between a good and bad outcome.

Melanie Dawson, CEMO Liaison Officer, Belize City Council

“This is our preparation phase at this point right now, so basically we are in preparation of getting our internal staff and our stakeholders ready. And this time we took a different approach and we are working on our communication line within the E.O.C. So we want to ensure that we enhance our communication patterns within the E.O.C. This way we can execute our roles and responsibilities in a more effective and efficient way for the residents within the city.”

Communication capacity aside, does the Belize City Council and its partners have the wherewithal to respond in a timely fashion to the needs of a rapidly expanding municipality should a hurricane or tsunami render the population in need?

Melanie Dawson

“This is why we collaborate with other stakeholders when it comes to resources. This is where we extend and we work in collaboration to get resources that we need. Within a tsunami plan, all of these components are being included in it. Right now at this point we are working along, with Captain Daniel Mendez to finish a plan that we actually had started for Belize City.”

Dawson says that when the plan is completed it will be shared with the public. Marion Ali for News Five.

Selgado to be Sentenced on June 14th; Will He Get Prison Time?

Sentencing for embattled attorney Oscar Selgado is set for June fourteenth, when High Court Justice Nigel Pilgrim will decide whether Selgado, who has been convicted of abetment to murder, will be given prison time for the crime he committed. The past two weeks have seen Selgado’s legal team put to the court several reasons why a non-custodial sentence should be handed down, including the fact that he is diabetic and is in poor health at the Belize Central Prison. While that is the view of attorney Arthur Saldivar, the Director of Public Prosecutions is of the firmly held position that Selgado should be given a prison sentence, notwithstanding his health condition. At the conclusion of today’s session, attorney Saldivar spoke with reporters about the court’s deliberations.

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney-at-law

“The court is guided by certain principles when it comes to exercising judicial reasoning in meting out a sentence under these circumstances. The court has to give consideration to the issue of deterrence, of rehabilitation, of prevention and certainly the court also has to give consideration to retribution. Every crime is an offense against the state, so the interest of the general public looms large under these circumstances. Suffice it for me to say that what also looms large is the particular status of the offender in this case, him being an attorney-at-law and a person imbued with a special knowledge of the law and what is right legally and what is wrong, not only legally, but morally. So these things loom large and these things have to be taken into consideration. Also, what has to be taken into consideration is the health of the offender. So with all this, myself, in representing and advocating on behalf of Mr. Selgado had to place as many as possible, issues for the court to consider in his favor, while at the same time not negating the existence of those issues that go against him. And, of course, the other side, Madam D.P.P. had to take out that similar exercise with more of an emphasis on that which should be considered to his discredit. So, insofar as that process goes, it was comprehensive, it was lengthy and we believe that the court has more than sufficient information that we provided, as well as what it has on its own to come out with a decision that would be fair and just and certainly acceptable to the Belizean public.”

Should Selgado be Given Jail Time for Abetment to Murder?

During this afternoon’s hearing, Selgado’s attorney put forward that the convicted lawyer also has a mortgage that he is required to pay and that he stands to lose his life, as well as other properties, should he be given a custodial sentence. Attorney Saldivar was also asked about the chances that the court would consider the mitigating factors presented on behalf of the defense.

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney-at-law

“This punishment may lead to him losing his life, it may also lead to him losing other things, if not his life, things that he was actively pursuing for his own benefit and the benefit of his family. But that is not to say that because of the existence of these things he is to be considered favorably, to the exclusion of any other person in society under similar circumstances, no. That is not what we are saying at all. What we’re saying and what I am saying is, this is simply a part of the compendium of factors that are peculiar to him and what weight is given to that consideration and the consideration of that is certainly within the sole purview of the court. There is legislation and in so far as legislation exists to make this a possibility, my sole consideration is to avail my client with everything that may be able to give him the best possible outcome. I don’t look to see whether or not I have a ninety percent, eighty percent or seventy percent chance of anything occurring, save and except that I will do my utmost best to put everything at my disposal before the court for a decision to be made. Given the facts that the court had to consider and the elements that were laid out, there are many aggravating factors that do not look good for the convicted Oscar Selgado. Suffice it to say that where the guidelines are concerned, the ones from the UK that we were tasked to look at, the issue of harm is set against the issue of culpability. So where those two things coincide or oppose each other, there is a consideration for a downward look at where to start. In this case, yes, there is high culpability because of the role of Mr. Selgado, his status as a person of trust, having been a lawyer for Ms. Barnes and then being the prospective lawyer of Mr. Ramirez. But then there is also the mitigating factor that no harm came to Ms. Barnes, and the truth of it is that, well, Ms. Barnes only learned of this threat after the threat was neutralized by law enforcement.”

