Philipsburg:--- Recently the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan and Chief Commissioner of Police said in separate interviews that there has been an increase in ill-treatment and sexual offenses. Minister Duncan spoke about the 2012 crime report on Sunday during a radio program while De Witte gave SMN News some of the figures early January 2013.
While the Minister of Justice said it is hard to combat what is described as threatening and other ill-treatment that takes place in private homes. It was surprising to learn from the Attorney General of St. Maarten Taco Stein on Tuesday that the Manager and Editor of the Today Newspaper who beat one of his co-workers in 2009 was allowed to pay the victim a mere $150.00 or face prosecution.
The Today Newspaper's editor who has been writing all sorts of unfounded articles about SMN News reporter wrote that the matter has been settled but somehow he did not mention that he got a sweet deal from the Prosecutor's Office after spending two days in the Philipsburg holding cell. After learning this information today, SMN News is now wondering if any man can assault a woman whether black or white and pay $150.00 and go home.
