Case thrown out

FOURTEEN YEARS AFTER being charged with rape, a 53-year-old St John man walked out of court a free man yesterday – without even an ounce of evidence being offered against him.

And with the prosecutor describing the case as one of “serious antiquity”, Edward Irvin Gibson’s attorney, Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim, is again calling for an overhaul of the court system.

Before Justice Michelle Weekes, presiding over the No. 2 Supreme Court, dismissed the case that was filed against the Zores Land, Martin’s Bay man back in 2002, the court was told the alleged victim had left the country and had no interest in returning to give evidence.

Pilgrim told the MIDWEEK NATION afterwards: “It’s just unfortunate that it takes so long for a case to get through the system and even get through now without a trial. It’s even more unfortunate where in this case, Edward was there at every single time that his case was called and was determined to prove his innocence. But at the end of the day, he just had this thing hanging with him for this long.” (TKS)

Please read the full story in today’s Midweek Nation, or in the eNATION edition.