On Friday 16th April 2021, the Grenada informer newspaper published an article entitled: “Victoria Resident sentenced to 10 years for Manslaughter”.
This article is available on its Facebook page with a link to the article on its website and featured on the front page of its website. It is published in the e-newspaper. The article was read out by Mikey Hutchinson on his live program on the same date, in the evening via his Facebook channel.
The Grenada informer falsely printed that my cousin Darren Phillip was a murder victim, fatally stabbed by convicted murderer Ronald Morris of St Mark’s.
The article then states the victim is male. However, the name they printed in the newspaper is false, Darren Phillip is a FEMALE and she is ALIVE not DEAD.
On Friday 16th April 2021, I contacted the Grenada Informer office by telephone in the afternoon and there was no answer. I then contacted one of the reporters by mobile, no response. I sent an email and what’s app messages to the reporter, and I received no response.
On the morning of Monday 19th April 2021, I called the Grenada Informer two office telephone numbers and yet again no one answered. I sent an email and received no response. So, I sent a friend who was in town to go to the office to see if they could locate someone in the office and to get another contact number for me to speak urgently to someone about this matter.
My friend went to the Grenada Informer office and sent me the contact number of a member of staff. Upon receiving the number, I called the staff member and they informed me that the Editor was not in office until Tuesday and to call back then.
On the morning of Tuesday 20th April 2021 I spoke to the Editor, Mr. Richard Peters. I informed Mr. Peters of the various false statements printed in the newspaper.
Mr. Peters stated to me over the phone that he would correct the article and I should send the information to him by email. I read out the details to him and he said that was no problem.
I stated to him that instead of correcting the article as it had already published, he should create a new article with details of the false statements and an apology to the family, as the false statements caused harm to members of the family.
He said that is fine and to email him, he agreed also that no other article would go out without me reviewing articles first before being published, in relation to Daron. Mr. Peters also agreed that the article and apology would be published in the next newspaper, he would add this to the original published articles on all formats.
He also said he would send the article and apology to all parties the original article went to including Mickey Hutchinson, in order for all parties to complete the remedy for this matter – this done all together would avoid any further action.
I sent the following retraction and apology statement to Mr. Peters on the evening of Tuesday 20th April 2021:
Retraction and Apology statement Dated: 21st April 2021
On Friday 16th April 2021, the published featured article: Victoria Resident sentenced to 10 years for Manslaughter, contained the following false statements:
(1). Darren Phillip is Daron’s cousin and not the murder victim.
(2). Headline, 10 years for Manslaughter. Correction: Ronald Morris was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter. Ronald was on remand for 4 years, ten months and three days, this time was deducted from his sentence. The convicted is currently serving the remaining 10 years and 3 months of his 15 year sentence.
(3). The allegation that Daron and the convicted were together in the morning and there was a confrontation. Correction: The victim was talking on his mobile phone, sitting on the veranda, when he was stabbed twice from behind by Ronald Morris. Daron only interrupted the phone call to go to the Police after being stabbed.
(4). The letter of apology sent to the family. Correction: This letter has not been received by any member of Daron Phillip’s family. The family had informed the prosecution prior to the sentencing hearing that no such letter was ever received.
(5). Daron’s girlfriend was Daron’s fiancé’.
(6). For clarification purposes, the evidence quoted in the article such as an argument, is from Ronald Morris’s statement, which was read out at the sentencing hearing on Thursday 15th April 2021. At this hearing, the witness statements for the prosecution were also read out. We did not include any of these statements in the article.
We sincerely would like to retract these false statements published in the article and apologise to the family of Daron Phillip for any harm these statements may have caused.
In the email to Mr. Peters I stated that if he had any queries or changes to let me know by email and that failure to sort the remedy as agreed would result in further action.
I called Mr. Peters on Wednesday 21st April 2021 to check that he had received the email. He asked where I sent it, I stated, that his first email address that he gave me had bounced back, so I sent to the Grenada Informer newspaper email address.
