Three men fined for fake driver's licences as police probe Portmore toddler death

Three men pleaded guilty in the St. Catherine Parish Court to offences tied to fictitious driver's licences, as police pursued separate cases involving knifepoint robberies in Kingston and the death of a toddler at a Portmore daycare, among developments reported on Sunday, July 12, 2026.

Fitzroy Young, 44, of Spanish Town, admitted conspiracy to defraud under common law. Alan Roer, 63, of Portland, and Steve Clark, 54, of Kingston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and forging documents. The Revenue Protection Division probed licences obtained with details of deceased persons or people whose licences had long gone unrenewed. Clark and Roer were each fined $300,000 or 30 days in prison; Young was fined $200,000 or 30 days. Others have lately been sentenced for similar crimes.

Dennis Miller, also known as Brownman, a 27-year-old taxi operator of a Kingston 2 address, faces two counts of robbery with aggravation and receiving stolen property. Ellison Road police say that between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on July 8 he allegedly robbed two women at knifepoint in separate incidents on Windy Way and Cove Avenue in Harbour View, Kingston 17. He fled in a green Suzuki Escudo with two handbags holding two mobile phones, $33,150 in cash and other items. Officers later stopped a matching vehicle he was driving, recovered the stolen property, and charged him on Friday, July 10 after questioning with his attorney present. A court date is being set.

St. Catherine police are investigating the death of one-year-old Kawa Hydraiki of Phoenix Park Village, Portmore. On the morning of Friday, July 10, the boy's father took him to a daycare in their gated community. Staff later called to say the child was unresponsive and was being taken to Spanish Town Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Portmore Criminal Investigation Branch is handling the matter.

The People's National Party said Member of Parliament Dwayne Vaz has left its shadow cabinet after talks with Opposition Leader Mark Golding, to focus on constituency duties in Westmoreland Central. He will no longer serve as deputy spokesperson on roads and works. The party said Golding and the PNP understand the decision and thanked him for his service.

Relatives of missing St. Ann bursar Owen Teacher Hamilton are offering a $500,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. He left his Steer Town home on Saturday, July 4, to attend a grave digging on Mountain Road in Bamboo by public transport, but never arrived and has not been heard from since. He is about six feet tall, weighs roughly 170 pounds, has greyish hair, and was last seen in a plaid shirt and black pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Ann's Bay Police, the nearest station, or call 87647350 or 8763690145.

At a Tuesday sitting of the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation, Deputy Mayor and Delvad division councillor Michael McLeod called for the Vestry Act to be amended and enforced regarding elderly residents in infirmaries. He said the law requires that property they own be signed over to the council, and argued those assets should help offset care costs when relatives later claim them. He also urged the Ministry of Health to give more support for social cases in hospitals. The Ministry of Health and Wellness said it is working with the Ministry of Local Government to move people abandoned in hospitals into infirmaries and specialised shelters to free hospital capacity.

St. Andrew Southwest MP Dr. Angela Brown-Burke told Thursday's Integrity Commission Oversight Committee that elected officials should expect stricter scrutiny than private citizens. Some government MPs had objected to intensive checks of their statutory declarations and sought changes to the Integrity Commission Act. Committee member Delroy Chuck said the commission asked what improvements he had made to his home and at what cost, calling the approach intrusive "net fishing." Chairman Pernal Charles Jr. said the commission's focus often appears to fall more on politicians than other public officials.

"By virtue of volunteering for these positions, we are expected to be held to a higher standard," Brown-Burke said, adding that the point shapes how parliamentarians handle information requests from the commission, and that failure by MPs or ministers to supply information should be examined carefully by those who accept they must lead by example.