Barbados Judge Criticizes Court Backlog as 2011 Break-In Case Stalls Again

A senior judge in Barbados has expressed concern over mounting delays in the justice system after lawyers in a 14-year-old burglary matter were unavailable due to homicide proceedings.

Barbados Judge Criticizes Court Backlog as 2011 Break-In Case Stalls Again

A senior jurist in Barbados has voiced sharp displeasure over how homicide trials are creating bottlenecks that leave other serious criminal matters in limbo, after a home-invasion case first filed in 2011 was postponed once more.

Justice Anthony Blackman sounded the alarm during a hearing at the No. 3A Supreme Court, where three defendants stand accused of unlawfully entering the residence of Roxanne Staglon-Patterson in March 2011 and removing valuables totalling more than BDS$61,000. The items allegedly taken included a safe, two bracelets, multiple bottles of spirits, and cash in both Barbadian and United States currency. Cindy Jamiliah Horton, Kevin Anthony Evelyn, and Nicholas Andre Harewood have all denied the charges.

When the matter came up for hearing, neither of the defence barristers was free to proceed. One was already occupied with a gun-related prosecution, while the other was about to embark on a murder trial. Principal State Counsel Joyann Catwell told the bench that since the file was elevated to the superior court, the Crown has repeatedly found itself ready only to be told the accused's representatives were unavailable because they were engaged elsewhere.

Catwell described the matter as ancient and noted that her records show the prosecution has been prepared on every listing date. She placed this fact squarely on the court record, Barbados Today reported.

Justice Blackman, who inherited the file in February of this year, warned that the pattern cannot persist. He argued that while slaying cases understandably draw attention, every litigant before the bar deserves resolution. He asked rhetorically what becomes of ordinary citizens seeking redress when the docket is consumed by capital offences, and he called on someone in authority to make a policy choice rather than allowing the paralysis to continue.

The jurist signalled that the proceeding will eventually have to move forward regardless of scheduling conflicts. The matter has now been set down for June 15.

Source: Google News BB — Crime