Ivor Bird
Ivor Grenville Theophilus Bird (29 February 1944 – 3 December 2024) was an Antiguan businessman and the son of Vere Bird, one-time Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.[1]
Bird was a high jumper and he was the last gold medallist in that event at the British West Indies Championships in 1965. His brother, Lester Bird, was also a track athlete and former champion at this competition.[2] Ivor Bird also represented Antigua and Barbuda in high jump at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[3]
The director of ZDK, Antigua's government broadcasting system,[4] in 1995 Bird was caught smuggling 10 kg of cocaine through V. C. Bird International Airport with an accomplice, Marcus Alberto Chapman.[5] He was formally charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to both sell and transfer by Judge Mario Ducillo, and released on 50,000 East Caribbean dollars bail.[6] Having pleaded not guilty, he was represented by John Platts-Mills, Steadroy Benjamin, and David Toms, Jr.;[7] despite this representation, he was convicted on 15 May 1995 following 45 minutes of deliberations. He was ordered to either pay a fine of 200,000 dollars or face two years in jail, and paid the fine shortly before the court closed;[8] he continued to serve as head of ZDK.[9]
On 3 December 2024, Bird was found dead at his residence in Halcyon Heights.[10] He was 79.
References
[edit]- ^ "Ivor Bird Passes Away at 80". Antigua News Room. 3 December 2024.
- ^ British West Indies Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games Federation". Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ Knox, Paul (1 September 1987). "For truth and right, 8 Cabinet ministers oppose Antigua PM". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc.
- ^ Massiah, David (7 May 1995). "Younger Brother Of Prime Minister Lester Bird Is Arrested On Cocaine Charges". Associated Press Worldstream. Associated Press.
- ^ Massiah, David (8 May 1995). "Prime Minister Lester Bird Promises No Intervention In Brother's Arrest". Associated Press Worldstream. Associated Press.
- ^ "Ivor Bird's Pleads Not Guilty". Associated Press Worldstream. Associated Press. 11 May 1995.
- ^ Derrick, Winston (16 May 1995). "Younger Brother Of Prime Minister Lester Bird Is Convicted On Drug Charges". Associated Press Worldstream. Associated Press.
- ^ "Antigua radio station back on air after dispute with state-owned utilities company". Associated Press Worldstream. Associated Press. 26 October 2004.
- ^ "Antiguan media pioneer Ivor Bird passes away". Antigua Observer. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
External Links
[edit]- 1944 births
- 2024 deaths
- Antigua and Barbuda businesspeople
- Antigua and Barbuda drug traffickers
- Bird family (Antigua and Barbuda)
- Children of prime ministers
- Antigua and Barbuda male high jumpers
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Antigua and Barbuda
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games