Nassau, Bahamas — Former Bahamian Senator Pleasant Bridgewater, gave her tearful account of what transpired in the wake the Travolta tragedy on Wednesday morning when the defense opened their case, stating emphatically that she did not burn any documents and that her former colleague Allyson Maynard-Gibson “lured” her into Nassau to meet John Travolta’s Florida attorney Michael McDermott amidst. She added that Gibson lied in court about several items provided in her testimony and that she in fact, tried to protect the Travoltas’ confidentiality and the reputation of The Bahamas. Additionally, she claimed she said she burned the document because she was upset with the way police treated her elderly parents, but did not in fact destroy it.
Dressed in a smart white pantsuit, the usually poised Bridgewater couldn’t hide her emotions as her voice cracked when she recalled sleeping in a cell after being arrested and having police officers interrupt her elderly parents’ dinner to conduct a search. Her attorney Murrio Ducille said that he is using his microscope and he still doesn’t see a case against his client. He added that she has always been trying to live a straight life and the catalyst of the whole case is Travolta’s Florida lawyer Michael McDermott.
“She’s always led an exemplary life,” said Ducille. “Her reputation has been seriously damaged. I hope to God she’s able to restore it. A good reputation is so hard to build and so easy to destroy.”
He told the jury that Bridgewater’s liberty, career and entire life is in their hands.
Bridgewater, who along with Lightbourne had sat outside of the prisoners’ dock for the duration of the trial stood and gave her emotional statement to the jury after it was noted that she wouldn’t be calling any witnesses.
“You’ve heard all that was said about me for the last several weeks,” she said. “I too have been shocked at some of the evidence that came forth. January 22nd of this year was a day that I will not ever forget it. It was the day when my formerly structured and organized life became a life of deception – a horrible dream.”
She said that she has been ridiculed and seen her business “gone virtually rock bottom” by having to terminate some and placing others on a reduced schedule.
“I have not received a salary for 10 months and I have not been able to emotionally work because of all that has happened,” she said. She said that she thought was she was doing was right as a citizen of the Bahamas.
Bridgewater then spoke about that fateful day when Tarino Lightbourne, who stands accused with her, came in to her office. She stated that she had known him for more than 10 years and that she represented him and his wife when they bought their house. She also said that she knew them because their children attended her camp, Camp Bridgewater. She added that Lightbourne’s place of employment was right next to her.
When he called her, Bridgewater said that Lightbourne told her he was suspended for work without pay and he needed her legal advice.
“I discussed the matter with him and told him to deal with the union,” claims Bridgewater.” Then he said he had another matter he wanted to discuss.”
She said that he told her that since the incident involving Jett Travolta, he had been getting calls from the media and that he had a document that he was contemplating to make some money from the media. She told the jury that she saw a copy of the document and saw Travolta’s signature on the form as well as a phone number but she never had any intentions of calling him. Bridgewater added that she told Lightbourne not to go through with his plan for several reasons.
Bridgewater said she told him that if he provided the media with any information on Jett’s death, Travola would spread the news that the Bahamas is not a confidential place and he will not return as a tourist bringing friends to spend money and other things. She noted however, that Lightbourne said that he’s not trying to hurt the Travoltas but he’s just “trying to get a couple of dollars” with the media calling him. She alleged that he told her as far as he was concerned the form was no longer necessary but he thought he’d keep the form as a souvenir as John Travolta was a celebrity. She said that her client never asked her to speak with the Travoltas but came to her because he felt he needed an attorney to help negotiate with the media.
Bridgewater also opened up on Obie Wilchcombe and Allyson Maynard-Gibson, who she said she spoke to as friends about the matter.
“When I spoke with Obie and told him, it was friend to friend out of concern,” said Bridgewater who added that she was reluctant to speak to the Travoltas’ attorney. “I didn’t ask him and didn’t expect him to speak with the Travoltas.”
Bridgewater gave her version of what happened when she got a call from Gibson. She said it wasn’t unusual for her to call because of their past in several different forums including the Senate.
