BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE April 2013 Criminal Assizes which was scheduled to open tomorrow (Apr. 9) at the Nevis High Court, has been rescheduled due to the lack of a judge to preside over the matters.
However, His Lordship Justice John Benjamin, QC, would once again be presiding over the matters and the Assizes are now scheduled to begin next Tuesday (Apr. 16).
Six cases are expected to be heard; two of which were traversed from the previous Assizes on Nevis in November 2012.
The cases are those of two men charged with rape and robbery and the murder trial of Delvin Wilkinson.
The two men's cases began in November 2012 but ended prematurely when the Attorney-at-Law Denzil Hinds, who was representing one of the accused, was charged with contempt of Court. The matter was declared a mistrial and traversed to the sitting of the next Assizes.
In the matter of Wilkinson, his case was traversed in November 2012 for the fourth time.
He is charged with the November 2, 2010 stabbing death of his girlfriend and mother of his child Chantelica Thompson.
Wilkinson claimed to have found the fully-clothed, motionless body of his child's mother in a pool of blood in their Pond Hill home. He then ran to a neighbouring house from where the neighbour called the police and notified them of the incident.
An autopsy performed on the body of the 19-year-old revealed that death was due to haemorrhage and shock as a result of stab wounds to the chest and head.
The new matters are those of Akeem Foster, who is charged with larceny, and three males and one female charged with sexual offences.
These matters will be prosecuted by Acting Director of Public Prosecution Rhonda Nisbett-Browne, Dr. Dennis Merchant and Greatess Gordon.
