Where are the priorities? Where is the common sense?
That’s Michael Arthur Francis Marshall you’re looking at, and a dangerous fellow he is too. On Errol Barrow day the 20 year-old student had one rum too many and decided it would be a good idea to take off all his clothes and run naked in front of thousands of T20 cricket fans at Kensington Oval.
And he was armed too – with what one of Shona’s girlfriends describes as a “formidably-sized” weapon. With a weapon like that it’s pure luck that nobody was injured. Young Michael ran right by a police woman who was apparently so intimidated or fascinated that she didn’t even try to stop him. Luckily though three policemen came to the rescue, arrested the young lad and took him away to the laughter of the crowd.
Then the idiocy really started…
The police did what they were supposed to do, and that’s well and fine – they took young Michael away from the crowd, put some clothes on him and assessed how drunk or sober he was.
Then somebody made a decision that instead of calling a responsible relative, older friend or school administrator to look after him, the police were going to make a big deal of this heinous criminal – who, by the way, has never had a brush with the law before. Young Michael was charged and dragged before the court on Tuesday morning where he “confessed that he wilfully, openly, lewdly and obscenely exposed his person… at a public place and misconducted himself in an annoying manner.” (Nation News Streaker gets day in court)
Magistrate Graveney Bannister ordered a pre-sentencing report – A PRE-SENTENCING REPORT – and adjourned sentencing until March 9th. Bail was set at $10,000. That’s right – TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS BAIL for a 20 year-old student who pulled a prank. And a prank was all that young Michael pulled that day; it wasn’t as if he was standing behind a tree exposing himself as he watched children playing at the beach. It was a foolish prank fueled by alcohol and a bit of youthful energy.
Now folks, there might be something here that we don’t know but at first blush (blush – get it?) 
this whole business looks like a tremendous overkill and a waste of precious police and court resources. Once it got past the “he’s sober enough to go home” stage it started costing big money, manpower and court time. Why not just give him a warning and send him on his way? Is Michael really that hard nosed of a criminal that we needed this? Is there a tremendous risk he’d do it again? The newspaper says this is his first offense of any kind.
If the police or the court don’t inform the public of why this was pushed all the way to ten thousand dollars bail and a pre-sentence report, I believe Bajans have a right to wonder where the priorities and common sense are. After young Michael sobered up, it would have been a much better use of police manpower and resources to send the officers north to arrest a few of the Boscobel Toll Gang who are a serious and ongoing threat to this country’s economy.
But that would take some real police work, wouldn’t it?
Thanks to a loyal reader who sent us the following…
December 2006 – Father and Son Charged in racially motivated attack on 15 year old boy – bail $10,000.00
August 2007 – man charged with rape – bail $10,000.00
October 2007 – mini bus accident driver kills 1 person injures many – bail $10,000.00
April 2011 – Two Barbadian police officers granted bail for alleged assault on Jamaican woman – bail $5,000 each
July 2011 – Woman lures a man to a massage parlour, then assists her boyfriend to stab the man. – bail $5,000 !!!
November 2011 – Thief steals 24,000 dollars worth of goods – bail $10’000.00
January 2012 – Young man has a few drinks and streaks at a cricket match – bail $10,000.00 – Why?
Do you see something wrong with this? I do. Why is a 20 year old foolish boy with no record and no danger to society being charged the same amount of bail as a criminal who poses a serious risk?
This young Man broke the LAW and he should be punished .make an example of him.let us bring back some respect in lovely Barbados
LOL
Indeed he broke the law… but as the statistics shown in the above article are so true… me thinks a little “white boys got money” went in to the decision on this bail… how could a first-offense streaker be charged that of a demented rapist? haven’t we all got a little drunk and silly at some point?
It is rare when I agree with BFP but this is one time when I do. Whether he is white or black is not the issue. There is no consistency in our justice system and it needs to be said.Somebody gets bail on an assault charge in the sum of $5000 and a drunken lad who was more of a threat to himself than anyone else granted bail of $10000. It should have been no more than $2500 at best. He is no flight risk and the fine for such an offence will be minimal at best and almost definitely will NOT be custodial.
very simple answer … he is white and they think he got plenty money!! ridiculous.
Evans………make an example of him?! really??….what about all the murdering thieving criminals that get caught and just put in jail? they are the real people that need to be made an example of.
Evans… your an idiot
Very well written and said…sometimes I wonder what happened/is happening to the people who we are supposed to trust on this island…I mean where the heck is the consistency in the court system, do the judges just SAY what ever they feel like at that very moment? …$10,000 for joke that was of no real harm to anyone..ridiculous!
I think it ridiculous that he had to $10,000 in bail. The boy did not hurt anyone and the public was entertained…yet in the same court section 2 women stole cars and only had to pay $6,000. Call me crazy but that there is bare shite!!!!!
The guy is white, that’s why he gets charged
‘and he was armed too’…can the obviously horny writer please get a life?!!
chee if he get a warning BELIEVE i woulda been streaking next game.
Sorry contrary to the writer I do not blame the police, the idiocy did not start there, they did there jobs in charging him. Even if he was simply held and release later or minimally fined they did their job. What would have been the outcry if they had refused to charge him, there would be more cries of preferential treatment. The problem here is with the Judge, was bail needed and if so why was it so excessive and not with the officers who did their due diligence.
Correct me if im wrong, but bail is set according to the financial resources of the individual, isn’t it? Regardless, $10,000 to be a legend amongst his peers might be worth it. Got to admit he had balls……to do it….. oh well, no avoiding it.
Bail is supposed to be based on the crime committed, persons previous offences, and wither or not they are a flight risk. Even it was based on how much financial resources the person has… he’s a 20 year old student, legally an adult. How much money can a 20 year old student possible have?
BFP, I think you hit the nail on the head when you referred to The Boscobel Toll Gang. How long has this been going on without any apparent efforts to eliminate this scourge on the reputation of the island? What about the continuing loud and obscene music on minibuses? Maybe Mr Marshall should just have gone into the bus stand, unzipped his pants and relieved himself at the side of the road in front of the school children as is done by so many men, and then that would have met with the approval of our prudent authorities. Where is this swift justice when policyholders from that infamous insurance company can’t be paid but the big chief drives around in a brand new luxury limo without fear of himself or his ill-begotten gains ever being touched? Where is the swift justice that the building contractor from St Vincent awaits? Yes, so many writes above are correct and I hate to agree but Barbados is a free and fair country…. once ya’ aint light skinned.
It is time that the youth of Barbados realise that for every action there is a consequence. Having too much to drink is not a excuse. There is way too much lawless behaviour in Barbados.
Anonymous
I’m sure that I said it here but if not in the other place. The way the Bail Act is being operated is a total farce – and I am happy to go and say why. In my experience this particular magistrate is hooked on the $10,000 figure. He is also, seemingly, servile to prosecutors who oppose bail. Our people have a constitutional right to their freedom until convicted and that is reinforced by the terms of the Bail Act. But magistrates generally, and certainly this magistrate, apply the wrong criteria, despite all the arguments of counsel. As one said to me a moment ago: “This man is out of his damn mind.” The maximum financial penalty for indecent exposure is $3,500 – this in the MINOR Offences Act.
Perhaps there should be much stiffer penalties for the real criminals …… current ‘rates’ are clearly inequitable.
if he was a tourist he would have been freed no questions asked!!!
Evans, the day you break the law, I hope you get punished and barbados is no longer as lovely because of morons like YOU! Michael Marshall is not a threat to anyone, the boy was just having some fun and I happened to be at cricket when it happened and everyone was laughing. I did not hear any complaints about it. The only complaint ive heard since is that the Judge is unfairing him. I think $10,000 bail is absolutely ridiculous considering the other offences that were charged with that amount mentioned above.
Excellent article and just shows where the police forces priorities are. Not only that but you think they would have alittle discretion, the boy is a first offender at a big sporting event where this is done all over the world, not to say that that makes it fine but come on. As for the post by the writer Evans I really have to wonder what life/period your living in. $10000.00 bail for a murderer and the same for a streaker. Clearly you dont see the big picture.
The police did their job. He broke the law he needs to be punished. But the same bail as rapists,double the bail of assault one of which could have so easily been murder instead. There is someone to blame and it certainly aint the police!
Our judicial system has to be changed. This is comparison to the sentencing of the pilot with only a fine, makes little sense to me.