“She said she preferred discussing Michael McDermott in person and said she was coming on Western Air, and she was going back on the midday flight,” recalled Bridgewater. “I volunteered to collect her. We talked politics and business. I took her up to my humble office and I said to her Allyson let me tell you from the outset, if there is anything that I am doing wrong that is illegal or criminal I don’t want to be a part of it… I am trying to protect the Bahamas…She said to me, ‘Oh no no Pleasant, I have known you for years, you are a person of integrity… certainly there is nothing criminal here at this stage.”
Bridgewater said she told Gibson that Lightbourne wanted $25 million and “between me and you, he’s got to be joking. Nobody would pay that.”
Bridgewater told jurors: “I said, ‘Allyson, you are my senior and I trust you’… so I gave her a copy [of the document] and I said, ‘Please do not give it to anybody’…Allyson never said, ‘Pleasant you know what you are doing is wrong’ – that never happened…I asked her if I should go to the media. I wasn’t hiding anything from her. I tried to assist her… She lured me into Nassau.”
Bridgewater’s voice started cracking as she fought back tears saying, “What you have to appreciate is that when I was a law student, I was in her family’s law firm plus she was my Senate leader. I knew her for 20 years. I considered her to be a trusted friend. I didn’t think she’d have the police connected to her. I didn’t know I was being recorded by someone I trusted and who was a sincere person. The first time I saw her other than television is when she came to court. “
Bridgewater said that so on January 22nd whilst at Universal Distributors. With two potential clients getting ready to sign, she said she never dreamt that when she was told Officer Taylor was there to see her, he was there to arrest her. She said that there were four persons in the party and that he told her that he was there to arrest for extortion and she replied that she was always tried to help “those people”. When at the station, Bridgewater said that she called her sister to tell her that she had been arrested. She claims she was taken to her office and the officers went through it but didn’t come up with anything. She stated that she told them she didn’t have any document.
“Taylor said, ‘You could make this complicated or you could work with us’…” said Bridgewater.
She said that they drove to her house and her senior citizen parents were having dinner. At the home, Bridgewater said they took photos of everything and took her to her bedroom. She claims to have tried explaining what was happening to her mother and was promptly told that she cannot be talking to them if she’s under arrest. Bridgewater said that the photographers took a photo of her mother and also I took her mother’s candle. Then, she said, the searched through her things, her bed and closet, they took her father’s computer and went through her home office and took the computer from there.
“I heard Thompson say I told an officer I burnt the document after I realized things were going to explode,” said Bridgewater. “I never said that. I never thought that. I never burnt any document. I will admit when they started interrogating my family I said I burnt the document. I said that because I saw my senior citizen parents being disrespected in their own home. What would you have done?”
“I maintained my innocence today,” she added. “All off my life I have tried to help people… I am no devil. I always extended myself. My mother always said ‘Pleasant, you the only person I see love other people more than you love yourself’.”
“The last 10 months, I’ve been ridiculed, ostracized, scandalized, my name, my reputation… “ she said. “I came from humble beginnings whatever I had I worked for… I have never taken anything from anybody. I’ve never sought to gain from people’s tragedies… I could have been in Sandilands or worse… I have learnt one thing this has taught me is how to lean and depend on God.”
Bridgewater said that it’s “not right that people should have to go what I had to go through”.
“I have said to you all that I can say,” she concluded in her statement to the jury. “I maintain my 100% innocence. What happens to me depends on you… so what Allyson and Mr. McDermott and the others did to me, I leave them to God but I believe and I know that God will vindicate me.”
When she returned to her seat, she was greeted with a big hug from Lightbourne aka Da Bahamian Robin Hood, then wiped away tears. Tears were the deal of the day as even tough as nails Carlson Shurland got somber.
“This is a very emotional situation for me,” he said. “I sat there and cried tears for Pleasant. You don’t understand how I feel because I’ve known her for a long time and I know her when I had problems making some extreme sacrifices for me and I know how I was her lawyer in the beginning and I couldn’t deal with it because it was too painful for me.”
What was painful on Wednesday, was Lightbourne’s jury address that you will get to see right here were we drop the details that all the media miss. Robin Hood’s story includes claims that Jett Travolta was dead before the ambulance was there and how it was all a cover up to take the body out of the country. Don’t miss this one, because we’ve got Lightbourne comparing himself to Jonah on his call to be an evangelist. Stay tuned!
