🔨 Man acquitted of jury tampering charges in Cayman Islands Football Association case

Allen Kennedy Ebanks, a local man from George Town, has been found not guilty of attempting to defeat the course of justice. He was accused of trying to influence a member of a jury in a fraud case involving two former Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) executives. The jury took just over ten minutes to deliver their verdict. Ebanks had denied the allegation, stating that he had interacted with the juror only as a mechanic. 🚗

The fraud case in question took place in 2022 and saw former CIFA executives Canover Watson and Bruce Blake found guilty of different crimes. Ebanks was charged after a juror claimed he had tried to influence him during the trial. Ebanks admitted to speaking with the juror and calling him, but claimed it was for help with purchasing a new vehicle after his own had been involved in a crash. He insisted he had not discussed the trial with the juror. ⚖️

Ebanks, a taxi driver and former football coach, often attended court proceedings as a spectator. Following a car accident, he approached the juror to ask him to review a new car he was considering purchasing. The juror claimed Ebanks had asked him about the case during their first conversation, leading him to hang up and report the interaction to the judge. Ebanks' attorney, Richard Barton, highlighted inconsistencies in the juror's account. 🚕