Judge throws out case after police officer fails to show

A major faux pas by the police has seen another man freed of a criminal charge at the Criminal Assizes.{{more}}

The latest blunder came on Tuesday, September 30th, at the High Court, when Justice Frederick Bruce-Lyle instructed a nine-member jury in an aggravated burglary and attempted rape matter to return a verdict of not guilty in the case of Eric “Chiney Man” May because the arresting officer was not present to give evidence in the matter.

Prosecutor Colin Williams told the court that the officer had been warned to come to court but still did not show up. Williams added that further efforts had been made to contact the officer, but they learned that he was on vacation.

Bruce-Lyle said that it did not look good for the police and a lot of time had been wasted in the matter. Bruce-Lyle noted that if it were a civilian witness, he would have carried on with the case. “I would not do this with the police. I think a report should be made to the authorities for him to be dealt with,” Bruce-Lyle chided. “I know why he isn’t here. It is because he doesn’t see the importance of the case, a total waste of time,” he added.

May, 33, a labourer of London, Sandy Bay, had been charged with entering a woman’s house on December 13, 2007, and attempting to have sex with her 16-year-old daughter.

The teenaged girl told the court that she was at home with her nieces around 10 a.m. performing some chores in the kitchen. While there, the girl said May came through the front door with a cutlass in his right hand and held onto her and demanded sex. “He tell me he war piece ah wife or he go kill me,” the girl said.

Recollecting the horrific experience, the girl said that she managed to pull away from May and ran outside and sat on the step. The girl stated that May came to where she was and pulled her by the hand into one of the bedrooms. She, however, managed to escape a second time and ran to the neighbour for help.

In her turn at the witness stand, the neighbour told the court that she saw when the cutlass wielding May went into the house behind the girl. “I see when he go in the house and he been telling she how he war sex, he war wife,” the woman related. The witness also said that she heard the young girl screaming, “Who invited you in here? Me and you not friend, come out of my house.”

Speaking to Searchlight on Wednesday night, Commissioner of Police Keith Miller said that the matter is very serious and a full investigation will be conducted. Miller noted that once an officer is told to turn up to court that he has an obligation to do so.

“If it is revealed that the officer was not present without a valid reason, disciplinary action would be taken against him,” Miller assured.

Earlier this year, Francis “Prickle” Williams was acquitted of the murder of former Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Glen Jackson after police officers made several blunders during their investigations.