Stake Bank Discontinues Lawsuit Against GOB et al.

News Five has confirmed that Stake Bank Enterprise Limited has discontinued claims against the government and other parties. Stake Bank had filed a claim against the Attorney General of Belize, the National Environmental Appraisal Committee, Portico Enterprise Limited, Waterloo Investment Holdings Limited, Belize Cruise Development Limited, and Belize Logistics Terminal Limited.

The notice is dated May 24th, 2024, and it was filed by Barrow and Williams LLP, attorneys for Stake Bank.

Earlier this month, News Five reported that the facilities of Stake Bank were sold to Operaciones Portuarias, a corporation registered under Honduran law and affiliated with brothers Guillermo and David Bueso. The announcement was made by Atlantic Bank Limited. In its statement, the bank noted that it removed the debt owed by Stake Bank from its books and no longer conducts banking business with Stake Bank.

Kareem Kelly Comes Under Gunfire on Banak Street

On Friday, we reported on a shooting incident that occurred on Banak Street, near its intersection with Central American Boulevard. As many as twelve rounds were fired at a Kareem Kelly when two men appeared on the scene on a motorcycle. One of them got off the bike, fired repeatedly at Kelly, before fleeing the area. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, the incident was gang related.

A.C.P. Hilberto Romero

“On Friday, May twenty-fourth, 2024, there was a shooting on Banak Street, Belize City. Upon police responding, they saw Kareem Kelly with a gunshot injury. He was taken to a medical facility where he is presently in a stable condition. Investigation is that he was in the area when two persons arrived on a motorcycle, one of them got off and fired the shots towards his direction. Several persons have been detained and are being interviewed.”

Isani Cayetano

“What is believed to have been the motive behind this attack?”

Hilberto Romero

“[It was] gang-related.”

Reporter

Is the victim known to police?

Hilberto Romero

“Yes, he is known.”

Police Fires Rubber Bullets on Belize City Party Strip

Police Fires Rubber Bullets on Belize City Party Strip

A police officer fired a round of rubber bullets from his issued shotgun on Saturday night outside a nightclub on Newtown Barracks that injured three individuals. Reports are that the officers responded to a fight in the area. And, when they got there a single round was fired to disperse the crowd. Two individuals who police allege were involved in the fight were hit on their feet with rubber pellets. A third person who was selling food in the area was also injured by a rubber pellet. Police have since arrested and charged four persons, two of them are among those who were injured in the incident. We reached out to them, but they declined comment. We did hear from A.C.P. Hilberto Romero who told reporters that the Professional Standards Branch is investigating the use of rubber bullets.

A.C.P Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“On Saturday the twenty-fifth day of May 2024, Police responded to a disturbance at an area near Shisha. Upon their arrival there was a fight in progress. Police responded and as a result a shot was fired from a shotgun by police to disburse the crowd. Two people received injuries from the rubber bullets. Some persons were detained, Clayshon Lewis and Barry Young was charged for disorderly conduct. Britney Ramclam was charged for assaulting a police officer and Wayne Ford was arrested for offense of obstruction.”

Reporter

“How did the altercation start?”

A.C.P Hilberto Romero

“They were having a fight in the area with several persons involved.”

Reporter

“They were intoxicated?”

A.C.P Hilberto Romero

“Yes, they were consuming alcoholic beverages.”