The judge has a bag with amounts written on pieces of paper in it, he reaches in and pulls out a piece and that is the bail he sets. and yes have to agree that Evans is an idiot, there are a lot of criminals out there who have committed serious crimes that should be made examples of.
Criminals get less bail. Criminals get let off. Criminals put at Dodds having a wonderful time up there, making good contacts for their future whilst being fed and clothed well. Men who abuse and beat women get away. A drunk man driving a car has an accident, kills a few and gets away. The stories go on and on.
We the people of Barbados are living behind bars, and those who are intent on creating havoc are out there running wild armed with guns et al. Druggist live in our midst and everyone but the police know dem. White collar crime is rampant but dem people have friends and are allowed to drive their big cars, live in their big houses and no criminal charges are placed on their heads.
But our system holds little Michael Marshall for having streaked across the field (bet he’s the first evah Bajan to do that on his home ground) of Kensington at least giving some free entertainment to those who were bored to death with the game. Don’t forget too that this could even give Barbados just some extra exposure (pardon the pun) out there…experience Barbados and all dat!
And I must admit not only is Marshall cute but his body shows a certain chiseled appeal for us women who do not get to go out in the middle of the night to see dancing men on poles like men do. In fact they can see women as naked as they wish – making love in de bush, parking on a beach etc. etc. even peeping through windows…
I guess we do have, however, the joy of seeing the lovely sight of men of all ages and all degrees of fat or skin and bone pulling out their different sized limp you-know-whats peeing in full sight all over the island and in the middle of Bridgetown. Oh! Barbados! How mighty thou art with your double standards.
Do we smell some kind of putrid rot happening here?
A slap on the wrist for being overly drunk with a smallish fine that could have just hurt his pocket…perhaps even bettah…some community hard work cleaning drains or toilets in an old people’s home…something that might have perhaps made him see the errors of his ways (although I can’t to be honest… sorry! but as one person said, if he was a tourist, he would have gone home happily to tell the story – the British in particular are well-known streakers)…ah well…
Ummmm according to gossip this young man has nuff time on his hands n nuff money to be a regular cocaine user so I don’t feel too bad for this “doctor to be”
In the judges defense, maybe he assessed bail based on the size of the weapon used in the offense!!
So a father kills his son and get $24.00 dollars
He goes butt naked and gets $10’000.00 dollars
They are both white so that is not the issue
What is really wrong with the JUST-ice that is served in this country?
Alcoholism is no defence so that his being intoxicated will have little to no effect in court, his lawyer too should be looked at he could’ve probably presented a better case for the young man and gotten him a lower bail and in future he could beat that charge down to simple community service.
Ridiculous is what I call it…smh
I’m not even going to read anymore comments, I read one about breaking the law and making an example blah blah bringing back lovely Barbados. I do not know what boring life you have or grew up with but sometimes the law cannot, simply CANNOT be so strict and ignorant. Laws are there to control sometimes, to guide sometimes, the man streaked across a pitch, so what.. honestly.. stop.. think about it.. use some common sense, logic and understanding of us being humans and this not being a police state. Hell even in police states this isn’t such a killer of a crime. As it continues police here and many others places have priorities screwed, where people are being murdered robbed raped maimed everyday we are making a fuss of a guy enjoying his life at a public affair, I’m sure you’d get more “thumbs up” or “who gives a rat’s tail” at the end of the day rather than” oh no he should be punnished and jailed that was immoral blah blah” open your eyes to life.. real spit
I think he should be paid $10 000 for the entertainment!!
What about the consequnces for Cricket….
No hosting of international matches because of security breaches..
Going back to the days of having to watch from behind Chain Link fences
rape and streaking = same bail
now let’s look at this for a moment. it’s embarassing as a bajan to see this type of thing happen in the so-called justice system!? believe this would not be the case elsewhere…government needs to put pressure on eradicating this. i mean, what kind of message does this give to locals as well as tourists?!
This is absolutely shameful, not the streaking but the fine handed it out. As the writer of the article said it was a harmless prank, a crime that is just about as harmless as a man smoking a joint in the privacy of his home, harmless. Somehow it requires the full extent of the law for reasons unknown to myself. In these tough days, let a man live.
Charge Rihanna!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRUIjFuaTRc?rel=0&w=400&h=233
WHY THEY DONT MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF LEROY PARRIS EH…..THE SCUM OF THE EARTH…..MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF HIM
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ml07KES0AI?rel=0&w=300&h=182
Yes he broke the law and indecently and lewdly exposed himself blah blah blah… so what, seemed to be the best thing a Barbadian did on the field for the entire tournament anyway, he brought some entertainment at the expense of his embarrassment…. a Fine of say $2500 would have sufficed, maybe community work etc…. in comparison to rapists, violent crimes, reckless endangerment I think it exposes the inconsistency in our judicial systems.
I always thought that the amount that previously arrested persons paid for “indecent exposure” to our Law Courts was BDS $ 10.00. But to spend two days in jail, bail of $ 10,000.00 and a pre-sentencing report for Michael’s prank is over-kill.
I’ve known this guy from the time i was about 5. We were best friends throughout primary school and good friends in secondary and even now at university. This outcome is ridiculous, it shouldn’t have gone this far and personally, I don’t believe that he deserves such a harsh fine. I acknowledge what he did may have been silly, but for a 20 year old student to be slapped with such a hefty fine? That’s what is truly questionable. Inconsistent rulings like this is what is deleterious to society; exerting one’s authority to such an absurd extent is the reason for this recent backlash and nonchalant behaviour by many in our island, it is because the law favours those who can financially assist them in the long run. It is frightening to see the treacherous direction we’re heading in.
Anonymous who is making allegations of drug use based on RUMOURS… stop being a stereotypical #@!t… you nor anyone else in here can say that for a fact, nor is it of any consideration to the topic at hand… furthermore if “assuming” that people playing with contraband is sufficient, in your opinion, to quadruple the bail charge on a felon, perhaps everybody who enters the court with redder-than-usual eyes should be charged $10,000 too… i hope and pray that people like you remain the prosecuted and not the prosecutors
Evans you are a cunt…
If he was black you wouldn’t be saying that at all. The dude had too much to drink and got on like an ass. He should have received a $350 indecent exposure charge which ANY BLACK MAN IN BARBADOS WAS PREVIOUSLY CHARGED and sent along his merry way.
I dont know what it is with Barbadians but as soon as a “white” man is involved things have to be blown out proportion and an example MUST be set. Simply bullshit…
go find somebody else to pick on.
They feel he got the money to pay. Obviously. Probably cuz he white. Don’t say it’s not the issue because the 11 yr old boy-shooting incident came off with $24, because u gotta realize they got several sorts of white ppl in the island. Not all of them are in cahoots w the government, u know, and the rest everyone generally assumes is rich.
You say bring some respect back to Barbados but our police are the “dogs”. They do thee job when they see fit, when they want to look good. We all get drunk and do foolish things.
Good Afternoon, majority of you are stating that he is white, that is why the fine is so heavy, so what about the gentleman from Jada he also is white, and what was his fine and his sentence, did you deliberately forget that major issue?
Or because he is white and a “big shot” you left that out, fair is fair if your whole claim is colour?
Michael is obviously your friend or relative unfair things happen everyday in Barbados and especially to Black Barbadians at the hands of white people or people who have money
I think what he did was personally very funny Michael is a riot I love him when I see him next shall buy him a drink but I just keeping it REAL
Honestly there have been streakers before, and no security increases, no chain link fences. If the ICC can be so double standarded to stop international cricket from playing at Kensington because of a streaker then many other international venues would have been solely hosting kiddie cricket and county cricket a long time ago.
The $10,000.00 bail is definitely overkill, especially in the light of other crimes and criminals that merited the same and lower bail sums.
To the person who was apparently born big, and saying that the youth need to learn that you must pay for your actions, no one here is saying that he should not “pay” for his actions. The price so far “paid” for his actions: 2 nights in jail, $10,000.00 bail, and a pre-sentencing report, not to mention the outcome of the March 9th trial, is a bit much for something that is really not a threat to anyone at all. In the current economic climate the courts should not be wasting money on a pre-sentencing report and all of that for a streaker.
Overkill is the theme here it seems.
Our Ambassador exposes herself in an Irish wheat field among other places. The stories are covered all over the world and yet she remains our Ambassador. Is there a double standard here, or am I missing something?
