Jamaican Born serial rapist aka The Night Stalker finally nabbed .... described as Bisexual by The Jamaica Observer

LONDON, United Kingdom (AP) — A London jury today convicted one of Britain's most notorious serial rapists, who preyed on the elderly for nearly two decades and may have assaulted scores of victims.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court found Jamaican-born Delroy Grant — dubbed the 'Night Stalker' — guilty of 29 counts of attacks on 18 elderly men and women between 1992 and 2009.

Police say the number of Grant's victims is thought to be substantially more than that. Officers have looked into 203 offences as part of the investigation.
Judge Peter Rook called the offences "of the utmost gravity" and said Grant could be handed a life sentence on Friday.

Grant stood motionless in the dock with his head bowed as the foreman of the jury delivered the verdicts. An elderly victim and several relatives looked on and smiled from the public gallery.
Police called Grant's offences some of the most "awful and disturbing crimes" Scotland Yard has ever investigated and the prosecution in the case called the attacks "the stuff of nightmares."
The attacker broke into homes, cut phone lines and crept into the bedrooms of his elderly victims during ordeals that lasted for hours. The victims were mostly elderly women; many were blind, deaf or had conditions including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

The 53-year-old Grant, a former cab driver and home-care aide to his second wife, was arrested in 2009 following one of Britain's longest running manhunts, codenamed Operation Minstead.
The Metropolitan Police task force formed Minstead — a randomly generated name — in 1998 to find the man.

After a series of interviews with victims in southeast London over the years, a pattern began emerging.

The telephone lines of the victims' homes were often disabled, and fuse boxes tampered with. Some described a person in a mask, waking them up by shining a flashlight in their faces.
More than 2,000 DNA samples were collected as part of the investigation, and in 2006, detectives travelled to Trinidad and Barbados after testing suggested the attacker might have Caribbean ancestry.

Branding Grant a "perverted, callous and violent individual," the head of the Metropolitan Police's homicide and serious crime unit said Friday his arrest and conviction allowed thousands of people in London to "go to sleep without the dreadful thought they would be preyed upon."
Still, Britain's police watchdog apologised for missed opportunities to catch Grant, saying the hunt to catch him was undermined by "basic policing errors."

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said a poor response to a burglary and confusion over a suspect — which saw the wrong man's DNA studied — prevented arresting Grant sooner.

"It is clear that a simple misunderstanding had horrific consequences," said Deborah Glass, the watchdog's commissioner for London.

Andrew Hadik, a senior lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service, said the motive for Grant's crimes might never be known, because he had "steadfastly refused to admit any responsibility or to show any remorse."
At the time of his arrest, Grant said that police should not bother taking his fingerprints because he "always wore gloves."

ENDS

The Telegraph in the meantime covers the issue:

By Martin Evans, Caroline Gammell and Heidi Blake

Warm, charming and always friendly he was apparently a devoted carer to his wife Jennifer, who was paralysed as a result of multiple sclerosis.
He followed cricket, liked to fish and enjoyed community barbeques where he would share jokes and reminisce about his childhood in Jamaica.

But today that respectable image lies in tatters after he was convicted of being the notorious Night Stalker - one of the most prolific sex offenders of modern times.
For almost two decades Grant stalked the streets of south London at night burgling, raping and sexually assaulting the elderly.

He is known to have attacked more than 200 times, but police fear the toll could be much higher as many of his victims were simply to ashamed to come forward. (click linked names above for full article)

(UPDATE March 25th):

A reader left this interesting comment in the initial post here as was headlined "Jamaica Born Bisexual ............" I have since renamed it removing the bisexual link, I am aware that you my readers are on target and can spot the infractions without my prodding ... yeaahhhh! keep the vigilance up and thanks for keeping me on my toes as well

The comment was as follows:

"Hey, I am a frequent reader of this blog but this is my first comment.

Again I see where J'can news is trying to spread ill of the LGBTQ community. The Observers news report is the only one that stated that Grant is "bisexual". No other news report stated that. The other reports payed more attention to the fact that he was a Jehovahs Witness & not one of them said a BISEXUAL Jehovahs Witness.

The closest thing Grant would be called is a gerontophile. He raped and sexually assaulted ELDERLY people. He preyed on the ELDERLY and took advantage of their fragility. Yes, some of his victims were male but there was no gender motivation. Additionally, all his victims were white but there aren't any reports that state he was a RACIST. Why? Because race wasn't his motivator. Grant was looking for EASY victims and elderly people were most vulnerable."

