BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE prosecutor’s admission to a lack of evidence in the case of murder brought against Vinrick John led to his exoneration earlier today.

John was charged with the November 26, 2006 murder of Alex Gilbert and, according to the indictment filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), he was to have stood trial on two charges - murder and manslaughter.

This morning, John appeared before the Basseterre High Court of Justice and Lead Prosecutor Reynold Benjamin, in his opening statement, told the jury his case was based largely on circumstantial evidence from which they could draw inferences.

According to the prosecution’s case, John stabbed Gilbert in his chest resulting in his death. The prosecution alleged that the incident occurred at Parsons sometime during the evening of November 26, 2006.

Of the 13 witnesses who were to have given evidence in the case, only four did so: Melaney Pollock, mother of the deceased; Emmanuel Mills; Barbadian forensic pathologist, Dr. Stephen Jones; and brother of the deceased, Allester Gilbert.

At the end of Allester’s evidence, Prosecutor Benjamin informed the court that based on what his main witness [Allester] said, “I am unable to present to the court a better case than what has gone before...”

He added that there was not enough evidence to put the case before the jury and to leave the fate of the accused in the hands of its members. 

In response to the prosecution’s submission, defence counsel Dr. Henry Browne said, “It is refreshing that the Prosecutor...has done the right thing as a minister of justice and no one can fault him for that...I support the application.”

Trial judge, His Lordship Justice Francis Belle said he is inclined to agree with the prosecution based on what he observed, noting that, “...clearly the case cannot be proven beyond reasonable doubt.”

The six-man-six-woman jury was ordered to return “not-guilty” verdicts on both counts in the indictment to which it acceded.

John was arrested and charged shortly after the offence was committed and was granted bail sometime after. 

The case was listed for hearing a number of times and was traversed on numerous occasions, which brought it to the January 2009 Criminal Assizes.