It would be a worthwhile exercise in determining how and why the Nation Publishing Group of Companies reported that the money was repaid? Was this primarily intended to embarrass and compromise Dr. Grant? We already know why Barbados Today will not be motivated to be prolix about the outcome of the case – Peter Harris and Sandy Crest Medical Centre Forced to Drop Charges Against the Grants – Barbados Underground
In his weekly column Editor in Chief of the Nation newspaper Roy Morris responded to a BU blog that was posted on the 12 July 2016 (see above) and widely shared on Facebook. In that blog BU asserted that it was never declared during the Court Session that the 1/2 million dollars purported to have been stolen from Sandy Crest by the Grants was repaid. It therefore continues to bother BU – a proud card carrying member of the non traditional media – how was the Nation newspaper able to report the following:
When the matters came up for a final time last June 23, with a representative from the medical centre present, the Court heard that the money had been paid back. Magistrate Douglas Frederick then dismissed the charges.
After reading Morris’ long winded effort in his weekly column In the Public Interest the BU household is none the wiser about how the Nation newspaper was able to publish that the money was repaid. We are also intrigued by Morris’s explanation that the young Nation court reporter Tameisha Sobers followed up with officials of the court some time after June 23, 2016 when the case was heard to complete the less than 120 word story. Who are these officials of the court Mr. Morris?
We now turn our attention to the Deed of Release quoted by Roy Morris in his column to pose some questions about the case. BU is surprised Morris, an experienced journalist, would not have quoted from an interview with Dr. Malcolm Grant to clarify his concerns.
It is interesting to observe how you lot in the traditional media are able to hide behind the cloak of anonymous sources to support stories. More interesting was Roy Morris publishing from a document received by Barbados Underground on the 13 July 2016 that was incomplete even to the untrained legal eye. The story gets more interesting for BU when the Editor in Chief of the Nation newspaper AND former Editor in Chief of the Peter Harris newspaper Barbados Today includes the following in his article:
“drawn and prepared” by a most competent Queen’s Counsel by the name of Leslie Haynes.’’
For those who are unaware, Leslie Haynes is the lawyer who acted on behalf of the Peter Harris controlled Sandy Crest Medical Centre and who delivered the last words to Magistrate Douglas Frederick in open court that his client did not intend to pursue the matter against the Grants. Again, BU expresses curiosity as to how the Nation newspaper was able to secure what was listed in the Deed of Release.
There is no need to be prolix Editor in Chief Roy Morris, we know that you know where we are coming from.
Your move!
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