ENDS

Interestingly it was the Jamaica Observer who used the Bisexual line in their lead story for this case probably it worked in a sense as if it were headlined to hint to homosexual then it would unearthed other kinds of reactions to which we are accustomed, the paper has been also coming for some criticim following a previous story where the word "homo" was used in the headline:

"Man before court for killing alleged homo"

Appeared on March 21st in the online edition of course using such words if it were overseas heads would have probably rolled for it but such is the seeming immaturity or bias of our local media which are used sometimes to sell papers, lgbt stigmatised sensationalist tones even from so called respectable media houses are not uncommon.

Peace and tolerance

H

Parliament Passes Charter Of Rights .......

by Daraine Luton, Gleaner Senior Staff Reporter

PARTISAN POLITICS found no place in the House of Representatives yesterday when it became apparent that members have successfully taken a giant step towards amending the Constitution.

Even before Heather Cooke, clerk to the Houses of Parliament, could announce the passage of the Charter of Rights in the lower house at 5:59 p.m., members rose in one accord, thumping desks and smiling gleefully. They have been able to complete a journey of constitutional amendment which began in the 1990s.

"Unity is strength," shouted West Portland representative Daryl Vaz, applause drowning out his voice.

The Charter of Rights, which required a two-third majority of the vote, received unanimous support from the 51 members who were present for yesterday's sitting.

Eight members of parliament - Dr Peter Phillips, Natalie Neita Headley, Olivia Grange, Michael Peart, Dean Peart, Dr Patrick Harris, Roger Clarke and Kern Spencer - were absent from the vote.

The South West St Catherine seat is the only vacant one in the 60-seat house of representatives.

Even before the vote, Prime Minster Bruce Golding was revelling in the moment. He said the Charter of Rights, which is to replace Chapter III of the Constitution "represents what our people are entitled to".

Human-rights obligation

The Charter of Rights places on the State an obligation to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and freedoms for all persons in Jamaica and affords protection to the rights and freedoms of persons as set out in those provisions.

The Charter of Rights dictates that Parliament shall pass no law and establish no organ of the state which abrogates, abridges or infringes the fundamental rights of citizens.

Meanwhile, the House also passed another constitutional amendment which is intended to nullify the Pratt and Morgan ruling of the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.

Based on the Pratt and Morgan ruling by the Privy Council, a condemned man cannot be executed if his process of appeals lasts more than five years from the date of his sentencing. The amendment has removed the five-year stricture making it easier for the carrying out of capital punishment.

Central Kingston Member of Parliament Ronald Thwaites abstained from voting on the amendment.

The House was, however, plunged into laughter after East Hanover MP Dr D.K. Duncan voted for the amendment, going against his conscience.

"I am sorry. I made a mistake," Duncan said after he enquired if he could change his vote and was told no by Speaker Delroy Chuck.

The Senate is to vote on the constitutional amendments before the parliamentary year ends in just over a week.

If the amendments are not approved by the Senate then the process would have to be re-started next parliamentary year.

daraine.luton@gleanerjm.com

ENDS

Notes:

Never forget these two folks who are mostly responsible for the removal of the draft clauses from old version of The Charter of Rights that offered some protection to lgbt people though not directly stated as such at the time, they feared that the then clause would leave room opened for gay rights groups and others to challenge full legalization of homosexuality and the sanctioning of gay marriage in their eyes:

Anti Gay and restorative therapy advocate Rev Al Miller (right) who is scheduled to return to court today for aiding a fugitive, pastor of Fellowship Tabernacle Church, confers with always panicking Shirley Richards of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship (LCF), as Church leaders and the LCF joined forces and urged the Joint Select Committee of Parliament, which is examing details for a new Constitution, to allow the group to make a presentation on the proposed Charter of Rights in March 2006. - Rudolph Brown/Photographer Gleaner

See the Observer's take on it here:

PASSED! - 51 MPs vote in favour of Charter of Rights Bill

"The Bill, which has been before Parliament for nearly 17 years, provides for the protection of property rights; protection from searches; respect for private and family life and privacy of home and of communication; and the entitlement of every child who is a citizen to publicly funded education, in a public education institution at the pre-primary and primary levels, among other things.

The JLP, in its manifesto leading to the 2007 general elections, had pledged to seek entrenchment in the Constitution of a new Charter of Rights to guarantee the fundamental rights of every citizen and establish a Citizens' Protection Bureau. The bureau is expected to have expanded powers to defend the rights of and secure redress for citizens whose constitutional rights may be violated.
Commenting ahead of the historic vote yesterday, Simpson Miller said the Opposition had decided to take the high road as far as completing the discussions on the Charter was concerned.

