Manchester sex offender jailed, St Mary curfew extended and Cuba nurses set to return

A man convicted of sexually abusing two girl relatives, aged six and eight, in Manchester has been sentenced to 18 years and six months in prison, with parole eligibility only after he serves 18 years and four months. The accused, whose identity was withheld to shield the children, was found guilty in March after a two-week trial in the Manchester Crown Court on three counts each of grievous sexual assault and sexual touching, along with four counts of sexual intercourse with a person under 16.

Justice Grace Henry McKenzie imposed five years and six months on each sexual touching count and 18 years and six months on the remaining charges, with all terms to run at the same time. After crediting time already spent in custody, the sentence was reduced by six months. The judge weighed his good standing in the community, lack of previous convictions, age and a young dependent as mitigating factors, but pointed to the seriousness and frequency of the abuse, the girls' ages, the fact that some incidents happened in his home, the family relationship and the breach of trust as aggravating features. The court heard that the assaults happened on different days between 2018 and 2019 at several locations in the parish, including the man's home, the children's homes and an abandoned building. The case surfaced in March 2019 after one child reportedly told her older sister she had been molested more than once, leading to a police probe and the man's arrest on March 22, 2019.

In St Mary, a 48-hour curfew in sections of Richmond has been extended until 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 5. The restricted zone runs north from Beecham Hill to a section of Richmond town, east from Richmond town centre to Zion Hill, south from Zion Hill to Essex Flint River, and west from Essex Flint River back to Beecham Hill. People inside the boundaries must remain at their premises unless authorised by the commanding officer.

In the St Catherine Parish Court, 45-year-old Stephanie Grant of Lawrence Don, Spanish Town, pleaded guilty to creating public mischief after falsely telling police that a man assaulted her while carrying a gun during a dispute at her home. Acting Senior Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson Gayle remanded Grant for sentencing on July 13 and ordered that she be fingerprinted. The court heard that Chadwick Powell had been arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited weapon and assault occasioning bodily harm based on her report, but the weapon allegation collapsed after Grant admitted in court that it was a knife, not a firearm. Powell was later granted bail in his own recognisance and is due back before the court on September 8 on the assault charge.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton also said more than 50 Cuban nurses are expected to return to Jamaica after permits were approved, as the Government continues overseas recruitment to ease a nursing shortage. He said Jamaica has also pursued recruitment arrangements involving Ghana, Nigeria, India and the Philippines.