The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) secured its first conviction in court for an offence under the Cayman Islands Litter Law (1997 Revision).
A West Bay resident was charged on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at the Summary Court for an offence under the Cayman Islands Litter Law Section (1997 Revision) 3 (1) which states “Whoever throws down, drops or otherwise deposits and leaves any litter in, into or from a public place in such circumstances as to cause, contribute to or tend to lead to its defacement by such litter is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for six months.” He was found guilty and a fine of $200 was imposed on him since it was his first such offence.
The incident took place at Block and Parcel 4D 308 located next to the Ed Bush Stadium on Garson Smith Drive in West Bay on December 12, 2022, when the individual was observed and caught on video dumping a sofa on Crown Land. An investigation was launched by the DEH and the matter was brought before the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution as a recommendation for prosecution.
The Judge stated that he does not recall ever trying a litter case in the Court in Grand Cayman and he was pleased. He reiterated the importance of this conviction as littering is a major problem and it is sad to see people littering this beautiful country.
DEH Director, Mr. Richard Simms expressed his satisfaction on the outcome of the matter. “This decision represents the first court prosecution since our enforcement to crack down on litter and illegal dumping. Our Environmental Health Officers and Assistants have been working hard to tackle environmental health breaches/crimes in our communities”, he said.
In recent months, the entire team of Environmental Health Officers and Assistants successfully completed a very comprehensive training on Case File Preparation in partnership with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution. They were trained by Senior Crime Case Manager, Dennis Walkington in evidence collection and handling, statement taking, preparing summary of facts and forms and court procedures to enhance their performance as enforcement officers.
Additionally, the DEH has partnered with the Ministry of Tourism & Ports and the Beautification Task Force (BTF) in the current Anti-Littering Campaign launched on August 1, 2023.
Members of the public are encouraged to do their part in keeping the Cayman Islands clean and report any instances of littering and illegal dumping to the DEH at 949-6696, or via email to dehcustomerservice@gov.ky or click on https://ow.ly/LTgE50Pz9xn . Under the Litter Law, convictions can result in $500 fines, and/or six months imprisonment.
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