"The Charter of Rights and Freedoms was started by our administration... and the present Government completed the charge. In our almost 49 years of Independence we have never had an amendment of an entrenched Constitutional provision largely because an Opposition could not resist using the effective veto to reflexively frustrate the policies of the Government of the day and I am pleased to declare that this Opposition is going to take the historic and progressive decision that we are putting principle and the interest of the people above party politics," she said."

Meanwhile Letter writing campaigner and activist returned to business after a short hiatus following a threat issued to him via email, he contended in his last letter to the Gleaner that:

".............Ideally, this charter should be as inclusive as possible and create a framework for a consistent approach to the rights of all Jamaicans, including the minority of those whose sexual orientation currently makes them vulnerable to hate crimes and other forms of institutionalised discrimination.

Currently, institutionalised discrimination is inconsistent in Jamaica. On the one hand, Section 13.1 of the 2004 revision to the Public Service Staff Orders - which has the force of law - prohibits discrimination in the civil service on the grounds of, inter alia, sexual orientation. On the other hand, the proposed charter, which will govern all other Jamaicans, contains no such grounds for non-discrimination.

Further, the proposed charter re-entrenches the country's 1864 anti-buggery law, despite the fact that this law has been held to constitute discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by treaty bodies to which Jamaica has subscribed.

Whoever drafted the 2004 Public Service Staff Orders understood that no good purpose could possibly be served by criminalising the private lives of consenting adults. This progressive and enlightened view needs to be reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms."

I am, etc.,

MAURICE TOMLINSON
maurice_tomlinson@yahoo.com
Montego Bay

Observer: Man before court for killing alleged homo .... gay panic defense again .....

Source: Jamaica Observer

A painter accused of killing a man who made sexual advances towards him was offered $300,000 bail when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court Friday.

Kevon Martin, 33, of Spanish Town Road in Kingston, was arrested and charged last November for the stabbing death of 59-year-old Steve Lindo at his (Lindo) home on Eastburn Road, Kingston 2.
The accused, who is charged for murder, was offered bail by Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey, despite objection from the prosecution on the grounds that Martin had no permanent address.

But the magistrate, after looking at the statement, said that based on the Crown's case, Martin was acting in self-defence.

However, before Martin was offered bail, he was abandoned by attorney Linton Walters who was assisting him, after he insisted that he wanted to speak directly to the judge.

Martin, despite being instructed that he should let his lawyer speak for him, told the judge that the lawyer told him that the police could not find anyone who knew him from the address he gave them and that could not be true.

According to the accused, he was coming from the bathroom when Lindo held onto him saying that he must have sex with him. In the ensuing scuffle, he stabbed the deceased.
According to police reports on November 7, 2010, the accused went to visit Lindo at his home and a dispute developed between them after Lindo reportedly made sexual advances towards Martin.
It is reported that a fight ensued in which Martin used a scissors to stab Lindo several times in his chest, back and neck.

Following the incident, Lindo, who was found semi-nude and bleeding profusely, was rushed to the Kingston Public Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. Martin later turned himself in at the Rockfort Police Station.

Martin, when he was being cautioned, reportedly told the police: "Officer me neva know him stay suh. A check me come check him cause him use to live on Spanish Town Road where me and mi girlfriend live."
Martin is to return to court on March 31.

ENDS

Note:

The Gay Panic Defense.

The Gay Panic defense was popularized in 1995 after Jonathan Schmitz, a guest on the American Jenny Jones talk show, murdered Scott Amedure, who confessed he had a crush on Schmitz during the show. Jonathan was not successful in the defense because there was no immediate response. This means Jonathan should have immediately murdered Scott to get off on the murder charges, instead he waited three days.

So as we continue to watch the trends out there another story implying gay panic defense as the reason to snuff out another human being's life is presented to us via the Jamaica Observer, this story is not known to many in the community so we have to rely on the word of the paper for now.

As the story reads the perpetrator apparently was forced to have sex by the deceased, one wonders what person in their right mind in today's caustic homo negative Jamaica would lure another man in their midst and be so daring to force them to have sex? worse yet in that section of Kingston which is surrounded by depressed communities, covert gangs and violence, you may have guessed by now that I don't believe the gay panic excuse unless further credible evidence can be brought to bear.

One whiff of someone being gay or making advances in such communities may lead to death or at best beatings except for those persons who are "born and grow" or native residents from birth who may be allowed some leverage to exist due to family, gangster or community connections. There are known or suspected persons in these depressed areas who survive but no outsider can come forward to accuse them of homosexuality in their own space that is a privilege left to the long term residing residents.

Sadly our advocacy structure hardly follow up on these cases as there are little resources for them and also bloggers like myself to unearth the real truth to the allegations. Let us try and watch this one carefully and make note.

Be safe out there

Peace and tolerance

H