STAY AWAY FROM VICTIM
Two relatives of a 54-year-old man charged in a matter involving a female victim received a serious warning from Scarborough Senior Magistrate Annette McKenzie, after it was brought to the court’s attention that they approached the victim in an attempt to get her to discontinue the proceedings already before the court. The accused had not appeared in court on May 24, and on Monday when asked to explain his absence, he claimed that the victim said she was no longer proceeding with the matter. However, the magistrate made it clear that the victim had to say that before the court, and then stood down the matter. When the matter was recalled later, the victim told the court she had given no such assurance to the accused, and revealed that it was the accused’s relatives who had approached her with that proposal. They admitted doing so. The magistrate declared, "It’s illegal. It’s against the law! You all have admitted, so I know you all are innocent of the fact; you did it out of love for your brother. You all are not to interfere with a witness," she warned. "You are not to bribe her, threaten her, or anything like that, to induce her to drop the matter. Do you know you all can be arrested for that?" The magistrate stated that the victim was an adult and capable of making her own decision. "She is not to be coerced," warned the magistrate. The accused was remanded in custody and is to reappear in court on August 25.
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"STAY AWAY FROM VICTIM"