“Unfair things happen everyday in Barbados and especially to Black Barbadians at the hands of white people or people who have money”
Yet another common misconception… Perhaps it is true from the people who have money, but whether white or black or indian, ALL get unfaired by those with money… But to say white people unfair black people is one of those ignorant historical misconceptions which are bestowed on those of narrow minds by those with narrower minds… for example “COMMI”siong… Believe it or not it is your neighbour or friend you have to be concerned about unfairing you, not the big scary white man… he got bigger fish to fry
I do not think it was overkill. What he did was very stupid. He should be firmly discouraged from doing it again. How silly to say:
he get that “cause he white” ? when Bjorkam accidently shot his son and got no time it was “cause he white”? You can’t have it both ways. Let the poppet pay.
@ LOUD
now our ambassador is promoting the THUG LIFE. Yup thats our new tourism brand positioning. She is still our ambassador.
Remember the Tourists who had the Brawl on the Virgin flight into Barbados. They were fined etc. They proved to be a bigger danger with they actions that this skinny young guy who just provided a spectacle for the forgiving crowd. It was all comedy.
The JUSTICE SYSTEM HERE DOES NOT WORK.
I think it’s a case where they need to be firm because if they are not it will happen more frequently. I do however think that some comparibility in bail would be an improvement.
he needed to be charged, when visitors come here and do it, the y are charged.
As history goes, this is fairly inaccurate: “But to say white people unfair(ed) black people is one of those ignorant historical misconceptions…”
It has moved beyond race and onto financial and, to a lesser extent, political power now, but there is no historical misconception there.
Realist – Please study law. What Bjerkhamn did was call involuntary manslaughter, the reason he was “let off” was because it was an accident. His son died in an accident and it’s tragic. His color has nothing to do with anything in that case, as it shouldn’t. If a black man accidentally shot his son in the same situation he would have been let off too. Now let it go, it’s not about him or color, it’s about the Barbados judicial system doing whatever it feels like doing. That’s the issue here NOT COLOR.
It’s concerning when people look to defend this young man and then blame the justice system. He deserved to be charged every cent and maybe more. (1) As a father who brought his young daughter to her first cricket match, this is not what I want to see. It’s deplorable and if you looked at the crowd, there were numerous children in attendance. (2) Live international coverage with positive exposure for Barbados does not need a nonsensical act like this because he was drunk. At some point when he was undressing, he would have to know what steps he was taking. So to all those perverts out there who enjoyed the show, ask yourself why you have never done it….because you know it was against the law and therefore he should be punished. He definitely wont have to think twice the next time because he wont do it.
ont do it again.
Enam, you misinterpret my comment… please examine my use of the present tense UNFAIR and not UNFAIRED
Concerned over the lack of morals – this link is for you there is a whole section on Streaking at Cricket Matches.
Enjoy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaking
obviously he needed to be taking off the grounds no argument there. the problem is the $10,000 fine! How is it possible for him to get the same amount of bail charges as a murderer?!
How many times have you watched a soccer game and streaker has run onto the field, for most people they deem it to be funny. He has caused no harm to anyone, he hasn’t blinded people or discouraged people from attending events, if anything he brought some entertainment to the already boring game of cricket. He brought the party stand to the pitch.
Cricket is a where they are hundreds of so called “drunk” persons can is it safe to assume that he was the only drunk one?
What he needs to do is align himself with some positive individuals, not the ones who see him as a “class clown” where have then gotten him?
He is supposed to be educated, did he honestly think they would of been no repercussions, the persons who dared him off course they knew that, did anyone try to stop him no
He can use this as an opportunity to take stock of himself and his life
What is driving me crazy is that the people on this forum are making constant referral to the Insurance case, do you really wants us to expose the skeletons in Marshalls closet?
Are you being even fair?
What he did was funny, it was an international game, how many security guards or police got fired for this, how many black people out of work and cant feed their children now, because he did this are you all going to feed them
and all the people agreeing i hope that when your child some day gets drunk and does something stupid he/she is charged $10,000 too and let’s see what you say then.
“What he did was funny, it was an international game, how many security guards or police got fired for this, how many black people out of work and cant feed their children now, because he did this are you all going to feed them” @ poor people governor. How could you say that black people going to be out of work, don’t try blame his actions on their lack of security. This stunt was out pure fun, you all need to learn to live a little.
watch the following video.
Charb – well played!
Okay lets try this for all of those who deem the punishment unfair and the fine hefty
WAS HE ONLY DRUNK?????????
WAS IT ONLY ALCOHOL HE WAS ONE?
IS THIS HIS NORMAL BEHAVIOUR????
ANSWER ME THOSE QUESTIONS
Normally, a person can be fined up to $20,000 B’dos for streaking whether they’re white or black. Whoever wrote this article should have done research on how much it usually costs. Also, the guy resisted arrest (obviously when he tried to escape from the law enforcement officers) which most likely increased his bail money. They were children present at the match so I’m guessing that too is another offense which was taken into consideration. That brings us to a grand total of 3 offenses.
The incident was really hilarious and the crowd went from depressed to happy in a few seconds so BRAVO to him!
Its bad enough that their is racism still lingering around, but that it still remains in our courts? Disgraceful.
I did not mean to misrepresent your comment. My apologies.
“But to say white people unfair black people is one of those ignorant historical misconceptions” This is your comment and I added the (ed) because you cannot say ‘unfair’ and call it a ‘historical’ misrepresentation; it would have to be in the past tense, which if it were would be inaccurate.
You may consider swapping contemporary for historical, or say something like, “But to say white people unfair black people is one of those ignorant misconceptions derived from historical events.”
Pardon my assumptions.
A lot of people are mixing up Bail of $10000, with a Fine of $10000. The Court has not yet fined him a cent!
I don`t see anything wrong with the Judge asking for a pre sentencing report..simply to establish if the young man has been in trouble with the Law before.Since this appears to a first time , stupid, drunken act, and he has not been previously brought before the court, it should actually get him a lighter fine than if he were a repeat offender.
Agreed, the bail of $10000 is ridiculous. If the judge considered him a flight risk, he could have asked for his passport until the trial date.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SECURITY STAFF DO YOU?
ALL YOU ALL SAYING IS CAUSE HE WHITE PEOPLE ASSUME HE HAVE MONEY SO HE CAN PAY THE FINE
SO I AM LETTING YOU SEE ISSUE FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE
WHAT HE DID WAS FUNNY, BUT I WAS NOT DOING IT, HIS FRIENDS WHO WERE WITH HIM AT THE OVAL WERE NOT DOING IT THEY SENT HIM TO DO IT WHY ?
ANSWER ME THAT
be realistic the some of money isnt the issue. young people always get drunk and do shit. parrows in town get locked up for indecent exposer and they also have to face bail. no job no house nothing why should he get a pass . if you know you cant handle the drinks you shouldn’t have them. especially at the expense of impressing your friend and disgracing and entire country . and people talking bout when others children do it lets see what they say . the whole point of this is to try your best to make sure your own children dont follow in the same foot steps. whether he black or white is a minor thing point is he is educated and should be responsible enough to know better thats why there going in so hard on him. and yall too stupid to look at the bigger picture .
I am sorry to say, but you all are not helping his defense should of not even had this as a topic, being placed on bail is not paying the court ten thousand dollars
He spent two days in HMP DODDS? or in the station?
Did he abuse the officers who arrested him?
What he did, did bring entertainment to the other drunkards who were there but how come they did not do it ?
Yes, this young man made a mistake, But setting a bail of $10,000 dollars, the same as a murderer or better yet less than Policemen who have (allegedly) assaulted a woman is ridiculous!
the 10,000 dollar mark is to assure that crap doesnt happen again, if u got caught stealing items from a supermarket, sent to court, charged 10,000 dollars for ur actions, would u even think about stealing again?
i bet that 20 yr old wouldnt be pulling off that s*** again,
and who the hell runs around naked anyways? i have been high, drunk, high and drunk, drunk and high, and not necesarily in that order and it never came across my mind to run about naked,lol, not even on a bank holiday at that. i think that 10,000 did him just fine and i think a psych evaluation should be slapped in there somewhere
He needs to align himself with more positive and stable individuals
That should be an area of discussion he needs help
Our Island is heading the wrong direction. First off as a black woman, I have witnessed first hand the complete lack of respect and hatred that black Bajan’s have for white Bajan’s. It is absolute ignorance that this still exists in our society and having witnessed how some of my white friends have been treated is appalling, yet they never return that hatred to the black people. My black friends complain about white bajans all the time and yet when I ask for valid reasons they come up with the same stupid responses that really are not valid in our society today, give me a valid argument and stop being such ignorant, close minded individuals and open your eyes and see the greater picture! It is a COLOUR! we are all made of the same substance and stop blaming white Bajan’s for everything that goes wrong in your lives and take some responsibility for your own stupid actions! So yes in my opinion, Michael was given an unfair bail because of his colour.