Reporter

“What led to the decision to use rubber bullets?”

A.C.P Hilberto Romero

“That is under investigation by the professional standards branch, so we will await the results of that investigation.”

Reporter

“The persons that were injured, were they treated and released?”

A.C.P Hilberto Romero

“Yes, they were treated for minor injuries.”

Students from Belize City Five High Schools Visit Prison

Everyday, adolescents who are caught violating the law are processed through the justice system and incarcerated upon conviction. Many times, these youths are enrolled in a school setting and end up losing the chance to complete their formal education. Today, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Howell Gillett attempted to reduce this trend when he took students from five high schools across Belize City to visit the prison facility. The youths were taken through the facility’s security system like any other visitor and were brought face-to-face with what prison life is like when they entered the holding cell at the facility. News Five’s Marion Ali was present for the visit and filed this report.

Michael Gladden, Chief of Security, Belize Central Prison

“Full black is not allowed. Any excessive jewellery is not allowed. Right now, I will ask you if you have any money in your pocket, you need to remove it. If you have any electronic devices, you need to move it. Why I’m telling you this is because when you enter to my prison, you will be searched. Everybody here will be searched.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

The first phase of the visit that the forty high school students experienced was an introduction by chief of the prison’s security, Michael Gladden. He advised the youths on the do’s and don’ts when visiting the facility. After the students were searched, they were escorted by prison guards and police officers to the sections of the facility that were prepared for their visit. The tour was an initiative undertaken by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Howell Gillett, who also heads the Community Policing Unit. He told News Five that the visit aims to discourage the youths from engaging in a life of crime.

A.C.P Howell Gillett, Commander, National Community-oriented Policing

“We strategically pick kids from different areas across the city to come and see the end state – what occurs when a crime is committed in the streets. We do so because we are fully aware that some of the behaviours, the actions that brought these inmates here, there are corresponding behaviours withing the communities that these children come from. So, we want them to see not just what they are seeing everyday on a frequent basis, but what the result would be like if we choose that kind of life. We want them to make better decisions for themselves. We want them to see the justice system because the prison is a part of the justice system.”

Virgilio Murillo is the Chief Executive Officer of Kolbe Foundation, which manages the Belize Central Prison. He said that when Gillett contacted him a month ago with the request to have the students visit, he gladly accepted, in the hopes that it is going to deter them from ending up at the facility, not as guests but as inmates.

Virgilio Murillo, C.E.O, Kolbe Foundation

“We’re going to have a few prisoners who will be sharing their personal life stories of what it’s like being in prison because some people have the idea that prison is a bed of roses, but it is not, and it should not be either. The prison is the last option available to the courts to manage those persons who have failed alternative punishments. When the judge or the magistrate sends a person to the prison, obviously there was no other way to control that person or steer that person away from a life of crime, so they had to send them to the prison. My job as the superintendent is to ensure that we rehabilitate them properly, we discipline them properly, so that they do not want to come back.”

Murillo had candid advice for the youths upon their arrival.

Virgilio Murillo

“My message to them is: stay away from the prison. Crime does not pay. I told them a while ago in there that the only next place that they will end up is burial ground – six feet under. It is as blunt as that.”

The youths were deliberately selected from schools in some of Belize City’s crime-ridden zones. A.C.P Gillett says he believes that that reality does not mean that the youths who come from these areas will be criminals.

A.C.P Howell Gillett

“We at the Community Policing Unit know some of the issues that are affecting our communities that we police so the children were chosen from different schools that come from the areas that we want to bring this message that you could live a crime-free life, but it’s a choice that you have to make.”

And for Gillett, the sky is the limit.

A.C.P Howell Gillett

“With the possibility of them choosing a career path in law enforcement, in becoming a social worker, a judge or a magistrate, any part of the system itself.”

Gillett says that a study that has been done on the Community Policing Unit’s engagement with youths over the past decade shows that the unit has interacted with eighty thousand youths over that period and that a large percentage of those youths have gone on to not commit any egregious breach of the law. Marion Ali for News Five.

