In Prison in St Lucia

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Sonosailor

... Here goes:
The widely held belief of the cruisers who enjoy Rodney Bay, St. Lucia year after year is that the dead man's wife was on the boat at the time of the visit.
Terrible of me to report that rumour, but it does seem appropriate to share it. Was it posted in the portion of the threads I passed up?

From local news reports, previously posted (#225, on CF 02/01/2013:

“... Lucas Francois died as a result of asphyxia consistent to a drowning and multiple blunt force traumas ...

... Deirdre Jeffery of Mary Ann Street who was also in custody for the same incident was released pending further investigations ...”

[boatman61]

Thanks Gord...

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by romanos2b

Better being a lonely dog on a boat (isn't it what most of us are?), than a white man in a black people jail in a country so small that you surely have some cousin of the 'victim' in this prison...

Perhaps he is innocent and perhaps his safety is in peril in jail. I don't know the circumstances and frankly no one here does. But the dog is definitely suffering. Anyone who know dogs will attest to that. Leaving a social animal alone on a boat is tantamount to supreme cruelty.

[hellosailor]

hog, having had a dog and heard many people tell us what was best for her, I can tell you it usually was wrong because they didn't know the dog.

In my case the dog was happier to wait in the car (a place she knew) than to stay at home (warmer, cooler, more space, food, water) or to come traipsing in strange places when she had that comfy back seat to curl up in.

For a boat dog? I'd expect the dog is much better off "home" on the boat, than spending 90 days in a quarantine cage at $100 a day in some facility, which is the typical picture of where a dog has to go when they are formally "imported" across a national border. Unhappy beats many other situations, and it sounds like someone is spending a considerable personal amount of time keeping that dog out of "the system" and perhaps euthanasia.

And mine was much happier staying home for the day, alone, or "going visiting", than coming on a boat with me. Wouldn't even come out on a dock, but that's because she was a water rescue dog. ("If I don't let you near the water, boss, I won't have to rescue you.")

[Saltyhog]

@ HelloSailor, I completely agree and I would not tell you what is best for your dog. But I know that leaving a dog alone for an extended period, as in months, is cruel. Now if whoever is coming by to feed him is spending a bit of time with him and giving the social interaction he needs, then I'll buy that individual(s) drinks and dinner If I come across them. You are likely right regarding the quarantine rules etc. We're a bit OT here. My whole point is that the only one we know for sure is innocent is the dog, and he (or she) is suffering in spite of that.

[boatsail]

my dog sleeps in my cabin when i head out. She is very comfortable. The boat looks plenty big and If it were my dog, i would rather have her on that boat than in a cage for 3 months.

[boatsail]

I do hope that dog is getting some human attention and not just some left overs thrown over the side.

my dog is one of my few best buds.

[David_Old_Jersey]

I suspect the choice for the dog is being lonely or being dead.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by GordMay

From local news reports, previously posted (#225, on CF 02/01/2013:

“... Lucas Francois died as a result of asphyxia consistent to a drowning and multiple blunt force traumas ...

... Deirdre Jeffery of Mary Ann Street who was also in custody for the same incident was released pending further investigations ...”

Multiple doesn't sound good .

If Deirdre is from the same background as the deceased she will have been fully aware that being a witness is better than being an accussed, even if that means tweaking own version of events to fit - often enough law enforcement will (intentionally) provide the clues needed.........

.....and of course she is not a flight risk.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Multiple doesn't sound good .

If Deirdre is from the same background as the deceased she will have been fully aware that being a witness is better than being an accussed, even if that means tweaking own version of events to fit - often enough law enforcement will (intentionally) provide the clues needed.........

.....and of course she is not a flight risk.

I think we have our answer as to why the authorities are not buying his story.

[SaltyTanned]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

If you throw someone overboard, for whatever reason, and as a direct result of your intentional action they drown and die, you're going to be up on charges. Even here in the US.

But the intruder did not drown he made it ashore. There were no witnesses. What is the result of the autopsy? Nothing ties the death directly to Eric Sommer. What about the boat that fled without giving assistance to the man it brought to the yacht? Nothing here makes sense.

If the French from Martinique decided to boycott St Lucia I'll bet there would be immediate action. They are an important source of revenue to the micro country.

