By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

TALL PINES MP Leslie Miller yesterday refused to apologise for calling officials at the Bahamas Crisis Centre “phonies, fakes and frauds” and rejected the nonprofit organisation’s offer for him to participate in volunteer training next month.

Mr Miller told The Tribune that the only way he will apologise is if the Crisis Centre can prove “they had a representative” at the funeral of Joyelle McIntosh.

Mr Miller lashed out at officials from the Crisis Centre on Monday as he accused the organisation of remaining silent on violence against women in the aftermath of the brutal murder of a schoolteacher last month.

Mr Miller said it was a shame that the centre “was nowhere to be found” and claimed that no representatives attended Ms McIntosh’s funeral last week.

The 40-year-old elementary school teacher was shot in her head and body near a traffic light at the intersection of Parkgate and Village Roads on November 11.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the Crisis Centre demanded that Mr Miller apologise and retract his “vile,” “offensive” and “malicious attack.”

Deputy Director of the Crisis Centre Donna Nicolls was nearly moved to tears as she defended the organisation’s volunteers from Mr Miller’s “uninformed and vindictive” comments.

She invited the Progressive Liberal Party MP to participate in the organisation’s volunteer training next month to bring himself up to speed on the work of the Crisis Centre and to assist it in helping vulnerable people.

Speaking outside the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Mr Miller said he is “sorry” if he offended anyone from the Crisis Centre, but he is not sorry for what he said.

“I don’t have anything to apologise for,” Mr Miller said.

“When you are talking about the ill treatment of women you have to cover the entire gamut of society of women. That dear teacher was (allegedly) murdered by these three men, I would have expected that the Crisis Centre would have reached out to the mother, to the children, and her sisters to comfort them. “They have a responsibility to assist women, not just from domestic violence but for everything. I want to invite them to sit in on one of Dr David Allen’s workshops where he talks about compassion and love and concern for others, that’s what they need to do. As soon as they reach out to the mother and the sisters of the victim, I will be happy to further this discussion.”

He added: “I am sorry for the lady who said that she cried yesterday, she has my deepest apologies but that doesn’t negate their responsibility to reach out to their family.”

This is not the first time that the MP has clashed with the Bahamas Crisis Centre.

Early last year, Mr Miller butted heads with representatives of the centre when they refused to accept his donation of $1,000. Mr Miller tried to make the donation in an effort to calm backlash over an earlier statement he had made in the House of Assembly when he said he had physically abused an ex-girlfriend in the past.

In the face of criticism, Mr Miller walked back from the comments and said the remarks were a joke.

Asked about this, Mrs Nicolls said she did not think his actions were genuine then and does not think they are now.

The Crisis Centre also provides food assistance, clothing and helps find emergency shelter for those in need.

Their 24-hour hot line is 242-328-0922.