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ANNIE B RALSTON TRIBUTE
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Volume: 123 No. 146, Wednesday, June 24, 2026
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1
SEX OFFENDER REGISTER COULD FUEL VIGILANTES Crisis Centre head: Restrict information to relevant agencies By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net CRISIS Centre director Sandra Dean-Patterson has warned against opening the Sexual Offenders Register to the public, saying giving access in a small country like The Bahamas could fuel vigilantism, weaken monitoring efforts and fail to make children safer. Ms Dean-Patterson said the Crisis Centre supports the register and had long pushed for its creation because of growing concern
over the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. However, she said access should be restricted to agencies responsible for child protection and offender supervision, including the police, social services and the prison system. Her comments follow a recent Eyewitness News report in which a mother said she believed a convicted paedophile was targeting her ten-year-old child. The mother said she reported the matter REGISTRY - SEE PAGE FIVE
BAHAMAS Crisis Centre director Sandra Dean Paterson speaks to the media yesterday.
Photo: Nikia Charlton
Dr Dean Paterson says child Bahamian murder suspect jailed for sex abuse referrals remain high 15 years in US over illegal firearm By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Crisis Centre director Sandra Dean-Patterson said child sexual abuse referrals to the organisation have not declined, months after she revealed that more than
200 children sought help in 2025, as advocates warned that poverty, online predators and strained family structures are deepening the crisis facing children. Speaking at a press conference yesterday to announce a parenting forum scheduled for Friday as part of the inaugural National
Day of Parents observance, Ms Dean-Patterson said children under 16 who have been sexually assaulted continue to be referred to the Crisis Centre by police and the Child Health and Child Development Information System. ABUSE - SEE PAGE FIVE
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A BAHAMIAN murder accused who fled to the United States the day before his trial was due to begin is facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to illegally
possessing a firearm while living unlawfully in Florida. Shelton Thompson, 38, pleaded guilty on Friday to possession of a firearm by an illegal alien after US Border Patrol agents arrested him in Pompano Beach, Florida, on February 12. According to court
documents, border patrol agents were acting on information when they saw Thompson leave a warehouse and drive away in a white van. Agents stopped the vehicle and conducted an immigration JAILED - SEE PAGE THREE
MAN ACQUITTED OF CRASH THAT KILLED POLICE OFFICER By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
INSPECTOR TOMAS MCINTOSH
A 39-YEAR-OLD man was acquitted yesterday of vehicular manslaughter in the death of Inspector Tomas McIntosh, the police officer whose organs were donated after he suffered catastrophic injuries while on duty on Sir Milo Butler Highway in 2024. Raymond Rolle appeared
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
relieved after he was found not guilty in a 7-1 jury verdict before Justice Renae McKay, who said he was free to go. Prosecutors had alleged that Rolle struck Inspector McIntosh with his garbage truck while the officer was effecting a traffic stop on January 31, 2024. Inspector McIntosh, 33, was seriously injured after a ACQUITTED - SEE PAGE THREE