Eight Magistrates and Seven prosecutors later

Sep 08, 2013 News

…escape trial still in court after five years

It has now been heard by eight Magistrates and seven different Prosecutors, not to mention different defence attorneys, and after five years there is no end in sight for the summary trial of two police ranks, who are charged with facilitating the escape of former murder accused Onika King, way back in November 2007.
The matter started in February 2008 before Magistrate Yohhannseh Cave and its most recent call up was last Tuesday before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell at the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court.

Onika King

Kaieteur News understands that all seven police witnesses have testified in the trial but the constant adjournments and Magistrate changes have resulted in several aborted trials.
A source at the Mahaica Magistrate’s Court informed that the witnesses have testified before all the magistrates that have dealt with the matter so far and are still awaiting cross examination by the attorney for Constables Ertest Ivan and Sandra Cordis, the accused.
Another main witness, Ashanti Schultz, called ‘Blondie’ has reportedly left the jurisdiction.
“Over three years is too long for a summary matter. But it is the defendants’ fault through their lawyer, who is not making himself available to cross-examine the witnesses,” a senior judicial official who spoke to this newspaper, explained.
Apart from the Magistrates Cave and Lovell, the matter has been before Magistrates Heymant Ramdhani, Judy Latchman, Clive Nurse and Alex Moore.
“If the Magistrate should go ahead and finish the matter without the cross examination, you will hear how unfair they were,” the judicial official stated.
The two police ranks are currently on bail and are still receiving half their monthly salaries, having been interdicted from duty.
“It is too long to be trying one matter,” a defence attorney pointed out.
It is alleged that on November 2, 2007 at Hand-en-Veldt, Mahaica, Constable Ivan, who was attached to the Tactical Services Unit and Constable Cordis, a former Police Impact Base rank, “assisted Onika King in escaping, while she was in lawful custody.”
At the time of his charge, Ivan had been a member of the Guyana police force for 13 years.
The court heard that on November 2, 2007 at Hand-en-Veldt, Mahaica, while being on a criminal charge, King escaped from custody.
On that day, King had attended court in Georgetown and was being transported back to the New Amsterdam Prison when she escaped. At the time, the 22-year-old King of Lot 1830 North Ruimveldt, Festival City, Georgetown, was facing charges for the December 13, 2006 murder of Selvin King.
According to reports, the police vehicle transporting King and another female murder accused, Ashanti Schultz, had stopped at the liquor restaurant.
The ranks and the two murder accused allegedly entered the liquor restaurant where the policemen ordered drinks.
While there, King reportedly told the ranks that she wanted to relieve herself and they allowed her to go to the restaurant’s washroom.
It is alleged that while the ranks remained at their table, the accused crawled through a hole in the fence at the back of the premises and disappeared.
King managed to remain at large while the police ranks faced the court.
But after almost two years on the run, King was arrested in French Guiana for simple larceny and subsequently deported back to Guyana.
Ironically, while the murder charge against her was dismissed, she too is still facing trial for the escape from lawful custody matter.
“I don’t know if they will use her to testify against the two ranks in their trial or if they will use the ranks to testify against her in her matter,” the source at Mahaica told Kaieteur News.
Whatever the case, another local legal mind believes that the accused are being unfairly treated because of the length of time they are facing trial.
“It is the system’s fault not the accused. After a while it becomes unfair to try the people. A man is entitled to a hearing within a reasonable time,” the attorney at law said.