Worrell’s way out

HIGH COURT JUDGE Randall Worrell yesterday took steps to reduce the ever-expanding list of prisoners on remand who are languishing in prison waiting to plead guilty.

Moments after another prisoner confessed he had been waiting since May 2016 to plead guilty and that there were at least 17 others in his building who also wanted to throw in the towel, the judge declared the ongoing manslaughter trial would be his last before he dedicated the court’s time to having status hearings, where those who wanted to plead guilty would have the opportunity to do so.

The move has been given the thumbs up by two attorneys, but they differed on whether it would reduce the backlog of cases.

Justice Worrell’s comments came less than a week after Prison Officer Floyd Downes discovered that petty thief Winston Adolphus Agard had been sitting in prison for the last ten years wanting and waiting to plead guilty, and brought him to court.