Nassau, Bahamas — Things were not ‘pleasant’ on Bank Lane today with claims from the witness box that former senator Pleasant Bridgewater BURNED KEY EVIDENCE REGARDING JETT TRAVOLTA at her house. She and Tarino Lightbourne are accused of plotting to extort $25 million from John Travolta in the aftermath of his only son’s death. Det. Sgt. Deborah Thompson took the stand today and made some stunning claims. Thompson, it appears, has been really close to the case as an observer during the McDermott recordings, Bridgewater’s arrest and even travelling to Ocala, Florida to meet with John Travolta himself. BP readers, this is what we call some real Pulp Fiction.
Thompson testified that she was one of the officers monitoring McDermott and Tarino Lightbourne during the now infamous 328 Tapes from their meeting at the Sheraton Hotel. She said she went to the lobby for a moment and on her way back to the room she actually saw the two men walking together.
“I saw him [Lightbourne] again on Friday the 23rd of January at about 2.24pm when I was at Central Police Station in Grand Bahama when he came in with Council [Carlson] Shurland,” recalled Thompson. She said that she was told that he was a suspect in the alleged extortion plot of Mr. John Travolta and she found him out to be Mr. Tarino Lightbourne.
Now here’s where it gets hot regarding Bridgewater. Thompson testified that on Thursday 22nd of January, she and two other officers travelled to Freeport and arrested Bridgewater. She was arrested and taken to Central (in Grand Bahama) and booked. At around 5pm they left Central and showed her a search warrant.
“We arrived at Bridgewater & Co where we conducted a search of her office,” said Thompson. “She stated that what we were looking for was not there. She said she only a copy. She told us that after SHE NOTICED THE INCIDENT WAS ABOUT TO EXPLODE, SHE BURNED IT AND THEN FLUSHED THE SAME.”
The cops took Bridgewater to her house and showed her another search warrant. Upon arrival, Thompson said Bridgewater took them to the front area and pointed to a white candle in a glass. Thompson said she also found Western Air ticket and stub dated the 19th of January. These items along with Bridgwater’s computer was seized.
On Friday, 23rd of January, 09 at about 10:50am, Thompson was a witness when Bridgewater allegedly avoided questions during her police recording and written interview which was done in the presence of Carlson Shurland and another officer.
“She declined to answer most questions on the advice of her attorney,” said Thompson. Bridgewater allegedly denied making any demands. Thompson also claimed that she said “I do not wish to answer that question,” when asked if she, as an officer of the court reported on a crime that was about to happen or if she as a senator at anytime reported what she knew to the police instead of “facilitating an offence”.
Thompson added that the information they were acting on was received from McDermott and evidence from the tapes provided by McDermott, Allyson Maynard-Gibson and Obie Wilchcombe. She also said that McDermott was working along with the police.
She also claimed that Travolta, Gibson and McDermott made a report to the police.
“Travolta made the report on the 19th to the police,” she said. “We received a fax affidavit. We do answer reports in that form.”
Travolta seems to have such star power that Thompson and another officer actually flew to Ocala, Florida to get his statement instead of him coming to them in the flesh. The thing is, this happened on the 23rd of February. We at Bahamas Press might be a little bit opinionated once in a while, but we got sense enough to know that if Bridgewater was arrested in January, then this means that she was charged BEFORE Travolta made a statement.
Well, she’s got to face Shurland this afternoon so look forward to a followup as we wrap up week three of the Travolta Trial. What’s your view on this one?
Guilt on the street means nothing in a court of law. the prosecution has not proven its case. further, mcdermott is simpy atrocious in the witness stand. he has blown this case himself. they will walk.
man dis plenty technical stuff here with the law. But on the streets they guilty of stupidity and greed. They really thought they was on to a winner 25 million by damn wonder if he was ga pay all the people bills like dat fella couple years ago haha and look at him grining like chesire cat and as for the lady in white she must be talking ta spirits she didnt want him go to a jungalist lawyer what a shockingly stupid display this is
@kevin mckenzie
do not pass go, do not collect $200. you have clearly not been paying that close attention.
one your first point. McDermott never testified that he had never seen the document. You got that right? He NEVER testified that he had not seen the document.
That is what he told Lightbourne in the hotel room as the deal was going down.
He clearly previously testified last week (and you would know this if you hadn’t been cherry picking information) that he saw the document when Allyson Maynard Gibson showed it to him on January 17, in a meeting with her law partners, who include the brilliant PLP attorney Damian Gomez.
Secondly, he never admitted that he had no unrecorded conversation with Lightbourne. In fact, you STRAIGHT MADE THAT UP. If you can show me any publication and the date that says that he did, then I will post a $50 phone card number on here for you.
Here’s what he said, according to ALL the newspapers.
He said that when he spoke to Bridgewater in her hotel room on January 19, he said to her :all our conversations have been private.
Ducille asked him if that was an accurate statement. he had to admit that it was not, because he clearly testified last week that he recorded the call between he and Bridgewater on January 18.
He did not record the call that he made to Obie on January 12, during which he talked to Bridgewater.
Further, what did you expect him to tell Bridgewater during a sting-operation: I only recorded one of our conversations so far?
And if you have read any of today’s papers that appear online (but why read when you can just make things up, eh?) you would that Travolta sent in a criminal complaint on January 19. Bridgewater and Lightbourne were not arrested until days later. The detective who testified said that she flew to Florida weeks later to take the full statement.
As to why your girl Allyson Maynard-Gibson chose to go to the Prime Minister. Well certainly you can draw your own conclusions.
And finally, your interpretation of what extortion is is incorrect. An extortion attempt is brought into existence once a demand for money is made coupled with a threat to do harm if that demand is not met.
Bridgewater did that on January 12 on the phone with McDermott.
