Police acknowledge ‘missteps’ in removal of St Lucian from prison

The Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) has responded to a recent report of a St Lucian national who was removed from the country without the knowledge of the court.

Chester King was held by local police on immigration matters relating to his illegal entry into SVG. He was subsequently charged and remanded to His Majesty’s Prison.

A statement released from the RSVGPF on Friday, March 7, 2025, said that during the time of King’s detention in SVG, police received credible information from the Royal St. Lucia Police Force that he was wanted in that country in connection to several heinous murders.

A warrant for the arrest of King was issued by the High Court of St. Lucia and  dispatched to the authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“In an effort to facilitate the suspect’s appearance before the High Court in St. Lucia, Mr. King was repatriated back to his home country. Although some missteps were made during the process, none of them were done out of disrespect for the court. This was done purely out of the exigency of the situation and the national security concerns associated with the presence of the wanted suspect in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

King was due to reappear in court recently and it was only when the case was called in the Serious Offences Court before Senior Magistrate Tammika McKenzie that the court learned that he was no longer in SVG.

The matter was withdrawn by the Prosecution.