… PAM stands behind its MP
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has reportedly answered the call from the Minister of Tourism, Lindsay Grant, to either charge or exonerate him in connection with a January 8 incident.
Media reports surfaced today (Mar. 8) that Grant has been charged for the incident which had left him under the clouds for some two months.
Police late this afternoon confirmed that he was slapped with two charges.
“He has been charged for the offences of Beating a Police Officer in the Execution of her Duties and Assaulting a Police Officer in the Execution of his Duties. He was served with both summonses for the offences today, Tuesday, March 08, 2022,” police said in a statement to the media.
On Saturday (Jan. 8), while at the Last Lap Bar and Restaurant inBird Rock, it is alleged that the Minister berated and assaulted several officers during the execution of their duties.
It was reported, based on videos making rounds from the incident, that police officers were shutting down a party at the time, after it was alleged to have breached some aspects of the COVID-19 regulations.
In his first public statement on the incident, Minister Grant said he believed that there were forces within the Government that were seeking to see him being charged, even as the Police Force and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution were playing tag on who has responsibility to lay charges.
According to the summons document, it is alleged that Grant “did beat Kerese Howe a member of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force” while the officer sought to execute her duty.
In a statement issued late this afternoon, the People’s Action Movement wrote, in part: “We have learnt that the local police have moved in to charge our colleague and MP Lindsay Grant for alleged conduct during a much-publicized incident a few weeks ago.”
It added that Grant has since retained a lawyer and they believe that the charges are “baseless”.
“Indeed, we are aware of a political sub text to the entire issue, and there have been naked attempts by some to seek to score political points,” the political party said.
Minister Grant is expected to appear in court next month to answer to the charges.
