Sailor rescued after hit by sail boom

A 40-year-old Italian captain had to be rescued from a sailing vessel 20 miles north-east of Bermuda. Bermuda Radio alerted Marine Police on Sunday at 3.45 p.m. about the Mi Reina, a 67 foot sail-boat that had an injured crewman onboard.

It had left Bermuda, heading to the Azores. However, rough seas offshore, made it difficult for the crew to return to the Island.

Marine Unit Rescue > and the MV Guardian which left from Barr’s Bay in Pembroke, where dispatched with Police and medical personnel. Rescue 2 was the first to arrive on scene and provided the man with first aid treatment, after he sustained a laceration to his head after an accident with a spinnaker pole.

The Guardian then escorted Mi Reina to Ordnance Island in St. George’s, where an ambulance was waiting to take the man to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. His injury was considered to be serious but not life threatening. He was released from hospital.

Pappas inquest starts today

An inquest into the death of a wealthy US businessman whose family believes he was murdered is due to resume today.

At the last hearing into the death of Dimitri Pappas, coroner Juan Wolffe agreed to a request from his father, Jack, for more time to line up medical professionals to give evidence.

The 37-year-old American, who was based in the Cayman Islands, was found hanging in a closet at the Brightside Apartments in Flatts on June 20, 2005. Mr. Pappas’ death sparked interest from news organisations in both the Cayman Islands and the US.

At the time, Police said a pathology report did not indicate foul play, but Mr. Pappas’ family, who have been doing their own research, insist he did not take his own life.

Twelve burglaries reported

Police arrested four people over the weekend on suspicion of impaired driving and dealt with 12 reported burglaries.

Thieves struck one home in Hamilton Parish, one in Smith’s, three in Pembroke, three in Paget, one in Warwick, two in Southampton and one in Sandy’s.

There were also 21 reported damage only road traffic collisions with nine resulting in injury.

‘Personal use’ cannabis lands $600 fine

A 26-year-old Sandy’s man pleaded guilty to possessing 11.64 grams of cannabis. At Magistrates’ Court, Crown Counsel Maria Sofianos told how Police on mobile patrol spotted Francis Desilva, of Daniel’s Head Road, Sandy’s, on June 4, 2006, acting suspiciously near School Lane, Sandy’s.

Officers searched Desilva under the Misuse of Drugs Act and found a brown paper twist and a cigarette containing a plant-like substance. He admitted to Police that the substance was cannabis, saying: “It’s for my own personal use,” before he was arrested and taken to Hamilton Police Station.

Desilva apologised to the court and Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined him $600 with 60 days default.

Woman admits impaired driving

A Southampton woman pleaded guilty to driving whilst impaired and being asleep at the wheel when stopped by Police, a court heard.

On March 28, Police on mobile patrol saw Isabella Hall, 50, of Granaway Heights, swerving in and out of traffic lanes on South Shore Road near the Swizzle Inn while driving slowly.

Crown Counsel Maria Sofianos told Magistrates’ Court, after officers stopped the blue Ford Escort she was driving, they noticed her sleeping in the driver’s seat. She told officers that she was looking for her cell phone and said: “You guys give me a break, I’m a single mother and I’m not the worst criminal in the world.”

When officers smelled alcohol on her breath, she was arrested and taken to Hamilton Police Station and gave a breath sample of 179 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo asked Hall if she had anything to say, she replied: “I did a stupid and irresponsible thing and I feel like an idiot.”

Mr. Tokunbo fined her $800 with 80 days default and disqualified her from driving all vehicles for 12 months.

Cash, laptop stolen

Cash, a Dell laptop computer and charger were stolen from a South Shore Road, Paget guesthouse.

Police spoke with the complainants who are tourists, who said sometime between 7 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. on Sunday, someone gained entry to their room while they was away. Inquiries into this incident are underway.Fines pile up for false name driverA Pembroke man pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to perverting the course of justice by giving Police someone else’s name during a traffic stop. Crown Counsel Maria Sofianos told the court, Police stopped Arya Outerbridge, 18, of 1239 North Shore Road, on March 20, during speed checks on South Shore Road, in Southampton.

He told officers he didn’t have his license with him and said his name was Roger Outerbridge. After Police grew suspicious, they searched him and found his wallet, which contained a driver’s license that identified him by his real name.

It was then discovered that he had arrest warrants relating to $2,000 of unpaid fines from another matter and was arrested and taken to Hamilton Police Station. In court, Outerbridge apologised and said he didn’t pay the fines because he was working part-time while attending school.

Magistrate Khamisi Tukunbo fined him $1,000 for giving the false name and ordered that he pay the $3,000 in fines by May 31 or spend three months at Westgate.