@Kim Sands
not fishy …something STINK happen..free my people and stop bowing to the white man all the time…if travlota was a C list celebrity like anna nicole, bet you bottom $$ things would be different
This right here make a lot of sense to me though, that’s why I believe something fishy happened.
@Terez
Thank you very much!!! I believe that boy was drunk and he fall and hit his head. They aint suppose to let him drink and they know he is have seizures.
Ya know, if this had happened differently; lets say if there was nothing to hide it would have gone like this.
Travola called 911: my son is unconscience I tried CPR no response please help
Lightbourne: Trying CPR, feeling for a pulse. All efforts to resituate the patient has failed I am getting no signs of life from this male.
Travolta: take him to the hospital by all means I don’t believe this is happening to my son; oh Jett wake up!
Lightbourne: carry’s boy to hospital without stopping
Doctor: no response we tried everthing we can to save him
Travolta: my son, my son and sobbing, its sinking in that his son Jett is actually dead.
Media: famous actor John Travolta son dies at their vacation home in the Bahamas
Government Leader: give condolence and commend the efforts of the Hopital Authority
Coroner: Jett Travolta died of his long term illness he was suffering for years cronic seizures
Travolta 2 days later tells media: my son lived a happy life it’s unfortunate though that he died so young, but I am more happy that it happened with us at our home and we were there with him
Media next day: Travola’s son Jett dies while vacationing on Grand Bahama Island. They are frequent guest on the island and owned a lovely home at Old Bahama Bay.
@william
agreed
@mashup
True, and I am sure it is not automatic in the US either. The point is though they are not on trial Pleasant and Tarino are, we cannot excuse their despicable behavior by blaming it on someone else.
Jett travolta did have an autopsy, but the results are shrouded in mystery.
Why on earth would you have an autopsy every time someone dies in non-suspicious circumstances. No country on earth does it because it is a waste of time and resources.
As far as having a coroner’s inquest every time someone dies? That is not even remotely possible. This country can’t handle the amount of cases in the coroner’s court now.
Mannn this a time ech? Pleasent Crying in the courtroom, Obie crying on the phone, Christie Crying outside the Parliament. Man oh man the PLPs are washed in tears.
We need Change!
Bahamas Press/Editor
SOME EVERY INTERESTING COMMENTS TONIGHT, IS IT ONLY IN THE USA, THAT WHEN A PERSON DIES IN A HOME THAT THERE IS AN AUTOMATIC AUTOPSY, EXCEPT IF THE PERSON DIES IN A HOSPITAL OR IN A DOCTORS OFFICE? IS THAT A LAW HERE?
It was Allison who brought everything to the light; she is the one who should be allowed to wear white with dignity.
This has Obie name written all over it. Pleasant said she was merely mentioning the situation to Obie and before she knew it, Obie was on the phone contacting people. Why didn’t he called the police? If you ask me, he was the one who instigated this whole extortion thing.
It seems as though BP has been doing a good job making us believe that Obie was the snitch when he knows that the snitch is Allyson!!!
wow man, truthhurts and mckenzie… yinna two big people nah. too bad plesent and allyson can’t make up like y’all
@kevin mckenzie
okay. you are right. i can admit that i was being too aggressive. sometime i get very passionate and it can come off the wrong way. you have your opinions like i have mine, that is true. i have no right to try and belittle you. please accept my apology and let me just say that i respectfully disagree with you about this matter.
i have just seen our country dragged through the mud and it upsets me is all. truce.
To TRUTHHURTS:The views i express are my OPINIONS and there are different from yours.I will RESPECT YOUR VIEWS AND DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS TO THEM,however i will not try to compete against you nor any one else because i am LEARNING NEW INFORMATION AND A DIFFERENT PROSPECTIVE ON EACH NEW SUBJECT.I RESPECT YOU AND ENJOY YOUR COMMENTS VERY MUCH AND WILL NEVER SEEK TO BELITTLE THEM.
