Bob Marley’s Range Rover heads to auction this month

Reports are that a Range Rover believed to have belonged to Jamaica’s reggae icon Bob Marley is heading to auction in March

Initially in Masai Red, it is said that the car was painted a mixture of black, green, and blue by some of Bob’s eleven children, and could be sold for as much as £150,000 once restored

According to reports, the original registration document bore the name “Robert Nesta Marley” when it was found and the 1980 Range Rover was made just one year before his death in 1981 It is also said to be one of two Land Rovers owned by Marley and is believed to have been acquired through an agent who dealt directly with the Marley family Reports are that it was shipped from Solihull to Germany, then to Jamaica, and was regularly shipped between the U K and Jamaica

Simon Langsdale of Classic Car Auctions, who sourced the car revealed that the ex-Bob Marley Range Rover will be offered at a public auction. The Range Rover is one of many vehicles coming to auction as CCA’s first sale of 2023 at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show

“This unique opportunity to purchase not only an early suffix example but one with history linked to the legendary reggae star – I am sure it will attract huge interest Fully restored examples have sold for as much as £130,000 in recent years; but with a celebrity link that can add up to 20 per cent in value so this is a great investment option But for a true Bob Marley fan who is also a petrolhead, owning this Range Rover will be something beyond price and is a once-ina-lifetime opportunity,” Langsdale said

Guyanese jailed for trafficking Jamaicans

A 44-year-old farmer in Guyana has been jailed for four years after he was found guilty of trafficking two Jamaican nationals A Guyana Police Force (GPF) statement said that Tito Browne was also sentenced to one-year imprisonment on the count of withholding the passports of the two Jamaican nationals

Browne, who was arrested by police on April 28, 2021, one day after a wanted bulletin was issued for him, was also fined GUY$200,000 (One Guyana dollar US$0 004 cents) and ordered to pay $6 3M in restitution to the victims

Browne, also known as ‘Tommy’ and ‘Yankee’ appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on Thursday He was charged with two counts of trafficking in persons and on each count, he was sentenced to four years imprisonment The sentences will run concurrently

The magistrate handed down the sentences after an eightmonth-long trial that began in December 2021 and concluded last August

The court was told that in November 2020, one of the victims met an individual in Jamaica, who indicated that Browne needed someone to work on his farm at Kara Kara Creek, Linden, in Guyana, and was willing to pay US$5,000 for the work to be done

The first victim reportedly informed the second victim about the opportunity, and together they arranged with Browne, who promised to facilitate all their travel expenses

Both victims left Jamaica on December 12, 2020, and upon their arrival here, Browne instructed them to inform immigration that they would only be spending two weeks

“The victims were forced to venture from the camp in search of other campsites, walking through bushes and swamp lands until they managed to locate a logger who eventually took them to a village where they related their story and made a police report,” the police said

Schools in St Lucia closed following upsurge in deadly gun violence

The St Lucia government on Friday announced the closure of schools in the southern town of Vieux Fort after three people were shot and killed and a nine-year-old boy injured as a result of gun violence

The Ministry of Education, in a statement, cited ‘the current unstable environment’ in Vieux Fort in announcing the closure of five schools in the area It said that the decision to close down the schools follow discussions with the Royal St Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) and apologized for any inconvenience caused

The ministry advised parents and guardians to make all necessary arrangements to keep themselves and their children safe The authorities said that two men, identified only as “Brico’ and ‘Dylan,” were shot and killed on Thursday afternoon at the fisheries complex A woman was also shot and killed at the complex

Police said that the nine-year-old had sustained injuries from the fisheries complex shooting The latest gun violence upsurge in Vieux Fort has been linked to continuing rival gang activity and media reports say residents in the southern town are bracing for more violence

St Lucia recorded 74 murders last year