Should Obie and Allyson have told her better? Well, yes.
But did she abet Lightbourne in his greedy, callous attempt to take advantage of a grieving man DAYS after his teenage son had died? Clearly.
@ Kevin Mckenzie yes my brother go to the head of the class this be it as it may is definetly POLITICAL stevey wonder can see this Call the PM it seems he is a witness at the end of the day common sense is telling us if we know anything about our Judical system Pleasant will GO free she may be disbarred but she will spend no time this goes deeper than Torino & Pleasant
@Kim Sands
KIM WHY HIM AND NOT HER?
@god knowns
MAYBE LADY IN WHITE ONLY GETTING WHAT THE CIRCLE BROUGHT BACK TO HER….SEEDS YOU SOW….
@liz hepburn
Turks Island?
@finscane
Pleasent aint going for sure, but it’s a 98% chance for the ambulance driver going to jail.
ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THE POOR WOMAN WAS SET UP THATS ALL.BUT TO THOSE OF YOU REMEMBER .TO THE OTHER PARTY THE LAST LAUGHT IS ALWAYS THE BEST ONE .AND GUESS WHAT THE WORLD IS A CIRCLE.
The surname bridgewater is bahamian last namee or is it from another country. That is why a lot of those name are from other country, thatt brought thier nasty ways and attitude to the bahamas. I beelieve the womaan might have born there, if she did not, she need to be deported to her country to be imprisioned. The bahamas name need to bread, its too hot.
I do not now what to believe now!!!!, its a shame, that is why thee bahamian are catching hell in american, becausse to this……
R v Lucas [1981] QB 720), indicating that there may have been reasons for the lies. this direction must be given so no the lies are admissable depending on the trial judges determination ………..Its far too early to decide this one and youll leavin out the jury who just as polarised as we all are some on nationality others on politics
@KEVIN MCKENZIE Kevin McKenzie those were some serious points, I like your mind ma’boy.
@kevin mckenzie
i respect your hustle, but you gats to wake up on this one. you can;t let someone off the hook just because they are a member of your party.
Kevin MCkenzie, “GO IN FRONT OF THE CLASS” i agree with you with that statement.
“….THE PRIME MINISTER MUST BE CALLED AS A WITNESS.THE PRIME MINISTER MUST TELL THE COURT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN HIM AND MRS.GIBSON,INCLUDING HIS ADVICE TO HER AND IF HE IN TURN CALLED THE POLICE.”
Call The PM as a witness, WOW! Now we talkin Holly Wood in Nassau.
I would bet you that is why the AG’s office is “conveniently vacant” at this moment.
Yes! Put the PM as a witness and Ms. Pleasant Bridgwater has a chance to get off free. Because then the case becomes politicized.
they will not go to jail
HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, JOKES FOR YEARS AND YEARS!!!
In a court of law a witness swears to “tell the truth,the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”However, we have several instances in which Travolta’s lawyer,mr.Mcdermott has TOLD LIES.lie #1 -on Monday he claimed never to have seen the form that mr.Travolta signed,only to ADMIT later on UNDER INTENSE CROSS EXAMINATION BY LAWYER MARIO DUCILLE THAT THIS WAS A LIE.LIE # 2 Mr.Mcdermott said that he had no unrecorded conversation with mr. Lightbourne,only to have to ACKNOWLEGED THAT THIS TOO WAS A LIE,AGAIN THIS ADMISSION CAME AFTER BEING CROSS EXAMINED.By admitting to have told lies,we have now ESTABLISHED THAT HE IS A LIAR,THEREFORE EVERYTHING HE SAID SHOULD BE INADMISSIBLE.Now we heard today that mr.Travolta give his statement to the police some 4 weeks after the arrest and criminal charges being filed on the accuse!!!This is the Bahamian version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND.In this book the queen wanted the accused to be EXECUTED FIRST AND THEN THE CRIMINAL TRIAL.From the evidence submitted so far one must conclude that EXTORTION DIDNOT BECOME A PART OF THIS EVIDENCE UNTIL MRS.GIBSON,MCDERMOTT,HUBERT ALEXANDER INGRAHAM AND THE THEN AG BECAME INVOLVED.I think since mrs.Gibson CLAIMED to have called the Prime MInister to informed him about a crime,that THE PRIME MINISTER MUST BE CALLED AS A WITNESS.THE PRIME MINISTER MUST TELL THE COURT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN HIM AND MRS.GIBSON,INCLUDING HIS ADVICE TO HER AND IF HE IN TURN CALLED THE POLICE.The evidence that have been submitted so far shows MCDERMOTT AND GIBSON MAKING ALLEGATIONS THAT THE 2 ACCUSED WANTED THOSE FUNDS.In conclusion i would like to know how the PRIME MINISTER,THE POLICE AND THE COURTS CAN DISPLAY ALL THIS INTEREST IN MR.TRAVOLTA’S FINANCIAL WELL BEING BUT NO INTEREST WHAT SO EVER IN THE 74 MILLION DOLLARS OF HARD WORKING,POOR BAHAMIANS THAT VANISHED FROM CLICO?By the way is the prime minister going to send our police to the USA to bring THE CHILD MOLESTER,RAPIST ANDRE BIRBAL HERE?
They need to stop the trial now and send both these clowns to Fox Hill.
At the very least Pleasant will be disbarred!
It seems that no matter how we look at it admission by Bridgewater is clear, she conspired with her client to extort moneys from whomever (Travolta, Bahamian public etc…) knowing that the same was unlawful. I am thinking this may not be the first time she may have acted in this manner as she seem very comfortable, even ignoring the advice of her partner. Was this a common practise learnt from other members of her party, law firm, or lawyers etc..? it brings about many questions.
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