Judges in a bind

HIGH COURT JUDGES have found themselves caught between a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling on the mandatory imposition of the death penalty, and statutes which have not yet been amended.

And with the last murder trial having been possibly done in May 2018, judges, as well as a senior defence attorney and a prosecutor, are urging Parliament to make the amendments as soon as possible.

“We need to be very cognisant of what is happening as we wait for this to be resolved,” said Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim, “because judges [sitting in the Criminal Sessions] have expressed concern at different times about the way forward and, unless I am incorrect, the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] expressed concern as well.

“The point is, last year May is the last time we did a murder trial. And time is going by. There needs to be a sense of urgency,” he added. (HLE)

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