Tiffany Conolly takes her first runway walk as Miss Cayman Islands Universe 2022. - Photo: Maggie Jackson

Newly-crowned Miss Cayman Islands Universe Tiffany Conolly will stand trial in October for allegedly beating up her ex-boyfriend, another member of his household and a police officer.

Conolly, 24, of West Bay, faces two counts of common assault, two counts of damage to property, two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of assaulting a police officer.

According to court documents seen by the Compass, the charges stem from an incident which occurred around 10pm on 15 Oct. 2021 at her ex-boyfriend’s West Bay home – nine months before she was crowned the 2022 Miss Cayman Islands Universe.

The Compass is choosing not to publish further details contained in the court file, in order to preserve the defendant’s right to a fair trial.

In March of this year, she entered not-guilty pleas to all the charges and was released on bail. An initial trial was set for July, however, it was administratively adjourned and a new date has been set for 15 Oct.

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The Cayman Compass reached out to Conolly. Messages and phone calls were not returned as of publication time.

The Compass also asked the Miss Cayman Islands Universe Committee about the vetting process of candidates, and any contingency plan that might be in place should Conolly be convicted.

The committee explained that, at the time of her application, and in line with the “eligibility requirements” and the application process, Conolly “met the requirements and was accepted”.

“Since that time additional details as to the pending charges was brought to the attention of the Committee. The Committee did seek counsel with relevant stakeholders including the Franchise holder and the decision to allow Ms. Conolly to proceed was taken after careful consideration,” the committee said in a statement sent to the Compass on Thursday.

The committee added that they are now reviewing “the facts surrounding this matter, consulting with the relevant stakeholders in order to make the appropriate determination as to how we proceed”.

No reply was received from the ministry of tourism, the pageant’s patron, in response to queries from the Compass.

Editor’s note: Compass Media was a sponsor of the Miss Cayman Islands Universe pageant and of one of the contestants.