Secondly, the example our juridical system has set for people is that it is okay to rape someone, I mean… you will only be fined $10,000… it really isn’t a big deal, as you can see it falls into the same category as streaking, so really maybe I should rape some more people, kind of a slippery slope argument, no? Is this really the message we want to be sending out? I agree he should have been punished, he broke the law and there are consequences for his actions. The issue is not that bail was set at $10,000, the issue is that other VERY serious crimes have been charged the same amount of bail, so either charge them more or charge him less, these two offences should NEVER fall into the same category.
I ask Barbadian’s to open their minds, forget colour prejudices and try to focus on what the real issue is here; that our juridical system is in great danger.
its overkill while ppl get away with murder, live in love not in fear
let see how much the people that start the fire get fined, and if money is the issue what about rich people that get away with murder
“when Bjorkam accidently shot his son and got no time it was “cause he white”? You can’t have it both ways. Let the poppet pay.”
You ass fuck…the man lost his SON ACCIDENTALLY , it had nothing to do with Bjorkam being white! That guy from the pine that accidentally shot his brother got no time either! Why would he or anyone have to SERVE time for that? Are you stupid? Totally different scenario!
If you shoot a sibling or a child you are already in a prison in your mind as you will wake up every morning for the rest of his life wondering what you could have done differently that day and no therapy , court room or church will ever fix it. Be a little more sensitive next time when you are speaking in parables.
Do I think what Michael did was wrong? OF COURSE , that is already a given but his fine should be in line with previous fines issued through out the history of the Barbadian judicial system.
BPF rarely makes an arrest and is frequently the butt of many jokes. Looks like this was an opportunity that they could not resist and the court system is playing left guard, still the same result —- BUTT of many Jokes.
Stupse what is 10,000 bail really
i agree with most of everyone who has replied, his fine is way to much, its not something is believed he will do again, he has public humiliation as a punishment… so y stretch it so far 10 gs? nah,,,give the guy a break.
Well my young WHITE friend, welcome to what we BLACK people have to go through everyday.
They are black people sitting in our prison for years on remand for simple little offenses
Now you all see how the other side get treated..
“we black people have to go through”
…disgustingly racist. How many of those Black people in prison were first time offenders? I doubt those “little offenses” were first time “little offenses”. If you have had previous “brushes” with the law then you deserve prison.
United we stand , divided we fall … Divide and conquer this capitalist system so messed up, that we can no longer be human, we must be controlled robots…
I don’t think it is really in context as to the actual offence..
$10k bail is excessive and should be looked at by a higher court.
I’m sure he’s regretting his actions landing him in court, after the drink had left his body.. A stern warning could have sufficed and that would have been the end of the matter..
To make an example of this demeanour is in my eye ridiculous. Seeing that other more heinous crimes are punished similarly or less ..
This is not a race issue this is purely an overuse of the courts power to punish because they can and must be seen to punish.
The next time I see a man on the beach at Oistens fish fry on a Friday night with his penis hanging out having a pee into the sand, with the fullness of lights upon him, in front of full view of other people and the police, I will ask them to arrest him as I now will find that highly offensive..
It is stupid and the law here is an … Like anywhere else in the world where common sense is not used ..
Black or white, we all still bleed red at the end of the day…race should have nothing to do with anything but sadly usually finds it’s way into everything. A foolish prank in a drunken haze…funny at the time for most of the spectators, but if not dealt with will become the norm and will not be so entertaining 5 incidents later, however I do think the bail set was excessive when compared to the “crime”….some good community service might make the next prospective streaker think twice before doing the same. FYI…2 of the last 3 English visitors that streaked at an International cricket match at Kensigton 3 or 4 years ago were deported the next day….
OH this is for @ what will they think of next
I didn’t really appreciate your tone, the message came across like if you are trying to insinuate that Black people are repeat offenders, I see cases every day for first time offenders that get remanded for smoking a spliff, which is only of harm to themselves
Reality is the boy disgraced his country if you care to look at it from a Nationalistic perspective, which no one seems to want to
You say if you had previous “brushes” with the law then you deserve JAIL, well in that case I hope that your friend doesn’t have any more for the lifestyle that he lives and the company that he keeps that may be a hard one for him to do
@ what will they think of next I am sure that you could be a bit more articulate, it is clear that you are slightly unschooled, it should be you and not Marshall, have you outlined the mitigated factors
Isn’t he also charged for resisting arrest??
This is absolutely absurd. I agree there should be consequences to his actions but this is too extreme. How can a prank be charged the same as rape, assault and theft? Many Bajans are being forced to question if this is about race. It is evident that there is something extremely wrong with the law in Barbados and it is clear from all this social media that Bajans are not taking this lightly.
The question is… why is BFP and much of its remaining readership so hysterical and up in arms about this?
It’s BAIL you twits! He has not paid out a red cent as yet and will not have to pay out as long as he does not skip the island (like oh say… Bjerkhamn?)
Funnily enough, despite the predilection of BFP’s admins to hastily amend and editorialise people’s comments, none of you have stepped in to correct the dozens of commenters who are talking as if this man was FINED. How convenient. Let’s not let the truth get in the way.
Which brings me back to the question – why is BFP so hysterical about it? When the Bjerkhamn saga was going on, y’all were silent for days on end even as he repeatedly ‘declined’ to be interviewed by the police.
But now you got talk?
Moreover, where was your outrage and hysteria when one of the Campus Trendz murderers was given a mere 15 years? Or when the DPP continually took manslaughter pleas for what to reasonable people appeared to be wanton murders of women? And in every case, accepted the thinnest arguments of provocation?
Wunna now realise there is disproportion in sentencing, bail-setting, fines (like the $24 poor Luke’s life was worth) etc? Or does it only outrage you when it hit one of your own?
And he must clearly be one of your own for you to say that Shona’s mysterious girlfriend said he had a “formidably-sized weapon” – when that is the opposite of what everyone else there that night said. *stupse*
BFP reminds me of Animal Farm: “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others.”
Barbados needs to think twice about this. This is not the type of exposure they want, especially for island that lives off tourism.
what a cracky
Obviously because this is owned by white people, and they are friends of his
Totally biased I don’t see this outcry when things are done to black people
What about Jada?
What big a deal is a 10 thousand dollar bail
I don’t think you all should of run this post, it just appears that you are all for protecting and defending your own and by own I don’t mean Barbadians, and it doesn’t matter what happens to the rest of us
If it is anyone that should be accused of such blatant racism is this blog
Thank you for highlighting that they remained silent on Jada, why would a blog want to highlight that they care more about other Bajans than the rest of us?
Or you only expected specific individuals to read the post?
should of let it not helping this case aat all
Evan you are a pussy
LOL @ evan is a pussy
If you break the law, you have to pay the fine. Although it would seem that 10,000 is inequitable for the offense, the issue really is not why Marshall’s bail is so high but rather; why is bail set so low for the dangerous criminals who pose a serious threat to the safety of our society? The worst offenders seem to have little or no difficulty posting these amounts and thumbing their noses at the judicial system. They should be kept in jail if possible not allowed to walk about freely and indefinitely while an inefficient judicial systems takes its cool time to process matters. Measure the crime and punish accordingly – time to impose meaningful deterents to criminal activity and stop sensationalizing misdemeanours. Barbadians are losing faith that there is a competent system of recourse for justice – not good!
Evans i hope you get bull in Dodds by.Sally Boogaloo…. as well as a 10’000 fine for a being a dick !
This guy is clearly crazy. Shud have been remanded ta jinkins
Was he even remanded?
