American banker charged with manslaughter in Anguilla calls it 'a living nightmare'

Scott Hapgood, a Connecticut banker on vacation with his daughters, faces manslaughter charges in Anguilla after a fatal scuffle with a hotel worker. He says his family has been "hanging on by a thread."

Connecticut banker fights manslaughter charge in Anguilla, cites withheld toxicology report

Scott Hapgood, 44, an account manager at UBS Global Asset Management, has been on administrative leave since April, when he was charged with manslaughter on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. "We have been living a nightmare," Hapgood said at a press conference Tuesday, as reported by abcnews.com.

Hapgood, a Connecticut resident, was vacationing with his family at the Malliouhana Resort on April 13 when a man in a hotel uniform knocked on the door of his room, minutes after his two daughters — aged 12 and 14 — had returned there on their own, according to a statement released by the family in May. The man, identified by Anguilla police as hotel maintenance worker Kenny Mitchel, allegedly demanded money from Hapgood after claiming he had come to fix a broken sink.

A physical confrontation followed, which the family described as Hapgood "fighting for his life," before a security guard intervened. Hapgood was taken to hospital, and it was only while giving a witness statement at the police station that he learned Mitchel had died.

Bail conditions force repeated transatlantic travel

At Tuesday's press conference, Hapgood appeared alongside his international defence attorney, Juliya Arbisman, who criticised the bail conditions imposed on her client. Those conditions require Hapgood to attend procedural court hearings in Anguilla three times within a single week. Although the pair travelled to the island on Monday, they are required to return on Thursday — even though the Anguillan attorney general intends to request an adjournment during that hearing, Arbisman said.

A request for Hapgood to appear by video link was denied by the attorney general "without explanation," according to Arbisman. Hapgood cannot remain on the island between hearings due to security threats. "We were advised, in the context of a security warning by the police authorities, that the less time he spends in Anguilla the better," Arbisman said, calling the attorney general's decision "cruel and unreasonable."

Hapgood, for his part, pledged to "fully comply with the requirements of the court."

Defence alleges toxicology report withheld for two months

Arbisman further accused prosecutors of withholding a toxicology report for more than two months. That report, she said, showed that Mitchel "was not only drunk, with a blood alcohol level that is double the legal limit in the U.S., but also high on cocaine and other drugs when he attacked Scott."

ABC News was unable to obtain confirmation from Anguillan officials regarding Arbisman's claims about the toxicology results.

"During those months that the report has been withheld, the AG has allowed a portrait of Mr. Mitchell to persist in the media that is at odds with what we now know to be true," Arbisman said. "I worry about Scott's ability to get a fair trial when relevant information is withheld and a persistent narrative has been given to potential jurors, the people of Anguilla, which is based on falsehoods and admissions."

Hapgood and Arbisman declined to elaborate on the events that preceded Mitchel's death.

'Hanging on by a thread'

Hapgood said the ordeal has been "terrifying" for his daughters and that his family has been "hanging on by a thread" since their trip to Anguilla. He maintained that he and his family were victims, and expressed confidence that "the truth will come out."

"We have a long road ahead of us, but I'm looking forward to someday getting back to the life we once had," he said.

Source: Google News AI — Crime