prisoners would be craning their necks to see outside the courtroom on the first days of the Criminal Assizes back in the late 1980s.
Sometimes, there were groans brought on by the sight of a striding six-foot prosecutor heading for the courtroom.
“Cheese d’on, not Bellie!” some of them would lament.
I believe that was also the sentiment of some defence lawyers when they realized they too, would be going up against the then Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.
Today, there’s a much different reaction to the man who is now Barbados’ seventh Governor General, Sir Elliott Belgrave.
My first encounter with him was when he was the Deputy DPP and I was a reporter-in-training. My respect came not just from the reputation that he had built up among his colleagues but also the one which he had solidified among the prisoners. He was fierce, but fair, and a conviction at his hand was sure to be upheld.
His actions in the courtroom were unlike today’s commonplace theatrics. He was driven by a quest to see the guilty convicted and the streets made safer. He did not put on airs and graces for the nine or 12 people occupying the jury box but relied on the evidence and their experience as “men and women” of the world to decide the fate of those on trial.
Sir Elliott’s thrilling display of legal skills with an attorney of equal reputation was something more like the code of honour medieval duelling. Once the men entered the courtroom, the gauntlet was thrown down.
Dignified approach
If the prosecution placed the accused at the scene, the defence had an alibi. If the defence suggested the improbability of the accused committing the offence, the prosecution found evidence to the contrary. When a confession was produced, it was convincingly rebutted.
Back and forth, the defence and prosecution crossed sharpened swords with such dignity that avoided the entire affair descending into a street brawl.
There was no place for wounded pride in these bloodless duels and, win or lose, the honour was in justice prevailing.
Eventually, Sir Elliott became a judge and from his lofty perch, he still kept it real. His outspoken nature did not always meet the approval of those contented with the status quo.
In a break with tradition, the judge spoke up when he thought something was wrong with the system in which he served. He kept a respectable distance but engaged the Press from time to time, conscious that he carried the responsibility of safeguarding the public.
He wanted to know the concerns of the public and when that concern was violence, he sentenced heartless criminals to be flogged.
He was defeated in this attempt at the Court of Appeal stage but gained national support from a fed up public for ordering the cat-o-nine tails. The sentence was the inspiration for a calypso which took Observer (Colin Reid) all the way to the 1991 Crop Over finals.
I welcome the recent announcement of Sir Elliott’s elevation after so many months of acting.
This is just what the country needs in the interim, a good old fashion home grown head of state until we can sort out this business of monarchy versus republic.
Sir Elliott has managed to break down a lot of the stereotypes associated with the offices he has held and no doubt will do the same in his new position.
Yes, he’ll maintain the nobility of the office but he will also add that special human touch when the occasion demands it, as we have seen.
The public will yet see a difference in the office of the Governor General.
• Antoinette Connell is Daily Nation Editor. Email antoinetteconnell@nationnews.com