Mid-afternoon Shooting on Banak Street

As many as a dozen rounds were fired on Banak Street this afternoon when a gunman let loose a shower of bullets at an unsuspecting target who was reportedly riding a motorcycle in the vicinity. News Five understands that the victim was injured in the leg. Scenes of Crime personnel arrived at the location sometime after the incident and processed the scene where markers littered the street near its intersection with Central American Boulevard. Police are yet to share details on the mid-afternoon shooting.

Stepfather Pleads Guilty and Remanded for Physical Abuse of Minor

Tonight, a violent stepfather is spending his first night on remand at the Belize Central Prison after pleading guilty to physically abusing a three-year-old child earlier this week. Footage of the repulsive incident sparked public outrage on Monday when thirty-three-year-old Devain Flores was seen getting off a motorcycle before kicking and hitting the little boy repeatedly. The Belize City laborer, who stands accused of mistreating the infant, appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Baja Shoman. The revolting episode prompted Commissioner of Police Chester Williams to show up to the lower courts this afternoon in his capacity as a prosecutor where Flores was brought up on two counts of cruelty to a child. Following Flores’ arraignment, ComPol Williams spoke with the media and explained why the charges against the perpetrator were later upgraded.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“It’s a very important matter I must say, it involves a three-year-old who was being abused, obviously by a thirty-three-year-old, and I think that when we have situations of such, the police department, as well as any other organization that has to do with upholding the rights of children, we must do our best in making sure that those persons are brought to justice. Over and over, we are seeing that our young people are being abused in various ways, shape or form and as a responsible organization we will always do our best in working in conjunction with other organizations such as UNICEF, Department of Youth Services, NCFC, et cetera. So we have to make sure we do what we can to protect our children, so we must send a strong signal to abusers of children that we are not playing, we are serious about this.”

Reporter

“Explain the process of how this was upgraded from common assault to these more serious charges.”

Chester Williams

“Well after having viewed the video footage, myself, I believe that the charge of common assault was inadequate. It was basically putting a slap on the wrist of the perpetrator and so I had directed the investigators to further work to gather more evidence and record more statements. That was done yesterday and I must commend the officers from the Domestic Violence Unit for responding quickly to my request. Having obtained the request from them, I communicated with the Director of Public Prosecutions and we both agreed that the charges should be upgraded from common assault to that of abusing a child, basically.”

ComPol Williams: “It will send a strong message.”

The child’s mother was initially reluctant to cooperate with investigators. When the gravity of the situation was explained to her, she had a change of mind. With Flores pleading guilty to both charges, the prosecution is now seeking a custodial sentence which carries a minimum of ten years in prison. Commissioner Williams says today’s successful conviction should send a clear message to perpetrators of child abuse.

Chester Williams

“We had to speak with the mother and explain to her the nature of what we are dealing with. You can’t be a mother and see that your child is being abused in such magnitude and want nothing. I don’t think that a woman should love a man more than how they love their own children and so she was spoken to and eventually she decided that she was going to cooperate with the police and she did. We got the statement from her and so we were able to make significant progress.”

Reporter

“And you got a conviction.”

Chester Williams

“Well of course, yes, the defendant pled guilty to the two counts. And so, as you have heard my submission to the court, I will be seeking a custodial sentence. I don’t think that this is an offense that requires a fine, as a matter of fact, the offense under Section Sixty, Subsection One of the Criminal Code clearly states that it has a minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment. But we do know that even though that is stipulated by law, the magistrate still has that discretion that they can exercise in not giving a custodial sentence and hence the reason I indicated to the court my intent to seek a custodial sentence when the day of sentencing comes.”

Isani Cayetano

“How stern a message do you believe that this now sends to any abuser of children out there?”

Chester Williams

“Well, I would want to think that it will send a strong message. There are many people out there who are constantly abusing children, many of which is not known to the public and I hope that they come more and more known to the public so that we can address them. It’s the only way that we can deal with the issue of child abuse.”