Police issue holiday warning

Police plan to be out in full force during the holiday weekend and they will especially be on the lookout for drink drivers.

In the past few weeks there have been two fatal road traffic accidents and several serious accidents resulting in injury. Now, Police are continuing to advise the motoring public to play it safe on the Island's roads.

A Police press release yesterday stated: "We urge those travelling in cars to use their seat belts at all times and those travelling on motorcycles to fasten their helmets and avoid making a third lane."

This weekend, the Roads Policing Unit will be mobilised to monitor traffic around the Island and are encouraging all drivers and riders to act responsibly by not drinking and driving.

"If you are going to drink," the release added, "please use a designated driver, public transportation (if possible) or a taxi to get to your destination.

To highlight the recent dangerous trend, Police highlighted that between March 10 and March 17 there were 20 injury collisions, 46 damage-only collisions, six arrests on suspicion of impaired driving and seven vehicles taken without their owner's consent.

Police eye community courses

The Bermuda Police Service is developing a community school initiative to start a relationship with the community to educate the public on key issues.

The aim is to have an open dialogue and learning environment where members of the community can learn about the Bermuda Police Service and issues that affect the community, such as law and road traffic issues.

Any members of the public who may have specific classes or issues they would like the Bermuda Police Service to deal with are encouraged to e-mail communityclasses@bps.bm or call 299-4249 or 299-4321.

Secure your property

Police are again urging residents to secure their homes before leaving them, either for the day or for short periods of times, this, after continued burglaries over the weeks.

And to make matters worse, Police say they're still noticing a number of residents who are not securing their homes at all, resulting in their homes being vulnerable for a burglary.

Specifically, they are reminding all residents/homeowners to secure their homes by making sure all doors and windows are locked before leaving.

Additionally, Police have highlighted common targeted goods which include: Cash, jewellery and electronic items such as flat screen TVs and laptop computers. Common entry methods include: Insecure window or door; forced or pried window or door.

Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Thursday

Discrimination has no place in Bermuda — which is why Government is urging the Island to unite in recognising the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The movement was implemented by the United Nations in 1966 after in 1960, Police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid 'pass laws' in Sharpville, South Africa.

Bermuda will be observing the day on Thursday, which will be officially kicked off by a commemorative event at the Bermuda Society of Arts at the City Hall from 12.30 to 2 p.m.

Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation, the event will see people coming together to highlight numerous efforts underway to bring about the demise of discrimination of any kind. The event is free and refreshments will be available.

For more information contact the CURE office at 296-0613 or via email at sclifford@gov.bm

Man cleared of sex assault charge

A man was yesterday cleared of raping a woman in the driver's seat of a car parked in Par-la-Ville Road.

The alleged sexual assault was said to have taken place in the early hours of March 31 last year, after the man and woman met at Splash nightclub. Yesterday a Supreme Court jury took just over two hours to find the man — who cannot be named for legal reasons — not guilty.

The Prosecution claimed the defendant was drunk and had climbed over the woman in the car, using his weight to restrain her, forcing her to have sex. Crown counsel Robert Welling said the woman suffered a "classic rape injury" of a 1cm by 3cm abrasion. He told the jury on Monday: "If this is a young girl who is lying, I suggest she would have given to you the Hollywood version of rape and not the version given from the witness box.

"You would not expect someone who was raped to then drive their attacker home, the alleged victim to then say the attacker says to her afterwards 'Are you coming in then?'. That's not the Hollywood version, that is the version of a girl who has told the truth, that things don't always turn out the way you expect them to when you see films of women screaming, clothing torn. That is the fantasy and not the reality."

He said: "This is we say, the case of a young man who was drunk. A young man who thought she fancied him and thought all he had to say was 'I fancy you' and she'd be ready and willing, but he didn't like it when she didn't take him seriously.

"He showed her just how serious he was when he moved across, pulled down her pants and underwear with his hands and legs and subjected her to a sexual assault."

However, defence lawyer Rick Woolridge Jr. claimed the woman's account was "errant nonsense".

"There are no injuries, no signs of a struggle," he said. 'We say this is because the sex was consensual, and the abrasion would have been caused by the angle of the sex to the seat in the car.

"I submit to you that what you did hear is the Hollywood version, the version which secures the sympathies of her boyfriend to overshadow whatever they were arguing about before. She needed to get his sympathies to get back in the door, and at the same time cover up that she'd had sex. "We're not talking about tears and rips and bruising from holding down. It was fully consensual."