Special magistrate for tourists

A third magistrate will be sent to Tobago to deal with all matters relating to attacks on tourists on the island. At present, two magistrates sit in Tobago, but according to Chief Justice Sat Sharma, they are already burdened by the regular case load. CJ Sharma agreed to pursue certain proposals, which if implemented, would mean a better system of justice in Tobago. The Chief Justice met on Friday with the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Orville London, and Minister of State with responsibility for Tobago Affairs, Stanford Callendar. Also attending that meeting was Christie-Ann Morris-Alleyne, the Court Executive Administrator.

London had requested a meeting with the Chief Justice to discuss a number of issues dealing with the judiciary and to find solutions to the problems. Contacted yesterday, CJ Sharma said the Magistrates’ Courts in Tobago were already overloaded with cases and it would be adding pressure on the magistrates there to find more time to deal with cases involving attacks on tourists. The Chief Justice said this additional magistrate would hear all cases relating to crimes involving tourists-whether preliminary inquiry or summary. “You must remember, when tourists are attacked, whether they are robbed and assaulted, they tend to leave the country before anyone is apprehended for the crimes.

“This places a serious problem on the administration of justice. The police may detain suspects and recover items, but when the time comes for the hearing, the victims have already left. In most cases, they are also unwilling to return to give the evidence and the courts have no choice but to release the accused,” said Sharma. He said the additional magistrate to sit in Tobago would assist tremendously in dealing with this problem. He said with a third magistrate sitting on the island, and one who would deal exclusively with these cases, the victims would be able to give evidence against the suspects before they fly out to their respective countries.

CJ Sharma wants three State prosecutors to be assigned permanently to Tobago to assist in the prosecution of cases. At present, a single State prosecutor goes to Tobago when the Criminal Assizes sits on the sister island. The job of prosecuting in the Magistrates’ Courts fall on police officers. According to the Chief Justice, the posting of State prosecutors to Tobago would assist in ensuring that cases were properly conducted from the inquiry stage. The Chief Justice also revealed that plans would be put in place to have proper case management in Tobago, as well as to have an audio-digital system in the courts. He also planned to pursue the establishment of a forensic laboratory on the island.

Contacted yesterday, London said he was impressed by the approach of the Chief Justice. “He was on the ball from the start of the meeting. He knew the problems before we raised them. Some of the suggestions came from him,” London added. London said the meeting with the Chief Justice was just another in a series which he has been holding with different agencies to deal with the problems in Tobago. He said he had already met with the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Police, the hoteliers, and others including CrimeStoppers.

“We believe if you are to deal with the crime problem in Tobago in a sustained manner, we need to take an holistic approach to it. We decided to involve all the agencies and we started off with the police. We recognised that detention and apprehension are not enough. If the judicial process if not efficient, there could be delays. We cannot eradicate crime, but we must be able to control it,” the THA Chief Secretary added.