Alric Lindsay 
By Alric Lindsay
The sentencing of a man who admitted a series of offences has been put off after Crown Counsel from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions could not locate their files.
Charlton Bengar Ebanks appeared before Magistrate Murray in the Summary Court today, August 5, 2026, to face the following charges:
Charge 00085/2025
Count 1: Possession of a spear gun without a valid license
Count 2: Taking marine life with the aid of a speargun
Count 3: Taking a specimen from a protected area
Count 4: Taking conch above the prescribed daily limit
Count 5: Taking lobster over the daily limit
Count 6: Taking lobster during closed season
Count 7: Taking below the legal-size limit
Count 8: Taking a specimen of a protected species
Regarding the above, the court heard that guilty pleas were entered in January 2026 for Counts 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8. However, counts 2, 3 and 7 were left on the file.
Charge 01319/2024
Count 1: Taking conch above the daily limit
Count 2: Taking a specimen from a protected area
Concerning the above, the court heard that Ebanks previously pled guilty to count 1 on an “agreed basis” on May 20, 2026, however, count 2 was left on the file.
There was another charge, mentioned as charge 1587/2018, however, no details were provided.
In terms of moving forward, DPP Crown Counsel said:
Unless I can assist in some other regard… unfortunately, the Crown is without its file this morning.
So, I am not in a position to proffer the court with any facts or sentencing guidelines.
Representing Ebanks, Defence Counsel Stacy-Ann Kelly observed that there was little sentencing precedent in the Cayman Islands for marine offences, remarking that the court may have to research comparable cases and media reports online to arrive at an appropriate sentence.
Magistrate Murray adjourned the sentencing to October 28, 2026, and extended the defendant’s bail. Magistrate Murray also ordered that disclosure be provided within 7 days for one of the matters. This follows a previous order for disclosure in May 2026 where no disclosure was made by the DPP.
