Tuesday June 3, 2008 signaled the official start to the Criminal Assizes at the High Court in Kingstown.

A total of 55 cases are down for hearing including two sentencing matters. Of that number, all of the accused persons before the court entered not guilty pleas as they were arraigned.{{more}} There are thirteen murder matters and seven cases of rape. There are three incest cases down for hearing, one of which involves a man who has been charged with 10 counts of incest.

Some of the notable cases down for hearing include that of Patrick Lovelace, who is charged with the murder of 12-year-old Sion Hill resident Lokeisha Nanton between June 30 and July 3rd, 2002. In December 2005 Lovelace was convicted for Nanton’s murder, but was granted a retrial in October the following year.

Also down for hearing is the case of Daniel Dick Trimmingham who was charged with the murder of Phillip Antoine at Riley on May 1, 2002.

Webster Woodley, Sheldon Bain and Michael Samuel are also up for trial. The men are charged with the murder of taxi operator Peter Joseph between November 28 and December 1, 2004. Bain and Woodley are charged with the murder of Livingston Primus of Sion Hill in 2004, while Bain is charged with the double murders of Rose Claire Dupont Williams and Jeffrey “Lancy” Williams of Trigger Ridge Redemption Sharpes on December 10 that same year.

Addressing the court, Woodley said it had been over 37 months since he had been languishing behind prison walls and he wanted to know if his case was going to be called at this assizes. He also told the court that he had written to the Director of Public Prosecutions concerning his matters. Woodley stated that most of the evidence in the depositions were “hear say evidence.”

Alicia Kirby leads the pack numerically with a whopping 24 charges against her, ranging from theft to forgery. One buggery case is down for hearing.