Why no one else covering this story cause it is bare junk
what the fuck . he int had to pay $10,000. bail is a surety that he re-appears in court. he does have more than one charge . and regardless he damn well disgrace the country and deserves the punishment. if he appears at his court dates he looses nothing. but those children and others who were shocked and stunned with the sight of him will always have that vision . many may have laughed at the time but im sure none of them were laughing with him all at him. and im sure that a lot of them didnt. he needs to re-evaluate his life and his friends cause nun of them that prompted him to do such thing is going to be sitting next to him in court in a cell nor can they bail him out. they are just going to laugh at him as they have already did. people need to stop talking about racism and the amount of money cause the point is neither of the two. bail is just a some of money that would have to be paid if he does not do what he has to do . geeeesh
He deserved punishment, but not to this degree. I attribute the excessive bail to 2 things – 1, his is white, and 2, his last name. Everyone knows the serious racism that exists in Barbados. This is really no surprise to me.
It was a prank! (in poor taste but a prank). I don’t suppose all the “crime stoppers above” ever were young and had one too many a drink and did something they regretted. What a great threat he was! Years ago there use to be a man call Gearbox that use to streak through Bridgetown regularly – what did the police do about him?? Nothing he was just looked on as a drunk or slightly crazy man and fat all was done with him. Truthfully I wouldn’t like someone in my family to streak at cricket match, but was anyone at cricket in danger!! Did he attack anyone? Honestly this has been blown way out of proportion. I wonder why?
Kris
” Concerned over lack of morals”
No one is defending him.
1)Do your children watch T.V.? Do they watch music videos? If anything their morals are already down the tubes. They know more at their age than you did at that age. Children today are exposed to too much too young. Most Music and T.V. sells sex.
2) If Barbados was so concerned about good publicity they would not have Rihanna as ambassador. She goes on T.V. and says that bajans use the C@*t word daily wears a chain that says C@*t dances around mostly naked and this is supposed to be good publicity and a good role model for our children? The barbados government and justice system are skewed. The police treat a tourist who was raped here in broad daylight with hostility for her to find out there were 3
other rapes but no warnings in the paper. Too bad they didn’t patrol to find the man and still haven’t found him. How can a murderer get the same fine as a streaker? Not Fair at all.
He did not actually have to pay bail of $10,000..
And Evans you are an ass.
Regards,
so if he didn’t get butt naked, but wore a banana hammock instead, would that be ok (after all if someone can pull it off on a beach (preferably a female)…why not the cricket field) ?
is it really worth the time/effort. slap him on his wrists and send him home. bigger fish to deal with no?
so who knows maybe one day i’ll put it to the test just to see what happens
and to the person who posted just above about “disgracing the country”…not saying anything bad about her but rihanna doesn’t wear much more when on stage in front some pretty good crowds (or in an innocent farmers field for that matter) but that doesn’t seem to “disgrace the country”. and to the statement “but those children and others who were shocked and stunned with the sight of him will always have that vision”…come now, really that bad? majority of the people will see something similar in the mirror everyday, or will eventually what with BET, MTV, or TV in general, or at a bus stop maybe, or in some cases on a ZR van but lets not go there.
and about his friends and needing to re-evaluate his life…chaaa, sounds like you have some issues in your life you need to sort out, im sure the Samaritans will listen to ya.
and nothing to do with this whatsoever but good song
I agree with BFP that the authorities are overreacting with this incident; as FairPlay pointed out, men urinating in public get away on a daily basis.
But I do not agree with the Bail part. Marshall took bail and so the amount of Bail is not an issue here. If he was unable to afford the bail, then this would have been a different story.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty by a competent court.
Bail does not render a judgment on the accused but releases him from police custody pending trial.
Bail must be reasonable (s 4 (b) CAP 122A Bail Act), and can be refused if there are grounds to believe the accused will fail to surrender to custody, commit an offence or interfere with witnesses (s 5 (1) (a)). And money is not the only condition that can be laid out for Bail: surrendering passports, routine checking in with the police etc can all be imposed (s 12). And if the accused returns to court, and everything is fine, the BAIL money is REFUNDED as Bail is a SURETY.
But none of this matters now, as Bail was given for Marshall. If he was not pleased with this, he could have sought the appropriate channels- but he took it.
Now if he were to abscond and flee the jurisdiction, would people still consider the $10,000 to be too high? The objective of bail is to allow an accused person some freedom pending trial on the condition that the accused remains here and is tried as normal. So if Marshall takes the Bail and remains there is no issue here; if he found the Bail conditions unsatisfacory, he could seek the appropriate channels: apply to the High Court etc.
There is no need for judges, anyone can put on a wig, sit on a bench and hand out a judgement pre-written in the HOW TO JUDGE HANDBOOK. I always thought that a Judge was so called because he JUDGED and applied the punishment to suit the offence. No doubt about it the fellow was stupid to do such a thing in BARBADOS, an island full of hypocrisy. I found it boring myself, saw it happen many times before outside of Barbados, it is not amusing at all, it was certainly not dangerous but sets a bad example for any youngsters that were there for an evening of enjoyment at Kensington with their family, The Bail set is definitely overkill in relation to the offence, BTW was bail posted? What I do find extremely hilarious is that once again a very important issue (the attitude of the judiciary in Barbados) is being washed over because of the small mindedness of individuals posting here who seem to be on both sides of the Black and White debate. The question posed by BFP in connection with this story should have been IS THERE ANY JUSTICE FOR AN AVERAGE BAJAN. The individuals that make up the system appears to be able to do anything they wish to anyone, as long as the accused are not in a position to create a stink about it, that is probably around 95% of us. The established media also have a lot to do with the way the system is often used and often abused.
The white collar criminals on this island laugh all the way to the bank due to the ineffectiveness of the judicial system when it comes to dealing or not dealing as the case may be with criminals who use a contract instead of a gun or knife.
The world is watching and reading due to the internet and this unchanging attitude can only be harmful to Barbados in the long run.
give the guy a break? LMAO i bet if he were black with a big dong all over kensington you lot would want him locked away.
Use your brains… The Bjerkhamn case is unrelated and the reason he did not receive jail time was because it was based on an old law in Barbados not because he was white or paid off anyone… Barbados judicial system is behind.
@ “Concerned over lack of morals” – nobody said it wasn’t illegal but the repercussions are excessive… if your daughter was rapped would you not ‘get on bad’ if the man was given the same treatment as a streaker? In a case where a streaker was treated leniently…
@poor people governor – “I don’t think you all should of run this post, it just appears that you are all for protecting and defending your own and by own I don’t mean Barbadians, and it doesn’t matter what happens to the rest of us
If it is anyone that should be accused of such blatant racism is this blog” you are an idiot… what about ROK a public figure and involved in the Barbados Association of Non Governmental Organisations who goes on Racist rants daily on Barbados Underground and people on that don’t say what he says is racist and he has said racist comments directed at the Bjerkham case and it was deemed normal when i saw them…
AT THE END OF THE DAY MICHAEL’S COLOUR DOES NOT MATTER… BECAUSE IF HE WAS BLACK AND STREAKED AND GOT $10,000 BAIL… SOME IGNORANT PERSON WOULD COME ON HERE AND SAY IF HE WAS WHITE HE WOULD HAVE GOT LET OFF WITH NO BAIL… so no matter what happens someone is going to see colour in the issue because that is a problem that all Bajans have…
Let’s all pray for a colour blind Barbados!
De way wuhna gettin on any body wud belive de boy get fine 10k
I am an idiot and your friend is a drunk who needs help then they were hundreds of persons in the oval , who were also drunk did they run across and streak?
Cases are brought to light everyday in the paper that are unfair and unjust do i see you commenting on them NO so what you should do is STFU
Call me an idiot are you serious,the jada case can be compared because he got off with a very very slight fine and offense is an offense
WHAT you should compare is to the white racist people that unfair those black boys that received the same fine if you want to comment on anything
I thought it was blasted Halarious and as a tourist this is exactly why I come to barbados to drink way to much rum and enjoy the sun like a year round party with out care. In the uk the lads get charged hefty for streaking but all in good fun
should have got 50,000.00 bail not 20 stupse
Astounding… I dont know who you are, where your from or what colour your skin is.
The blatant racism on this thread is only compounded by the fact that it is done by some so ignorant that they do not even appear to be aware that they are actively doing so.
@ poorpeople governor… Who are you?
To condemn some other human being, with no apparent knowledge of the justice system or even the word “justice” itself.
Surely some of us are aware of the argument from falsity, where it is wise to listen to those who are wrong, if only simply to better understand why they are wrong.
But you are not just wrong, but ignorant for not reasoning with others.