He stated that he would look at the article in an hour and any issues he would contact me. I informed him that if he needed to call me, to email me and I will call him back as I am in the UK.
On Friday 23rd April 2021, the newspaper published another article entitled: “Ten years for killing my son is not enough, says Dad”.
This article stated false statements yet again. The family was again in distress. There was NO article relating to the false statements or apology as agreed by Mr. Richard Peters. I heard nothing from Mr. Peters.
On Wednesday 19th May 2021, I contacted MTV to have this issue covered in the news. The reporter contacted Mr. Peters and then emailed me to say that Mr. Peters would like me to call him, as the information published in the first article he states it was from the court.
Again, I called Mr. Peters. He stated that he was glad that I called him as he had spoken to the reporter for the first article a few weeks ago and the reporter stated to him that the false statements published in the newspaper was from the Court.
I asked him why did he fail to contact me at that time? He did not give me a response. I informed him that the newspaper had yet again published a second article with false statements which caused harm to the family especially Darren and this article targeted Daron’s Father.
I asked Mr. Peters to confirm which false statements that the newspaper published, is from the Court? As it would be very strange for a Court not to state, for example, where they are reading evidence from in the sentencing hearing. Mr. Peters did not clarify which false statement was from the Court.
I asked Mr. Peters if the newspaper had attended the trial which was held last year. Mr. Peters stated that he would have to look back into the archives to check if the newspaper had published the outcome of the trial.
At the trial in 2020, 10 members of the jury found the convicted, guilty of non-capital murder and 2 members of the jury found the convicted, guilty for manslaughter. Courts in Grenada require all 12 members of the jury to find the convicted guilty of non-capital murder to get the sentencing for noncapital murder.
I do not recall seeing this case published in the newspaper at the time before or after the trial in November 2020. I saw other cases being reported in the media, but not this case. It seemed to me as if there was media silence in regards to this case, even Mickey, he did not mention the case on his live program.
He was at the 2-week trial, however the day the guilty verdict was given, Mickey did not mention anything about the sentencing even though members of the public on his show asked for this information he did not provide it. Mikey looked very ill and members of the public watching the show had urged him to rest.
Back to Mr. Peters, he stated to me that it was not too late for him to remedy this matter, he sounded flustered over the phone. He stated that he would draft an article by Saturday for me to review by email. Mr Peters asked me to email him again so he can see my email address.
So I emailed him again and Mr. Peters stated that by Saturday 22nd May 2021, he would email me a draft of the new article and apology to review. He agreed again that nothing would be published without our approval. I received nothing.
I called Mr Peters for the last time on Wednesday 26th May 2021, he stated that he has the draft in front of him and he will email it right away. To this day I have received NOTHING.
So why would an Editor of a newspaper breach his agreement to an injured party?
It is my belief that Mr. Richard Peters breached his agreement to resolve this matter as he is the Editor of the Grenada Informer newspaper in Grenada, a role within a media house in Grenada.
The convicted murderer is related to a member of the media who reads information with compliments from the Grenada Informer Newspaper on his live show on Facebook. Ronald Morris the convicted murderer is the half-brother of a radio personality on the island. I believe this connection could be the reason for the breach of agreement.
What I offered Mr. Peters I believe it to be a very fair remedy for the damage caused.
I believe if you are a reasonable Editor of a Newspaper that you would act in the same manner as other reasonable Editors within your Country. For example, the New Today Newspaper has a correction policy where you can email, call the editor and even raise an official complaint if a story they publish is inaccurate.
Unfortunately, I personally know about the other side of a section of media in Grenada, just google, Amanda Smith v GBN Ltd and read the judgement for the case.
It is such a shame that my family members have to seek relevant action to resolve this matter. Especially when it was agreed to be resolved in April 2021 by Mr Richard Peters, the Editor of the Grenada Informer.
Amanda Smith, HND, BA
United Kingdom