@ kevin mckenzie
you are no ‘Matlock’, you are simply wrong once again. i shut you down b4 and you couldn’t respond. you say these people never did anything wrong. why would they not present evidence on the stand that could be challenged like McDermott did huh? could it be that they don’t want to be questioned about their part in all this?
you are so transparent. you are just a fool wishing your PLP gets free so you can promote your biased agenda again.
tell me why they wouldn’t allow themselves to be cross examined like maynard gibson was. asnwer me if you have the testicular fortitude!
Kevin McKenzie, I was waiting for a “MADLOCK” like you the come on the seen. You seems to be right on.
Call the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister to the witness stand, or call the National Guards. For goodness sake DON’t call the Police.
Call the Prime Minister! We thought this island had FREE Tourism promotion with Miss Universe. Let this case begin.
@KEVIN MCKENZIE
Kevin, I concur with your remarks. You missed out two other witnesses, Marvin Dames and Sir Michael Barnett.
My theory is this and I may be dead wrong. Someone died in the Bahamas suddenly. Definitely an inquest should be conducted. But, there is no body and lots of questions. If the ambulance driver and the mortician’s credibility is sufficiently damaged, their evidence in an inquest is questionable. They are the ones with answers but the questions will never be asked. Wasn’t there an inquest in the Smith case? What makes this one different. Hopefully this will be one of the recommendations made by the judge in her speech to the jury.
I must again state that there was NO EVIDENCE of extortion prior to mrs.GIBSON,mr.HUBERT ALEXANDER INGRAHAM and the then AG,MICHAEL BARNETT AND TRAVOLTA’S LAWYER,MCDERMOTT becoming involved.Mr.Travolta swore in court that neither LIGHTBOURNE NOR BRIDGEWATER contacted him.Mrs.Gibson stated in court that after she met with Bridgewater,she then called THE PRIME MINISTER,THE AG AND THEN THE POLICE.Yet,we have no WRITTEN statement from the Prime Minister nor was he ever questioned by the police.If this was the USA we all know the police,FBI AND CIA would have questioned the president as to what mrs.Gibson told him,when did she tell him?And what was his response?indeed the president would have been called as a WITNESS in that court case.We now know that Jett Travolta was dead when the Bahamian medics arrived,NO AUTOPSY was ever done on Jett’s remains and his body was immediately cremated.We also know that ALL PERSONS WHO DIED UNDER QUESTIONABLE CIRCUMSTANCES MUST HAVE AN AUTOPSY PERFORMED ON THE REMAINS ACCORDING TO OUR BAHAMIAN LAWS.WHY WASN’T THIS DONE WITH JETT?Mr.lightbourne also claimed that the minister of health,HUBERT MINNIS OFFERED A BRIBE,IN THE FORM OF A PROMOTION AND INCREASED SALARY TO GET A MEDIC TO CHANGE HIS REPORT.So for those who claimed that both BRIDGEWATER AND LIGHTBOURNE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE WITNESS STAND,I NOW SUBMIT TO YOU THAT BOTH HUBERT ALEXANDER INGRAHAM AND HUBERT MINNIS SHOULD TAKE THE WITNESS STAND NOW IN ORDER TO DENY OR DISPROVE SUCH VICIOUS ALLEGATIONS.
hit the nail right on the head…big cover up…as far as i am concerned, this is what happened: lightbourne goes to the room and sees a naked boy with blood around his mounth and notices people acting strangely…travlota says let’s get outta here…ligthbourne thinks he is on the way to hospital when travolta says let’s go to my plane…some back and forth and change of plan…lightbourne tries to clear himself and says sign this, which john does…after this, lightbourne goes home and says what a bunch of sick people…someone (US) finds out what he has and offers to buy…he tells bridgewater…she then speaks to obie who goes off the handle…she then tells allyson…in between this however, i believe travolta’s make offer to lightbourne and they also tell allyson…allyson feels she is on to something and REPORTS pleasant to the PM and ACP Dames…all hell breaks lose and in rolls in big orders to take pleas/light down at all costs, becasue they believe they have something when they really don’t and then try the wire taps etc…the taps are quite ineffective however and as far as i am aware, entrapment is illegal in the bahamas…still do not see where there is evidence of extortion
This short story sounds more fitting to what Ms. Bridgwater is going through:
A Short Story :
The Pigeon and The Bad Crows
This Short Story The Pigeon and The Bad Crows is quite interesting to all the people in the Travoltas .