My point of view is simple:
Yes he did something wrong. Yes he should have been fined. No, he did not perform an action that should result in a 10,000 bail, regardless of the fact that it is a bail as the sum speaks for the action.
And if you wish to take it another way, then YES he did deserve a 10,000 bail. But then the other cases which we all have head about deserve a much more substantial fine.
10,000 for streaking and rape? Come on, that could only be a joke.
There is no room for discussion on the matter that the Bajan justice system is flawed, erroneous, slow and unwieldy. However it does appear to be making some changes, and we should all hope that they are for the best.
this is receiving waayy tooo much attention y?
what is the last thing that received soo much attention?
i dont see dr marshall or son complaining about the bail so why you all stirring up racism talk wait for the fine then have an outcry black people get unfaired everyday
Got a bunch of FORUM TROLLS on this one thats all……… and yes Poor People Governor you are a forum troll
@Ignorant Peasant you truly are ignorant as you have misconstrued everything that i have typed, I have no way condemned the individual
The post also said that he was out with his friends, some friends
Also I believe that he is the first Barbadian to have done this so he will be made an example of
And he does not look 100% white since colour is the issue that you all want to bring
@Anonymous NO he should not re-evaluate his life as a UWI student studying medicine he should not think about the repercussions this can possible have on his future career no everything in life is fun and games the fine is wayy to heavy the judiciary system is unfair the funniest stunt for the year hooray to him
When one his looking to go into a respectable profession such as being a DR one needs to make choices very carefully and if I should call the samaritians for that then you need to check yourself
and wait his last name anonymous is a big shot last name lol stfu when where how what they do or own?
so what about all the rastas walking down the beach naked infront of children. why nothing happens to dem
LOL you are soo funnny
Which beach is this accra,where you all happen to frequent down to the far right, with the white and black rastas
All you need to do is have it put all over facebook and different social mediums and have them charged as well
But just me aren’t people partially naked at the beach ANYHOW??
Did they jump over the restricted access and run onto the grounds of the Mecca different rules for the beach than at Kensington piss poor analogy
LooL just done… poor people governor is suffering from a bad case of mental enslavement and just want people to argue with him so he can come up with more things to type on the next post to try and make racial remarks… If he wants to hold himself back and come up with reasons for it let him do so by himself…
As a black Barbadian- a highly educated one at that, I do believe that this talk is nonsense. I understand “poor people governor” and his remarks which may seem very racist. It saddens me to see that there are still some Barbadians who continue to be caught in this channel of mental slavery.
Those days are over- anyone in their right mind can easily observe that we are- in fact quite preferred in our community which comes from the same effect as the Jewish people in Germany. Hatred was easily formed for them in the days of the second world war because of jealousy. Instead of spewing such hatred towards white people and speaking with such acid of how wealthy and successful they are, why don’t we all just get on with our lives and become close to them. We should be working as a team- after all in the end we are all one people with one economy.
lol me and the judge mentally enslaved that is why he has a 10 thousand dollar fine
you know what he is enslaved by the alcohol
the next time i see him probably monday i will hi5 him and buy him a drink wtih my mentally enslaved money
Lool Poor people governed u are an absolute joker. Grow up! Your not a poor people governor, the only thing you govern is your small minded and ignorant view of ” a your people, my people ” complex. In that case you owe it to yourself and to the rest of barbarians – black and white -who refuse to even approach the topic of white/black to shut your ‘don’t even care what color it is’ tight ass up and try to stop seeing everything in black or white. I know it must be hard looking at a computer screen to see differently but maybe that’s why you should be out in the real world engaging with more whites and other ethnicities and then realize you can’t generalize a race by individuals, just as I won’t do based on you spewing hate and ignorance online. A poor peoples governor wouldnt be enciting hatred between classes, races, religions or genders, he would be trying to change this backward mentality.
Why was bail set after the young man pleaded guilty? Answer is simple: the magistrate was not in a position given the fact that the young man was a first time offender to make what he deemed an appropriate sentence.
What is the purpose of a pre-sentencing report? A pre-sentencing report is just what it says it is. It is a report from a government agency which looks at the history of the accused person, his family ties and community ties among other considerations. It’s purpose is to guide the Magistrate in his determination of an appropriate sentence. This power is afforded to him- section 32 Magistrate’s Court Act.
Why was bail set so high (if that is to be deemed “high”)? I was not at the sitting and can only speculate. Every person is entitled to reasonable bail- section 4 of the Bail Act. Reasonable implies that it must be suited to the economic means of the individual and the crime committed. However, a number of factors go into setting the terms of bail. It is not just based on the offence but on it’s seriousness and the probable method of dealing with the defendant for it”- section 5 of the Bail Act. What does a person likely get for an offence under which this young man was charged?
It is also based on the need to secure the attendance of the accused at the time the matter is called again. Maybe there was something which was said or which may have stood out to the magistrate to indicate that the young man may not have come back to court if granted bail at a small amount. Alternatively, what people fail may not appreciate is that there are different theories of sentencing (though there was no sentencing in the instant case). One such theory is deterence. In this instance “it it is a measure to prevent people from committing an offence – deterring previous offenders from re-offending, and preventing those who may be contemplating an offence they have not committed from actually committing it”. The offence may be seen to be a serious one considering the publicity involved in it all and the potential loss it could have caused the country and other stakeholders. The Magistrate would have also taken into consideration how thoughtless the act was.
The article states, “this whole business looks like a tremendous overkill and a waste of precious police and court resources. Once it got past the “he’s sober enough to go home” stage it started costing big money, manpower and court time. Why not just give him a warning and send him on his way? ”
Seriatim, It wasn’t a waste of precious police and court resources. The young man pleaded guilty. If he bothered to go through a trial it would be a waste of precious police and court resources. I’m sure if there was contra to my argument, the young man will make it up in a possible fine or costs to the court. Why not give him a warning? No sentence has been passed yet and maybe the magistrate will consider doing it. However, the magistrate felt the need to be guided by the report- this i am in approval of. The Magistrate is obviously concerned for the young man and wants to balance his interest with the interest of society. The young man is facing a possible prison term of 10 years for his actions- Offences Against the Person Act (I am not certain which legislation was used but this seems the most likely he offended). This term is stipulated by statute and I believe there will be mitigating factors which may significantly diminish that stipulated term.
This i suggest may have been a guiding force behind the Mag’s decision to set bail so high. Who knows, maybe the pre-sentencing report may suggest community service or a reprimand and discharge. You just never know.
A word of caution: be careful utilising statistics barely without consideration of all the facts. The news reporters do not capture every single case on every given day. I’m sure there are instances (numerous ones) where the bail set was much higher than those provided above for serious offences.
Hope this clarifies the situation….
I am not a racist shut up your clearly not educated, no one else seems to tihnk i am racist besides u anyhow its friday night and you know what we do
Thanks much justification see why the post was pointless now
If I got a little drunk and slap you in the face do you think the police are wasting man power to charge me to, note I am a first time offender. Law are laws.
$10,000 is ridiculous …for a student …he had no weapons or illegal substances… was it just for the money ??? it sure seems so
Congratulation to Michael
Not only have I never seen so many comments
for awhile, he must have generated well
over 10,000 hits, even more than Rihanna’s
maybe he can be made the male youth ambassador for Barbados with a contract
from the BTA?
How cute is that!
for Barbados
Evans is a fucking asshole and one day it will be you who has a $10000 bail and cant pay so that bugaloo sally can really give it to ya good while he whispers sweet nothings in your ear.
I too scoffed at what I thought was an excessive fine for a harmless prank, however if one turns to the back of the WICB ticket, (which many of us rarely do), the very fine print, it does go into painstaking detail about the code of conduct and the violation of these codes. Unfortunately it does include this “harmless” streaking episode which is in fact punishable by up to $10,000 or even imprisonment.This has been in effect since Cricket World Cup 2007. He was one of the best things to happen that day, however the best things in life come at a price – $10,000.
There is so much backward thinking on this island, agreed he was foolish and I am sure he is very embarrassed……but in comparison to the many people who commit incredible corruption on this island ( and get away with it) he is a saint. Down with the free mason society on this island and their self serving agendas. EVANS YOU AND YOUR PEERS ARE IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this whole thing is blown out of proportion! Congrats to michael! he still got de entire barbados talking about him a week later!!! all de man gotta do is get all these people talking, posting pictures and commenting bout him to pay a dolla and im sure he will cover that bail in no time!!! hahahahahhaa
Evans,
Thanks for your horrifyingly silly response. You have no concept of the social responsibility of judicial systems. Please think next time you comment.
