From the Courts
August 15, 2017
Witchcraft will not help with your case – Chief Magistrate

The Chief Magistrate has warned that witchcraft will not help defendants with their cases.

On Tuesday, at the Serious Offences Court, Rechanne Browne-Matthias gave this advice to Dennis Richardson of Ottley Hall, who appeared before her, charged that on March 16, 2017 at Ottley Hall, he was in possession of an unlicensed firearm and three 12-gauge cartridges.

“You crossing up your fingers ain’t going help your case in here, anuh,” she told Richardson.

During the trial, Richardson produced two witnesses who testified that he was not in possession of the said firearm and ammunition when he was arrested.

Faustina Mason, the first witness, said they were all in conversation in the road at Ottley Hall when the police came and arrested Richardson. She further stated that Richardson did not have the bag in which the police found the firearm and ammunition. Mason noted that the police picked up the bag at a distance from where the defendant was and there was no way that the defendant could have thrown it where it was found, from where he was.

The second witness, Kim Charles, also stated that the defendant did not have the bag containing the firearm and ammunition when the police arrested him. She said the bag was retrieved from the bushes and the defendant was standing smoking with them when the police arrived.

Richardson, who maintained his innocence throughout, pleaded not guilty. He could be heard grumbling in the court that the police were fabricating evidence against him and he wasn’t going to do time for a crime of which he was not guilty.

The Chief Magistrate, in delivering her ruling, told Richardson that she was dismissing the charges because the facts did not line up and not because he was crossing his fingers throughout the hearing.

Browne-Matthias also stated that too many persons are coming to court making “all crazy signs and reeking of garlic” hoping that these things will help their cases, but the outcome of cases are determined by the facts.(JWC)