Enjoy reading this story.
Once upon a time there lived a farmer. He had amassed wealth by selling the produces that he got from his farms. He distributed that wealth to all the needy people. So, the whole village revered him for his magnanimity. But he had a persistent problem in his farms. Whenever he sowed seeds in his farm, the crows would come and eat them up. He was worried about this trouble and his profit from the farms went reduced. They contemplated the problem and came to a conclusion.
“I must do something about these crows. I will be ruined if I do not stop this dangerous and destroying tendency of these crows,” he thought. He consulted this problem with his friends. They gave an idea to get rid of this nagging problem.
The next day, as suggested by his friends, the farmer bought a scarecrow and placed it on the farm. Then he sowed his seeds. “This season, I hope, I will get a good harvest,” he said to himself softly.
When the farmer came to his farm a few days later, he saw that crows had pushed the scarecrow on to the ground. And the grains were all eaten. The farmer cried out, “I am ruined.” He again took this matter to his well-wishers. They decided to adopt another idea to bring this matter to an end.
The farmer sat the whole night thinking of a plan to get rid of the crows. Finally, just before dawn he had an idea, “I must go to the town and buy a large net. I will trap the crows in the net,” he decided. Then he went to sleep.
The farmer then bought a net and some grain. He laid the net on the farm and spread the grain over it. Then he went and hid himself.
Soon the crows came to the fields to pick the grains. They were there. “More grains! That farmer is indeed a foolish, he does not seem to learn,” said the crows to each other. And they laughed among themselves. But suddenly they realized that they were trapped. They realized their foolish approach and greedy nature.
Before long, the farmer was standing over the crows. “Aha! Finally, I have got you all. For the destruction you have caused me, I will put you all to death.”
Suddenly the farmer heard a feeble voice among the noises of the crows. There was a pigeon among the crows. Both the pigeon and the bad crows were in the net. Both the pigeon and the bad crows were sad. The pigeon said, “Mr. Farmer, please let me go. You are angry with the crows, not with me.”
The farmer said, “But you too have been caught stealing from my farm. I will not spare you,” said the farmer. The pigeon had to pay a heavy price for having been in bad company. The farmer did not spare the pigeon either and he killed all the birds caught in his net. After that day,
It appears that many of you have gotten some facts wrong. An autopsy was done on Jett Travoltas body by 2 pathologists one of them was a US certified specialist and observed by Travoltas family doctor with permission from the ministry of health. Upon completion the body was sent to Restview where it was cremated. At the time Travolta had sent a statement that was read from the funeral home director that day, that boy had died from seizure…he was later fired for making that statement without permission from his senior bosses.
yeah dead body sudden death no autopsy pleasant shoulda a know allyson was a snake bout she tell her she was wrong in her actions yea right and she was wire tapped cant serve two masters so somthing there sounds funny
@Wisdom
Jokes for years and years.
@Terez
You are soooo right. I would like to know what the Travoltas told the USA authorities when he took the dead boy there. I hope he did not said…those bunch of monkies caused my son’s death.
This is just foolishness. Someone had to know something. The ambulance driver got fired and the mortician got fired too. Yeah yall forget that the mortician at Rest View Funeral Home got fired.
I just gonna keep on listing to the news that was hot lastnight. Boy Lightbourne opening up all the cans of worms he can find. I don’t blame him cause he got nothing to lose. This just goes to show how the Bahamas will cover up things for the sake of tourism. The government needs to be more concerned on how they can feed their people in terms of agricultural and fisheries development instead of how to get foreigners here. Cause when they come they only frig us up anyhow.
