As a murder accused walked free yesterday, a High Court judge has urged lawmen to ensure that all accused in their custody have access to an attorney in a timely manner.
The advice has come from Justice Pamela Beckles as she threw out the oral and written statements allegedly given by Shamar Omar Ishmael to police during their investigation into the murder of Kelvin Brewster.
“Police officers must understand and appreciate an accused’s right to have access to counsel whilst he is in custody, and to facilitate that contact with counsel in a timely fashion and to not do anything to impede that access,” she said, as the state asked that the 12-member jury return a formal verdict of not guilty in the matter.
“The failure of the police officers to inform the accused that an attorney at law had arrived at the police station to see him and communicate with him was very serious,” the judge said. (HLE)
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