Sailors should be informed of the risks involved with simply anchoring in Lucian waters. Would you feel safe in St Lucia? Obviously Eric Sommer did for if he thought he was guilty of any wrongdoing he would have fled immediately. In two hours he would have been far away in French waters.

What are the risks of uninvited guests coming aboard your yacht in St Lucia? Fairly high. What might happen if you are on board? Either the criminal or the police get you?

A judge at a preliminary hearing decides if the police charges should lead to an accusation. If not the person goes free. No accusations yet, just jail. For 8 months!!!

The bad blood between St Lucia and Martinique (France) comes from Lucians committing too many crimes in Martinique and the reaction of the Immigration (French) making it difficult for Lucian to enter the French island. Murder rate France 1.1 vs St Lucia 25.2 Just to compare USA 4.8 Canada 1.6

[romanos2b]

Totally agree with SaltyTanned. I never felt safe in Saint Lucia. I always felt tension with those boat boys who call you brother and try to rip you off. Most of them are drug dealers, pimps, and thiefs. I remember once in Rodney Bay, I was rowing my dinghy to the gas station in the marina, I rowed about half mile and I was maybe a 100 feet of the goal. One of this boat boy came to me, told "yo brother, gimme you rope, I can tow you", I politely said no, he insisted, he strongly emphasize that I had nothing to fear he was cool. Basically, I was 1 minute away from my goal but this guy blocked my way with his pirogue.. I finally gave him my rope, he towed me for 20 seconds to my goal. Then he asked me to pay him 100$. There was a lot witnesses, and he finally understood than if he wanted his money he would have to fight against me and another friend who was here.. so he just threatened me and left.
I felt this kind of tension anywhere in the island, a little bit less in saint vincent, but still...
What happened to Mister Sommer can happen to any of us, and I laught a lot while reading some answers of some smartypants who would have the perfect behaviour facing an assault...

[Jammer Six]

Originally Posted by romanos2b

Better being a lonely dog on a boat (isn't it what most of us are?), than a white man in a black people jail in a country so small that you surely have some cousin of the 'victim' in this prison...

Being a minority isn't nearly as tough as it used to be-- all the heavy lifting has been done. You'll get used to it.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by romanos2b

Totally agree with SaltyTanned. I never felt safe in Saint Lucia. I always felt tension with those boat boys who call you brother and try to rip you off. Most of them are drug dealers, pimps, and thiefs. I remember once in Rodney Bay, I was rowing my dinghy to the gas station in the marina, I rowed about half mile and I was maybe a 100 feet of the goal. One of this boat boy came to me, told "yo brother, gimme you rope, I can tow you", I politely said no, he insisted, he strongly emphasize that I had nothing to fear he was cool. Basically, I was 1 minute away from my goal but this guy blocked my way with his pirogue.. I finally gave him my rope, he towed me for 20 seconds to my goal. Then he asked me to pay him 100$. There was a lot witnesses, and he finally understood than if he wanted his money he would have to fight against me and another friend who was here.. so he just threatened me and left.
I felt this kind of tension anywhere in the island, a little bit less in saint vincent, but still...
What happened to Mister Sommer can happen to any of us, and I laught a lot while reading some answers of some smartypants who would have the perfect behaviour facing an assault...

The man is on remand , this is not unusual

Dave

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by SaltyTanned

But the intruder did not drown he made it ashore. There were no witnesses. What is the result of the autopsy? Nothing ties the death directly to Eric Sommer. What about the boat that fled without giving assistance to the man it brought to the yacht? Nothing here makes sense.

I think the info that Gord provided suggests an autopsy was conducted - Multiple Blunt Force Traumas followed by drowning (not all drowning is immediate)....the link to Eric is both the short time between being dead and the altercation onboard and that Eric appears to have admitted at least throwing him overboard and reasonable to assume that involved at least some force.

Whilst of course these "facts" may not be true, if they are it suggests that at the least Eric has a case to answer if not actually being guilty (Manslaughter even if not Murder). Bottom line is that if you beat someone up and they "accidently" die then you get to suck up consequences of own actions.

Being stuck in prison for the thick end of a year awaiting trial is just how these things usually go, especially for those who genuinely are a flight risk (he would be an idiot not to f#ck off ASAP if he could!)............in St Lucia and elsewhere.

Whilst obviously not intended as a body dump (still moving not a good thing!) nonetheless a tad unlucky he made it to shore before dying - a couple of days of floating around would have been useful for Eric.