By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

MOTHER of murder convict Stephen “Die” Stubbs yesterday accused Minister of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage and the government of allegedly scapegoating her son to distract from their dismal performance on crime this term.

Nathalie Stubbs, 77, alleged that her son campaigned heavily for the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) prior to the 2012 general election and was promised jobs for himself and others.

She contacted The Tribune with the allegations to rebut perceived suggestions that Stubbs was ordering hits from behind bars - an allegation she believes was promulgated by Dr Nottage during his parliamentary address on the escalating murder rate last week.

PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts rejected the campaign claims yesterday, telling The Tribune that he had no knowledge of any connection between Stubbs and the organisation’s 2012 campaign.

Stubbs was arrested at the Ridgeland Park home he shares with several relatives on May 31, 2012.

He was sentenced to life in prison in October, 2013, along with two other men, for the 1999 murder of Constable Jimmy Ambrose at the now-closed Club Rock Disco.

Ms Stubbs and her son’s girlfriend, Jacqueline Miller, yesterday emphasised that the case was now before the Privy Council in London.

“He (Dr Nottage) have my child name all over the paper, say my child put a hit out, (Stubbs) he’s been in jail for almost five years,” Ms Stubbs alleged.

While giving a speech on crime initiatives last week, Dr Nottage named several active gangs and brandished photos of several men as leaders of these groups who are behind prison bars.

One of the photos, according to Ms Stubbs, was her son. From The Tribune’s viewing of the image, it is unclear who the men in question are.

However, Dr Nottage did not name Stubbs during his statement on several anti-crime strategies, in which he admitted the recent spate of killings are affiliated with people connected to “gangs, drugs and guns”.

Ms Stubbs further alleged: “My son worked for them to win the election, they promise to give him (a) job and hire people to work. He been all over the place with them, you just know he’s bad now?

“When they (PLP) take over the election in 2012, they say they had everything straight, they had all kind of signs all over the place about the FNM.

“When Ingraham was prime minister, Orville (Tommy) Turnquest was minister of national security, they never did that to nobody. They (PLP) can’t get the crime together, why call my child name?

“I had four family get kill in this, I had a son get kill, I had four family get kill and one ain’t bury yet ... “

Meanwhile, Ms Miller, 36, maintained that her boyfriend has not been found with anything illegal while in prison and also believes Dr Nottage was referencing Stubbs during his speech.

“The prison guards never found him with a phone, never found him with anything illegal,” Ms Miller alleged. “Five years and he’s not had no problem in the prison so why is it that you can assume that?

“Parents can’t control their kids so how could I control boys who on the road, who I don’t even see, I don’t even hear from?”

She further alleged: “They know his case coming up in the Privy Council, this is prejudicing his case also. He was campaigning for them, doing all the things they want him to do, all of a sudden he’s the worst criminal?

This is not the first time Ms Stubbs or longtime girlfriend Ms Miller have contacted the media to defend Stubbs against similar allegations and to proclaim his innocence.

Following his arrest in May, 2012, Ms Stubbs contacted The Tribune to deny reports attributed to a representative from the Ministry of National Security that Stubbs was orchestrating murders on the street from behind bars.

“How can you scandalise and say my son in prison and giving orders for people to get killed?” Ms Stubbs asked at the time. “How my son could be doing it?”

“That means to say that the prison is slack,” she continued.

“I thought better than the national security man to say something like that. He listened to the lies what the people them telling him.”