Racist!
@ Justification for Magistrate’s Decision….the OAP? Maximum 10 years? What on earth are you talking about? The maximum fine for indecent exposure is $3,500. Resisting arrest ……? A silly charge….but the natural corollary of running from the police on the field – which is part of the ‘streaking’ activity. And please note..the surety has to have assets to the value of the bail not necessarily cash in the bank. This is why a 16 year old still languishes in Dodds on remand months after he was charged. He has nobody to find the $25,000 assets value this same magistrate set for his bail on a charge of burglary. So: though the prosecutor says he is amenable to bail the magistrate closes the door by setting excessive bail. It’s called ‘playing the system’…in this case at the expense of the constitutional protection given to one who has not been convicted of an offence who happens to be poor – and the taxpayer. @ Justification….your recondite analysis sounds plausible but in the case of the streaker is mere sophistry.
Hello Super Streaker:
You’re a little under on the hits on the article as it looks like it will be about 30,000+ views in the initial 48 hours, but young Michael will have a ways to go to catch Rihanna. The number one article hit for Rihanna is
Was Rihanna Asked To Leave Her Cousin’s Wedding… Or Like Cher, Is Media Overdoing The Story?
with 1.6 million views (not “visitors”) since it was posted in November of 2007.
It’s interesting that about 16% of the readers of that particular Rihanna story clicked through to read about Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary: Barbados Government takes new steps to destroy foreigner’s US$35 million eco-tourism investment on South Coast
and wetlands stories that are featured with the Rihanna article. Although the hits on that Rihanna article have trailed off, they ran hot and heavy for about two years.
The one thing that isn’t always apparent is that the number of comments have little to do with how many people read an article. Some of the most read articles have very few comments.
Comments are also not indicative of the traffic to a story or the blog. Case in point: a group of ten or fifteen “regular” commenters can leave a hundred or more comments discussing a subject that interests few others.
You can check out Alexa.com for some interesting comparisons. The stats vary week to week and can be wild and weird with no apparent reason, but today…
BFP has a Alexa Global Rank of 612,065, USA Rank of 351,900, and 344 other sites linking in. With the Rank, the lower number the better. (Somebody is #1) With the links, the more the better.
Barbados Underground (bajan.wordpress.com) has a Global rank of 1,322,893, a USA Rank of 757,457 and 197 other sites linking in.
So you can see that BFP has about double the popularity, visitors and links that Barbados Underground has, despite the fact that at BU a small group of regulars place hundreds of comments a day there with all their chats.
Ian Bourne’s BajanReporter.com provides some interesting comparisons too.
Bajan Reporter has very few comments, only one or two per article if that, but Ian’s site does very well and beats Barbados Underground in every category:
Global Rank: 1,112,807 USA Rank: 465,269 Links in: 235.
Barbados Free Press is still the acknowledged leader with more than double of the next Barbados blog.
Cliverton is really the person who knows the stats. I think he should do a post about it because we’re going to hit 12 million visitors this year since we started!
195 you are an ass. if your closet has skeletons in it then i guess you need to clean them out. peer pressure is one of the highest rating factors in the destruction of youth around the world. so yes he needs to evaluate his friends. thousands of young people get drunk in Barbados every day but im sure none of them run around naked.since your so stuck on rihanna being the ambassador you should go talk to Frundel about it. music videos and tv sell sex but im positive that you cant turn on BET, VH1 , TEMPO and see no naked people running around on them. as bad as the influence on tv may be it is still censored. and please tell me which psv has a naked conductor cause u sure is hell int talking about Barbados so STOP talking bull shit. he did the crime and is paying the consequence . when he actually has to pay the court $10,000 you can continue to argue the amount of bail placed, but until then you should quit while your ahead
ITS NOT A FINE U MORONS ITS BAIL , it aint paid it only has to pay if he dont show up for his court date
BFP what was the point of that Rhianna leave cousin wedding , that is a personal matter not one that was available for john public was she arrested for that?
I just don’t see the point this attempt at damage control is not very good ”
I saw the streaker last night in his regular form
@ Anon how has he ruined several peoples lives?
LET EVANS GO FREE……….(after Lord Mansfield in Sommersett’s Case…”let the slave go free’)
Hello All:
I’m not comfortable with calling a named person a drug addict or medically insane, ruined people’s lives unless there is real proof of that or the commenter is willing to put their real name up themselves. It’s beyond free speech and into something else. I am not at a computer where I can sign in right now but during the time it will take me to drive somewhere I’d like to hear some proof from Anon and input from our readers about if Anon’s comment should come down.
Ta.
His comment is the exact same reason why I thought this post was a waste of time, Barbados is a very small country and everyone knows something about everyone.
Persons can be very horrible and cruel and points in time, it is only putting Marshall out in the open for persons to condemn him
He is out on bail should be glad he is out Amen to Jesus and move on waste of time
@what will they think of next January 27, 2012 at 8:31 pm, sorry to burst your bubble, but many of the offences were first time offences. Believe it or not.
@what will they think of next January 27, 2012 at 8:31 pm, your boy is getting off light.
I am actually glad for this case maybe now you people will pay closer attention to what is going on in our courts.
Previous to this you didnt give a damn, however now that a WHITE man is involved all hell is breaking loose.
This sort of thing is what we BLACK people have to go through every month in the court system of Barbados, but of course no one cared until now because a WHITE man is involved.
Maybe someone will now realise that we are all our brothers keepers, because something horrible happens to one person dont think that it cant happen to us as in this case.
Maybe this case will open a lot of eyes belatedly.
This is really fascinating to me.
Actually, I do not blame Mikey for the incident at all. I blame the Barbados Cricket Captain. IF, on winning the toss he had made the correct decision and had sent the Opposition in to bat, which incidentally had been done in the four previous games which we had all won…then Mikey might not have been tempted to liven up a game which was exciting only to the Trinis!
Anon should put up his/her full name if he/she will be making such comments. Proof of those accusations should also be produced. It is libelous and generally unnecessary. Let us deal with the case at hand, and the evidence given to us, the media and the courts of Barbados.
@RC: Brilliant analysis,and I am not trying to be funny.
Enam, if these accusations are indeed true, they would hold some merit as to his behavior and to be quite frank it is not unnecessary, as it would therefore would have plenty to do with the young mans character
Unfortunately this is not a fair society in which we live in and the issue at hand is a foolish act when one is so called under the influence of alcohol, so if indeed these allegations are true this article was a bad PR stunt on their part
However I am very glad this has happened and will bring more eyes to opened up to how unfair the system is if we truly care about the system being unfair and biased we should hold a rally, or sign a petition that is the only way that things can start to change, but this isn’t helping
Black people get unfaired everyday
ONE LOVE
I hope whomever has written this article has also done their research into the guidelines for sentencing in the out dated law books that the court in Barbados is still forced to follow, then maybe we could all understand the idiocy! I agree though, that the judge should also use some discretion…
I just drove two lady tourists from the Airport on their first visit to Barbados and there was a fellow, now a young fellow by any means urinating fully exposed by the Plantation Restaurant, and no policemen around. This is a daily problem and making an example of Mikey is not going to make this disgusting habit go away. There were a few trees around that if this fellow really needed to go he could have concealed his person behind but he obviosly does not want to. But we are a strange nation where the very wealthy Bajans have one, two, three or maybe four kids and the poorest, not working single ladies have two, four, six, eight, ten or twelve children.
@ what will they think of………it’s BFP we have to thank for bringing the case to our attention. For the record: I have been wittering about the Bail Act for some time now and no-one, not even you, has taken me up. I did so in this blog – but no-one, not even you, has taken me up. But no-one, not even you, is slow to skin their teeth about blacks and whites and how this is and how that is to the point when the casual reader could only suppose we are a narrow,unenlightened set of racist morons nit-pcking and carping in the cane fields – and peeing too – as we grovel our way through life.. But, yes, with one reserve, thankyou BFP.
SORRY..that was for POOR PEOPLE GOVERNOR and everone else if the cap fits, NOT What will they think of. Sorry WHAT.
