Delpesche chides police officer

Prosecutor at the Serious Offences Court Adolphus Delpesche is calling on police officers to apply themselves better to their duties.{{more}}

Last Tuesday, a matter came before the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court in which a prisoner, who had been granted bail by the High Court previously, was brought to the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court after police charged him on a separate offence.

The police officer was asked to present the court with the bail bond from the High Court, showing the offence the prisoner had been in breach of and the conditions of that bail.

However, the officer said he did not have the document and requested time to get it.

Delpesche, who was sitting at the Bar table at the time, told the officer he did not need to wait until Friday to get the document.

“The High Court is right there. You can just walk up the road and give them the information and get the document. You going to have a man in custody until Friday?” Delpesche said.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Delpesche described the situation as “highly ridiculous”.

“The law clearly states what you must do. It’s about application and reinforcement … You bring a man to court, you know he is on bail from the High Court, you know the conditions of his bail, you know he would have been breaching these conditions. If you are going to use that for a ground for objection to his bail, you ought to bring the bail bond from the High Court,” Delpesche said.

The prosecutor who also holds a law degree, stated that a police officer can’t come to court with word of mouth and explain to the court that a person has breached their bail condition, without having the tangible proof.

“To say you [are] bringing the prisoner on Tuesday and to say you want until Friday to get the document from the High Court is ridiculous. The High Court is right there,” he added.

Delpesche said officers need to do better and apply themselves.

“Maybe it is lack of supervision by whoever their superiors are, or maybe they are just not applying themselves properly as to what they should do.”

SEARCHLIGHT learned that the Magistrate’s Court received the document from the High Court less than an hour after Delpesche commented.(KW)