Magistrate asked to recuse herself from Glenn’s murder case

Francis Williams, a 23-year-old man of Sion Hill charged with the murder of the late Glenn Jackson, former journalist and Press Secretary to Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, will return to court on Thursday, September 7, for the Preliminary Inquiry into the matter.

On Wednesday this week when he appeared in court before Acting-Chief Magistrate, Sharda Sinanan-Bollers, Williams’ lawyer, Kay Bacchus, raised an objection to the acting Chief Magistrate against her hearing the case citing that it would be a conflict of interest if she presides over a matter in which her husband might be called to be a witness.{{more}}

The court heard that during the investigation of Jackson’s death a production order was served to Digicel and that Digicel’s local Manager, Martin Bollers, husband of the acting Chief Magistrate, might be called to give testimony in the case.

The acting Chief Magistrate indicated that once the office of the Director of Public Prosecution is calling the Digicel Manager to be a witness in the matter she would like to sit out the case. Hence, September 7 was set as the date when the DPP will give an answer to the court.

The Preliminary Inquiry hit a snag even before it got underway on July 24, when the Kingstown Magistrate Court caught afire on Friday, July 21, disrupting all court proceedings in the Magistracy throughout the island.

The Preliminary Inquiry into Jackson’s death is a highly anticipated case. Jackson’s lifeless body was discovered in the backseat of his vehicle at Cane Garden on Monday, March 6, with a gunshot wound which penetrated his sternum area and exited his back.

During the investigation into Jackson’s death officers from the Scotland Yard were brought to assist the local police.

The government had even offered a $100, 000 reward for information leading to the arrest, charge and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Jackson’s death.

On Tuesday, May 2, Francis, a cadet in the Government’s Youth Empowerment Service (YES) programme, attached to the Ministry of Health appeared before Chief Magistrate Simone Churaman at the Serious Offenses Court. He was remanded in custody.