This is my reservation. BFP – your man has raised the question of whether one of the many Anonymous’ remarks should be deleted. Total hypocrasy. This place and the OTHER is replete with wild accusations, innuendoes, nasty asides, prejudicial and defamatory remarks. In this case – well, the ‘nasty’ was really pretty mild so please don’t squeal about defamation.
what was for me
And they removed the comment
$10,000 Oh pahleese for showing his arse in public drunk! That alone is punishment enough! I can’t believe everyone acting so sanctimonious – yeah and after they set the bail they all went back to their quarters and proceeded to get down on all the porn sites and logged into their accounts at BangBros – gimme a break with this one, let him free, he’s already embarrassed himself 10 times over.
he has done this before at rally. not the first time he has gotten drunk and made a fool of himself.
@ Joy D…..of course you are right. But, come on…this is B’dos – the land of one-eyed hypocrites.
@ Anon…dunno bout you but I’m always doing and saying things I’ve said before and often shouldn’t have. Meanwhile, the earth remains in its orbit and the stars don’t fall down and God remains…well somewhere….maybe in all of us….well somewhere.
I cant wait for the next T20 so i can streak across de oval.. I is a RED man so i want to see what de go charge me.
I’ve just come for my morning titillation and found something odd. Late last night I responded to Joy and Anonymous. The latter had written that our streaker hero had done it before to which I responded accordingly. This morning I don’t see his comment. Has he been ‘purged’ again?
It’s making me wonder whether my comments are suffering the same fate. Imagine: we vent our spleen, charity, disgust, hopes, lusts and all the rest on here but secretly it’s being removed by the ‘Free’ press in a way that’s linked to our email addresses. So we can see them but the world – that’s you – can’t.WILL SOMEONE WRITE AND SAY YOU”VE SEEN THIS….PLEASE
No…it’s all right. My Anonymous of last night is now ’32′ and the comment is there for all to see…maybe I was one-eyed, or cross-eyed and yet …..? But please someone still say you’ve seen this.
wait boh so, they are just deleting comments at will, when it portrays their streaker in a negative light
from the time he did that action he was in a negative light, and from the time you all blogged it here giving him unwarranted publicity under the guise as PR which is also POOR
So this is just for white people to have justice and not free and fair comments, but by you deleting comments people have zero sympathy for your streaker and YES THEN WE CARE NOTHING ABOUT HOW SO CALLED HIGH IS BAIL IS
Cause I don’t understand how you all doing that
it doesn’t matter if he’s white or black or chinese the fact of the matter is that the cricket match was being televised worldwide on ESPN and $10,000 is a minimal international fine. Had it been a local match that was not being televised then the repercussions of his actions would be dealt with very differently. If someone streaks at a televised football game they get fined more than $10,000. So put into perspective he got a light international fine. I was not up to the court because it was no longer a local matter. It is that simple… I know the man.. it was a dumb thing to do and now he must suffer the consequences of his actions.
Even in other international matches, people have only been fined… it is usually not more than 1500 at most 3000. Either way that not what we are talking about here we are talking about bail and why it is costing so much just to get him out of jail when he does not pose a risk to society. You can say it’s because he’s white and he should be made an example of (and you complain about racism in the same sentence), or you can say that it’s based on what finances he has available (which p.s is BS just because he family has money doesn’t mean he does) but either way if that’s the case if a homeless guy goes and kills a man and has no money I don’t feel too comfortable thinking that he will be allowed on bail based on his finances…. “oh the man has two dollars to his name that’s okay we will let him back on the street where he can do is again.” Streaking Vs. Murder? – Stop being pissed off because he’s white – act like a Christian and think about the logic! Since laws are based on religious values….. Where in the bible does it say streaking or being naked is a sin? And where in the bible does it say murder is a sin?
@170…What exactly IS an “international fine”?
yes what is an international fine?
Ridiculous! anywhere else in the world a streaker at a cricket/football/rugby match would be taken off by the Police & sent home (clothed) with a telling off & sense of humour! the photo’s of the crown that I saw were all laughing. Police need to spend their time better catching criminals. Strupse!
Sorry thats crowd not crown!
Seems you get a heavier fine for streaking that killing your son, ask Bjerkham.
Again: what is an “international fine”?
Actually…..does anyone read what other people say here? Or is it ‘here’s my six cents worth cus this box in which I’m writing enables me to sound off’. I’m tempted to address KL’s observation that laws are based on religious values – but have now come to the conclusion that to do so would be self-indulgent onanism – OR that BFP would declare me ‘OUT’ – a rather sad idea as Poor People Governor has properly observed.
AGAIN @ 170…what is this “that simple” ‘international fine’?
No Robert Ross you are right. Sometimes in frustration we go too far. I am one who gets frustrated by said people who don’t practice what is preached, but we are all guilty of that including myself. Apologies if I offended you.
Ross……..Sorry….. I guess no one wants to tell us what is an international fine.
@ KL…NO NO you didn’t offend. Not at all. You raised an important and interesting point which is worth discussing….but so few here actually respond directy to anything that’s said ….but having said that
@ Start…LOL…..I guess you are right!
What we need now is a grouping of 2 or 3 GIRLS
pre-equipped in bikinis precisely matching their skin colour
to “streak” across the pitch at night!
HEAR the crowd roar as they appear to be stark naked!!!
SEE the “Security” run and chase them
ONLY to discover they’re decently clad, with not one tit out between them.
CHARGE them with…. with What?
Big LOL to old-fashioned Victorian ‘mores & morals’ Barbados
@ Christian Barbados…yes, nice idea…but if you really want to test the law, maybe one breast exposed. The question would be whether the female breast is a ‘private part’ for the purposes of a charge of indecent exposure under the Minor Offences Act…or what of the ass or the full frontal…the point being that the male member is the conventional private part. But what by parity of reasoning is the ‘private part’ of a woman? No debate expected of course. There was, some years ago, the case of the girl at the ’21 and Up Club’ who performed an act called ‘The Surprise Flying Saucer’. I never saw it but can imagine something of what it entailed and, if I’m right, I’m sure her conviction was justified!
You must not be a legal scholar robert ross because there is already a legal precedent in Barbados concerning female exposure. Simply, they cannot be convicted of exposing their “person” because a judge has already found that a women does not possess a “person” so therefore cannot expose it! TRUE
look the white twit lucky $20,000 and a proper cut ass would be more suitable punishment.
I play in the band Ivory and also now” Garage Banned,” I never had that much exposure. Is the fine based and determined for every inch.? If so then the fine is not his fault but because of mother nature.! Maybe a case of penile denial and jealousy is all, Michael is a good kid and this was a prank that has everyone talking and some more. Given his age of 20 and we are known to let kids as young as fifteen years of age drink here. in BIM. There is a reason why perhaps like in the USA the legal drinking age is 21 for good reasons. Let’s not get carried away he had some rum and some friends dared him to streak. This fine is going way over board and I know Micheal personally he is a cool good kid who is trying to someday become a doctor. I agree with the ever awesome Rosemary Parkinson. Just to let you know I am in a cool band now called the Garage Banned and my clothes are on just so you know. LOL I think the Garage Banned will have to do a benifit for him to pay de fine….
He is no danger to society streakers at sporting events are not uncommon he just put Barbados and himself on the map. The fine is ridiculous for a first time offender this should have been deemed a misdemeanor not like a felony bail. Geez we should have t-shirts printed run Michael run……I know he is a comical guy come on he had some rum he is 20 friends dared him egged him on next thing he is streaking there is a song from the 70′s from a Ray Stevens called the streak. I will learn to play this song dedicate this to MM.
Ri Ri has had controversial videos, personally even when she was in the irish field practically without clothes. She has put Barbados on the map , Arts, entertainment. actors singers etc if she played it safe she would not be on top of her game. Mike should forget being a doctor and go to Hollywood get the first Academy Award for BIM and match Ri RI for grammys. They are young having fun they have not hurt a soul. Many say Ri Ri has harmed our image as a matter of fact the opposite she is mentioned as the Bajan Beauty she is a mega star huge she has talked of Barbados this is it. They are young were you guys ever young. Think back to those days.
How interesting it is that many of you are outraged by the high amount of bail that Michael has been placed on and since only this streaking incident this nasty group has been formed on face book one can only do the maths
https://www.facebook.com/barbadien?sk=wall
Further more I will not be hiding my name I don’t endorse this type of behaviour in any shape form nor fashion but this has made it way to facebook media and why aren’t any of you discussing it
Oh, we don’t know about this right
@ Rishona
Whether you endorse it or not, is irrelevant. Bail is not a punishment.