Justice Pamela Beckles has declared that she will be prioritising the trial of two sexual offence matters later this year because of their age.
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The judge was speaking after the complainants in the two cases indicated they still wanted the matters to proceed to trial.
The two matters were part of an arraignment day in the No. 5 Supreme Court yesterday, which was put on after “we went through and brought up all the old matters”.
“I don’t care if we’re doing 20 matters, this is starting on the trial date,” Justice Beckles said of the case involving Ravindra Debisarran, of Wavell Avenue, Black Rock, St Michael, who is accused of having sexual intercourse with a girl without her consent on June 22, 2010.
The girl, who said she was between eight and 11 years old at the time and was now 26, had just told the court she wanted to continue the matter.
The judge then set December 1 as the date for trial.
Justice Beckles then said the 14-year-old rape matter against Carl Leslie Hinds will go to trial this year after the complainant appeared and said she was still interested in testifying. The complainant, now 27, was 12 at the time.
Hinds, formerly of Sinckler Road, Haggatt Hall, and now of Lodge Crescent, St Michael, is accused of having sexual intercourse with a female without her consent on December 24, 2012.
“This matter is 14 years old. Because of the vintage of this matter, this is one that we want to get off the ground his year,” the judge stressed as she set November 5 as the date for trial.
Meanwhile, Justice Beckles transferred another matter to the No. 4A Supreme Court.
Kobie Matthew Gittens, of Taitt Hill, St George, was before her accused of having sexual intercourse with a girl on April 1, 2009.
“I was the magistrate who committed this matter in 2011. Tell me why, in 2026, this matter is now coming before me?” the judge asked. (HLE)