Prominent St Ann attorney, Linton Gordon, has called for there to be a regional court sitting for the North Coast parishes of St Ann, St Mary and Portland or for there to be an extension of the circuit court sittings.
Mr Gordon gave these as possible solutions to help reduce the backlog of court cases before the circuit courts.
Gordon was speaking before a packed courtroom at the opening of the Hilary session of the St Ann Circuit Court on Monday, January 30.
One hundred and twenty-seven cases are set to dominate the sitting of the court which is to be presided over by high court judge Justice Georgiana Fraser.
The shock of the day was when assistant director of public prosecutions Maxine Jackson revealed that only 19 jurors were registered on Monday to serve. A total of 400 notices were prepared to be served on persons, but 326 of that number were not served.
Mrs Justice Fraser explained that the Jamaican justice system still required jurors and persons must be prepared to come to court to serve.
In relation to the court list before her, Mrs Justice Fraser said “it is disturbing to see that the list is climbing.” She said that it was also not good that the disposal of cases was not at a high level. However, she reminded those present that there were several new pieces of legislation in place to assist with the reduction of cases. These included a 50 percent reduction of sentences for those accused, who have pleaded guilty, provisions for the agreement of facts in cases and a sentencing indicator for accused persons, who have the intention of pleading guilty.
Of the 127 cases before the circuit court, 47 cases are gun court matters, while 80 of those cases are circuit court matters, which include cases such as murder and sexual offences.
Ninety-two matters were traversed from last year, including 37 gun cases and 55 circuit court matters.
Under the new Committal Proceedings Act (CPA), 25 new cases were committed.
A total of 10 new gun court matters were also transferred on the list.
A breakdown of the 80 circuit court cases for this term sees murder dominating with 23 cases down to be heard. There are also 11 rape cases, 10 cases of causing death by dangerous driving and seven cases of possession of identity information, among other cases.
OUT OF CONTROL
Defense attorney Linton Gordon did not mince words when he said that the list in St Ann is “out of control” and offered the solution of a regional court and an extension of the circuit court sittings.
The point of the setting up of a regional court was agreed by prosecutor Maxine Jackson, who said that a gun court is needed similar to that of the Western Regional gun court in Montego Bay, St James.
Mrs Justice Fraser during her comments stated that the continuous sittings of the circuit courts in parishes such as Clarendon and St Catherine had helped in reducing cases in those parishes and perhaps it was something to look at.
The St Ann Circuit Court is expected to run from January 30 to February 24.
See more details in next week issue of the North Coast Times.
