Cayman Net News writers robbed and assaulted

Anthony Henry of Cayman Net News

Flash FL-36 that was damaged by the security guard at
the event

Wednesday,  January 18, 2006

Two Cayman Net News writers were robbed and assaulted by a security guard from Hawkeye Security Service at a concert organised by Music Mogul and the Bodden Town Football Association at Safehaven last Friday night, 13 January.

The security guard destroyed an external camera flash, and damaged a camera belonging to Anthony Henry co-ordinator of The Jamaican in Cayman and staff writer on Cayman Net News respectively; and stole from Caswell Foreshaw a contributor/photographer for The Jamaican in Cayman, a compact flash card.

The promoters invited Mr Henry and Mr Foreshaw to cover the event and supplied both with VIP/backstage passes in order to facilitate the coverage.

The incident occurred backstage where Hawkeye personnel were seen by the writers punching and kicking a man who was handcuffed and on the ground. 

While he was trying to photograph the beating, one of the security guards took away Mr Foreshaw’s camera.

At that point, Mr Henry protested the theft of the camera and a security guard, who was later identified as the owner of the security firm, along with another Hawkeye security guard forcibly removed Mr Henry from the venue.

Once outside the concert venue Mr Henry said that the security owner kicked the camera out of his hand causing it to fall to the ground, damaging both the flash and the camera.

The security officer then went back inside the venue where he returned Mr Foreshaw’s camera without the compact flash card.

Noting that the card from his camera was missing, Mr Foreshaw began asking back for his property at which point Mr Foreshaw said the security guards there verbally threatened him. 

The writers called the police to the scene where a preliminary report of the theft and the destruction of property was made. The writers then went to the George Town Police Station where a full report of the incident was recorded.

Cayman Net News has tried unsuccessfully to reach senior management at Hawkeye about the matter.

A promoter for the Music Mogul event also provided Cayman Net News with the number on which he himself had made contact with an Andrew Copeland from Hawkeye on the same day – Monday 16 January. However calls from the newspaper to that number were rejected.

Speaking about the matter the Music Mogul promoter said, “I was at the gate when the incident happened backstage so I was not an eyewitness. I only heard that there was a problem. However, by the time I reached to the scene it seemed as if everything had quieted down and nothing serious had happened because people were just standing around and talking.”

Cayman Net News published an article in the 12 January edition that the Employment Relations Department will be investigating dozens of security companies, which have received waivers from paying overtime to security guards, some making as little as $3.33 per hour.

Within the Labour Law that allows companies to apply to the Labour Tribunal for an exemption if the employee comes in and signs a waiver for overtime.

“We suspect that not all the employees that have been brought in, have come in freely and willingly. It may have been a question of ‘you sign this or there will be no work for you,’” said the Director of Employment Relations, Walling Whittaker.

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