Millions of North Americans will get the chance to see the premiere of what is billed as the "dark side'' of the Island in "Bermuda: Death on the Rock''.

The Arts and Entertainment cable network will broadcast Tuesday night the premiere of the hour-long documentary on the murder and torture of Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton.

Produced by Jupiter Entertainment for A&E, it is billed as a "shocking look at the dark side of Bermuda'' and "examines the Island's attempt to recover, despite a tourist boycott by many Canadians''.

"Death on the Rock'' will first air at 11 p.m. local time and will be repeated at 3 a.m. on Wednesday. There will be a further showing at 7 p.m.

next Saturday, July 17.

Prominent in the A&E website promotion of the film is the importance of the seedier part of local life -- tourist brochures do not mention the "back of town'' area of Hamilton.

"It's a place tourists only go to find trouble,'' the promo says.

The promo adds that Rebecca Middleton was invited to the Island to spend time with other tourists and "clean cut locals''.

"But sometimes boys from the back of town show up, boys like Justis Smith and Jamaican-born Kirk Mundy,'' it continues. "She would have felt safe. This was Bermuda after all. But she was wrong.'' The documentary was filmed in April and shortly before work began a producer said it would focus on the killing but also intend to show Bermuda in a "warts and all'' travel feature.

It was intended to give viewers a real insight into Bermuda, showing the Island as a whole -- not just the tourist sites.

The film is also expected to carry interviews with a wide variety of people from all walks of Bermudian life -- from expatriates to locals and officials.

Rebecca's parents, Cindy and David Middleton both of Bellville, Ontario were interviewed as was Rick Meens whose family she was visiting.

In April, Mr. Meens insisted their participation was "not to put the country down or drag it through the mud''.

body was found on Ferry Reach, St. George's, in the early hours of July 3, 1996.

Mundy is serving five years in prison after pleading guilty to being an accessory to the murder -- in addition to other lengthy sentences.

Smith is currently appealing to the Privy Council in London to uphold a December 1998 ruling by a judge that there was "no case to answer'' for a pre-meditated murder charge.

He is currently on $125,000 bail and is next scheduled to appear in court on November 1.

MURDER MUR