BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A Reserved Captain (Capt) of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force is appealing to the authorities to have the cases of five young men from St. Paul’s Village quickly brought before the Court or have them released before Wednesday, May 1, 2013.
Capt Kevin ‘Ninky’ Williams of St. Paul’s Village, who is also employed as an engineer at the Ministry of Public Works, is of the view that the constitutional rights of five young men from his village have been trampled upon by the judicial system.
The five men, Nelson Challenger, Glenroy Smithen, Shenroy Francis, Moses Gardener and Jomi Rawlins, were charged with the murder of Gregory Anthony Zakers of Basseterre, whose lifeless body was discovered by a tourist at the cliff side of Black Rocks in Belle Vue on the morning of Saturday, April 12, 2008.
An autopsy revealed that he had died as a result of an injury inflicted with a “blunt object”.
Initially, six of them were arrested on suspicion but the then 25-year-old Clyde Norford was subsequently released.
It was reported that the 20-year-old Zakers had left Basseterre on Thursday, April 10, 2008 to visit a female friend in St. Paul’s Village. He was however reported missing on the following day to the St. Paul’s Police Station after he failed to return home.
Less than two months prior to his demise, Zakers, who was jointly charged with Jamal Bradshaw and Fitzroy Challenger with the murder of 16-year-old Josh Smithen of St. Paul’s Village, was unanimously found not guilty of the September 8, 2006 incident.
Smithen’s death was caused by a stab wound to his head.
The five young men, including Glenroy Smithen who was a juvenile at the time of his arrest, had appeared numerous times in the High Court but have not had their cases heard.
According to Williams, no one should be going through such ordeals, noting that “this type of treatment can be classified as grossly inhumane and paints a very gloomy picture of the Federation, which is said to be one of the many democratic societies in the world”.
“It is not that I am judging their rights of guilt or innocence, but as a resident of St. Paul’s and a concerned citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, I would like to see justice done for those five young men who have been incarcerated for almost five years without a trial.
“Is this a case like the many others where people were arrested, charged, incarcerated for lengthy periods and subsequently released due to lack of evidence? St. Kitts is a tiny island with a small population and I find it rather strange that cases cannot be dealt with expeditiously.”
Williams stated that if the men had done the crime then it is right for them to do the time, but “it is unjust to have these young men locked away awaiting trial on ‘Neverary morn’”.
“I am therefore calling on the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Evangelical Association, the Christian Council and all human rights associations within and without the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis to look into this inhumane situation,” Capt Williams added.