Check out Ann Nicole, she and her child always high on drugs and they died high too. Now is that the type of people we want here. All she caused was negative publicity and then they say we have high celebs coming here. Yeah trasshy ones, the ones that don’t give a hell. What the heck did she do for us. Now Travolta, I liked him, heck he was one of my favorite actors but to try and get your kid out of a country even though he was dead….. don’t that proves that he is not concerned or respect our Laws or he is above the Law because he is a celeb. Try that crap in the US. If someone dies over there on their soil American or Immigrant that carcass will have a proper autopsy and they will prove the persons that was present with the carcass guilty and have them in question. You wouldn’t even be able to leave the country until you are proven innocent.
Something is being covered up. My Bahamian stop selling yourself out for money.
@LIZARD
Sorry, you’re LATE! The boy’s body was CREMATED 3 days after his death, and sprinkled over the ocean by his father. It was reported on a Florida radio station.
@red blooded
Money.
@Kim Sands
lol
@LIZARD
Exactly.
@Kim Sands
Kim if she has nothing to hide why not allow the prosecution to cross examine you? you don’t have to lie to tell the truth, the truth will be what it is from now until eternity right?…. What are they hiding? ask me what ever you want cause i have nothing to hide, there is definately more to this than meets the eye….
@red blooded
Well, I think she pimped her off, because of her appearance. She was prettier and shaped better than her. Some of these women around here are bunch of haterz you know….lol…. Please don’t pay me no mind, I had to deal with haterz all my life, but I dont let them get to me.
@LIZARD
exactly!!! and all of these unanswered questions are just what led up to the big setup!!! read between the lines
@william
Yeah, her choice makes her look as if she has something to hide.
@Kim Sands
I agree, but then it means she was afraid of cross examination and that is not a good sign!
@LIZARD
I agree, an autopsy should have been done to find out the cause of death. This is the second celebrity child to died here.
@william
Don’t forget nah, Pleasant is a season attorney, so I am sure she did what she thought would be in her best interest.
Could someone explaine to me, in light of all the inconsistanceies in this case why isn’t there a cry for an INQUIST into the child’s death?
I stand to be corrected, but I think the family was allowed to take the child out of the country and bury the child. My thing is if there is a death at home shouldn’t there be an automatic inquist/autopsy? Are they beign treated differently because they are American celebs??? there are too many unanswered questions…..
Christmas tends to bring out the best in people. Maybe Pleasant and Allison will be able to call it truce and bury the hatchet. Who knows they might even send each other a Christmas present this year. I don’t see why not, they both seem to be two mature and strong minded individuals.
@Examiner
You are right as far as choice, but criminal law 101 will teach you that if you have a weak case or a weak client don’t put them in the box, however, the jury will be directed to give very little weight to their testimony as it was not tested. The truth will set you free, so why they scared to stand up and tell the truth as opposed to a plea for mercy. They already seem like they got something to hide.
So let me get this straight, Allyson set up Pleasent? Why would she do that?
@Examiner
i agree w/u examiner. the travoltas, allyson and mcdummit all acted a bit over zealous in my view. nothing has been proven here – in a legal sense that is. actually, it appears that a deal was made and allyson got wind of it and advised her client to set up bridgewater and lightbourne. the police were over zealous because they already had orders from hai to pull out all of the stops. no, as far as a court of law is concerned, they are free. should be more concerned about the dead boy found on a floor and no one called for medical attention..
on another note, never knew pleasant had such a shape – wow!!
I am not an Attorney, but being a man of many different letters, I believe that a defendant can choose to give a sworn or unsworn statement. This is not indicative of guilt or innocence. Pleasant will be set free. Allyson, in my view is the liar and her and the Travoltas should be charged with covering up . Why was no inquest held in this case?.
Ah my! If Pleasant led such an ‘exemplary life’ why she getting sued for taking client’s money? It look to me like she blaming Obie and Allyson as she say she didn’t want to speak to the Travoltas. She should have not represented him or called the police or her good friend Obie should have. What I find so strange if is she didn’t have anything to hide why not make a statement in the witness box so she could be cross examined like all the other witnesses did. Taking the route that she took in my opinion shows that her Attorney knows she has a bad case and is afraid to have her give evidence. Pleasant living in a fantasy world she is far from a saint. Her old boyfriend Carlson was crying too, I guess he like her more than her new boyfriend Obie, cause all I saw him doing was grinning!
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