Man Reportedly Took Conch During A Closed Season Because He Was Hungry. He Was Sentenced To Seven Days In Prison
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Alric Lindsay
William Isaac Ebanks Romero appeared in the Summary Court on August 6, 2025, to face a charge of taking conch during a closed season. The Chief Magistrate sentenced him to seven days in prison.
Background
Regarding the background of the incident, Senior Crown Counsel from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kenneth Ferguson, said that on July 24, 2024, at about 2:27 pm, Coast Guard officers were onboard a Coast Guard vessel when they noticed a wave runner within the reef in North Side.
After finding that Ebanks was the occupant, they stopped and advised him that they would conduct a search.
Officers discovered that conch had been taken out of their shells and informed Ebanks that it was a closed season.
Reportedly, Ebanks responded saying, “Yeah man, but it’s just one.”
Arguing on his behalf, Attorney John Furniss said that the reason he took the conch was that he was hungry and planned to eat the conch raw.
To assist the court with a possible sentence, Furniss suggested a suspended sentence supervision order, although the offence pushed Ebanks past the custody threshold. Ebanks also had several previous convictions.
After hearing from DPP Senior Crown Counsel and Defence Counsel, the Chief Magistrate explained to Ebanks that the reason the legislature changed the penalties to $500,000 and one year in prison was to protect the environment.
She added:
The hurtful part is you work in the water sports industry where you’re supposed to be educating tourists. You’re not an ambassador for Cayman, which is what you ought to be.
For a brief moment, the Chief Magistrate considered an alternative sentence so that Ebanks could avoid prison. However, things took a turn when Ebanks reportedly started grinning in court.
At this stage, the Chief Magistrate queried whether Ebanks was taking the matter seriously and suggested that he showed no remorse.
In the circumstances, the Chief Magistrate sentenced Ebanks to seven days in prison.
Ebanks has the right to appeal.
