I'm sorry any Canadians travel to Bermuda and give that country their dollars after what transpired in 1996. I would hope my neighbors to the north would boycott that place after the injustice in the Rebecca Middleton murder, which is the subject of this "City Confidential" crime case.
Before the crime, however, the program highlights the area, as it does with every show, and they sure make Bermuda look pretty and attractive. They make it look peaceful and safe but, of course, no place is guaranteed to be crime-free. I loved the pastel colors of the houses and the beautiful waters surrounding this nice-looking island. As expected, there are two distinct areas: one in which they want tourists to see and the poorer neighborhoods where many of the local live. It was interesting to hear, however, that most resident - even if they had little money - would rather be where they were rather than other islands where conditions were far worse.
To show CC's slight favoritism toward Bermuda, listen to how it's described in the opening of the show: "the last jewel of the British, it captures the imagination of artists, authors, playwrights and millions of tourists." During the hour-long show, they interviewed several residents, none of whom had anything bad to say about the area, or the people.....typical CC bias.
Described as "one of the richest countries in the world," this narrow (22 miles long and about a mile wide) proved money couldn't help matters much in 1996 as its court system looked like hapless fools in the case of Miss Middleton. The latter made a fatal mistake when she and her friend, Jasmines Meens, while waiting for a taxi cab in the middle of the night, took an offer for a ride by a couple of guys on motor bikes. Meens was let off safely at home but Middleton never made. She was found the next day, "having been brutally raped and stabbed to death, 16 brutal times," according to the narrator. Actually, according to the Toronto Sun, she was stabbed 35 times and also sodomized. City Confidential understated the brutality.
It didn't take long to figure out the two key suspects: Justis Smith and Kirk Munday. What they pleased, and what happened in this case will leave you astounded and disgusted. I won't get into the details.
Let me just pass the following on, which is from a website dedicated to the victim: "Passersby found her as she died, lying almost nude in the middle of a dark, isolated road. Despite autopsy results on the very day of her death showing forcible rape, sodomy, battering, torture, cutting and stabbing, responsible agencies, "police, the attorney general's department, the courts, and the judiciary - have failed in their responsibilities to this innocent child."
Keith Forbes of Online Bermuda terms the situation a "notoriously botched murder case that has brought huge international discredit to the United Kingdom and its Foreign and Commonwealth Office, its place and reputation in the European, United Nations and world communities, Bermuda, its Governor and Deputy Governor, Cabinet and legislators, Chief Justice, Attorney General, Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Police Service and the island's judicial system."
Colin Coxall, a respected former Scotland Yard police official, who now is an expert on terrorism in the UK, who was Police Commissioner of Bermuda at the time that Becky was murdered, tried to right the situation. Unfortunately, a year after Becky's murder, Bermuda terminated his contract. Coxall is on record of referring to Becky's murder as "the most disgraceful miscarriage of justice" of his career.
City Confidential often shows cases in which the murderers go free, or only spend a couple of years in jail. This case, obviously, is one of these examples of grave injustice. As of today, despite further attempts, it's the same frustrating dead end with no justice.
By the way, that website has an appropriate quote from Martin Luther King Jr. , which certainly applies to this CC episode: King said:
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved with it as he who helps to perpetuate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. "
Before the crime, however, the program highlights the area, as it does with every show, and they sure make Bermuda look pretty and attractive. They make it look peaceful and safe but, of course, no place is guaranteed to be crime-free. I loved the pastel colors of the houses and the beautiful waters surrounding this nice-looking island. As expected, there are two distinct areas: one in which they want tourists to see and the poorer neighborhoods where many of the local live. It was interesting to hear, however, that most resident - even if they had little money - would rather be where they were rather than other islands where conditions were far worse.
To show CC's slight favoritism toward Bermuda, listen to how it's described in the opening of the show: "the last jewel of the British, it captures the imagination of artists, authors, playwrights and millions of tourists." During the hour-long show, they interviewed several residents, none of whom had anything bad to say about the area, or the people.....typical CC bias.
Described as "one of the richest countries in the world," this narrow (22 miles long and about a mile wide) proved money couldn't help matters much in 1996 as its court system looked like hapless fools in the case of Miss Middleton. The latter made a fatal mistake when she and her friend, Jasmines Meens, while waiting for a taxi cab in the middle of the night, took an offer for a ride by a couple of guys on motor bikes. Meens was let off safely at home but Middleton never made. She was found the next day, "having been brutally raped and stabbed to death, 16 brutal times," according to the narrator. Actually, according to the Toronto Sun, she was stabbed 35 times and also sodomized. City Confidential understated the brutality.
It didn't take long to figure out the two key suspects: Justis Smith and Kirk Munday. What they pleased, and what happened in this case will leave you astounded and disgusted. I won't get into the details.
Let me just pass the following on, which is from a website dedicated to the victim: "Passersby found her as she died, lying almost nude in the middle of a dark, isolated road. Despite autopsy results on the very day of her death showing forcible rape, sodomy, battering, torture, cutting and stabbing, responsible agencies, "police, the attorney general's department, the courts, and the judiciary - have failed in their responsibilities to this innocent child."
Keith Forbes of Online Bermuda terms the situation a "notoriously botched murder case that has brought huge international discredit to the United Kingdom and its Foreign and Commonwealth Office, its place and reputation in the European, United Nations and world communities, Bermuda, its Governor and Deputy Governor, Cabinet and legislators, Chief Justice, Attorney General, Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Police Service and the island's judicial system."
Colin Coxall, a respected former Scotland Yard police official, who now is an expert on terrorism in the UK, who was Police Commissioner of Bermuda at the time that Becky was murdered, tried to right the situation. Unfortunately, a year after Becky's murder, Bermuda terminated his contract. Coxall is on record of referring to Becky's murder as "the most disgraceful miscarriage of justice" of his career.
City Confidential often shows cases in which the murderers go free, or only spend a couple of years in jail. This case, obviously, is one of these examples of grave injustice. As of today, despite further attempts, it's the same frustrating dead end with no justice.
By the way, that website has an appropriate quote from Martin Luther King Jr. , which certainly applies to this CC episode: King said:
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved with it as he who helps to perpetuate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. "