BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE May 2011 Criminal Assizes ended on Wednesday, July 27 with 38 cases, 19 of which were traversed, 14 disposed of and five were nolle prosequi.
One of the cases traversed to the September 2011 Criminal Assizes is the manslaughter and murder charges involving Nelson Challenger, Shenroy Francis, Jami Rawlins, Glenroy Smithen and Moses Gardener which was said to be committed on April 10, 2008.
The other traversed cases are those of Curtlee Rogers and Alpha Duporte, who are jointly charged with murder; Jahdell Browne, charged with murder; Denver Fyfield, charged with murder; Devon Williams, charged with causing death of another, in which the matter was tried but ended in a hung jury; and Melvina Kelly, who is charged with murder.
Also traversed were the cases of Dennis Doras on larceny charges; Baba Tunde Dami Lola Alonge, charged with fraud and false pretence; Devon Ryan, who is facing an attempted murder charge; and Amal Whyte and Devon Fyfield, both of whom were charged with murder. Lincoln Storrod, who facing rape charges; Elvis Glasgow, charged with indecent assault; Mario Harvey facing a rape charge; Gavin Warner, who is also facing a rape charge; Chaddin and Kassim Buchanan, charged with unlawful wounding and wounding with intent; Rafael Adames, charged with incest; Kern Cabey, charged with endangering life to cause serious injury to property; Ourtic Gillard, charged with robbery; and Devon Albertine, charged with wounding with intent.
Eleven of the 14 disposed cases were found guilty of their respective offences while three were acquitted of the charges.
Those found guilty were Joseph Gardener and Neil Harvey, Razba Matthew, Jason Liddie, Elmond Dickenson, Carl Warner, Kerrim Rawlins, Mario Harvey and Joseph Herbert, Gibson Blake, Newrish Nital, Jervin Dowell and Amit Sahajwala, while Kurt Prentice, Jermaine Brown and Delvin Jeremiah Benjamin were freed of their charges.
The Director of Public Prosecution, Paulina Hendrickson, nol pros the cases of Dwight Peets, Ike Dias, Calvin Samuel and Alexis Hodge and Leon Clarke, and noted that she no longer wished to continue with those matters.
His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas, at the closing of the assizes, commended the jurors for a job well done.
He also commended the jurors who sat on an embezzlement case, stating that they asked very intelligent and fitting questions.
Justice Thomas however advised the jurors that their duty of justice should not end at the court but should be carried out in their everyday lives in helping to curb the crime situation in St. Kitts.
The next criminal assizes is scheduled to begin in September.
