Former Chief Magistrate to seek legal advice about engineer’s statements

Structural engineer Glenford Stewart of Stewart Engineering may have found himself in legal trouble after comments he made at a New Democratic Party (NDP) town hall meeting at the party’s headquarters at Richmond Hill last Wednesday.

Stewart spoke at the meeting in his {{more}}capacity as the designer of a modern medical facility which the NDP say they will build in East St George if they are elected to government on December 9.

During his presentation, Stewart, a former minister of transport and works under the NDP administration, said that persons tried to “rubbish” his name when the ‘Jack’s wall at Ratho Mill collapsed in 2008.

On Friday, September 19, 2008, 67-year-old Patricia Jack-Bowman lost her life when a huge section of businessman’s Alex Jack’s retaining wall at his Ratho Mill property broke and buried her car.

Speaking on Wednesday, Stewart said, “they tried to rubbish Stewart Engineering. You know about Jack’s wall, right? Let me tell you a little history about Jack’s wall. I designed an 18-foot wall that did not collapse. The owners of the property extended the wall 12 feet to 30 feet high, using block work. That block work was supposed to be a fence wall, not a retaining wall. They backfilled that wall with soil and when the rains came, the top portion of the wall fell and crushed the poor lady,” said Stewart.

He added, “… but you want to hear something else, this government appointed an inquest to inquire into the situation, but they selected the jury. They selected the jurors and gave them instructions; write it down, record it, record this; they instructed the jurors before the inquest started on who they must find guilty.”

Stewart went on, “I want to know who they were trying to save, because at the Coroner’s Inquest, you cannot find anyone guilty because no one has been charged…you check it out, the coroner, when I was giving evidence, the coroner said she doesn’t want to hear my evidence.”

The coroner in the Jack’s wall matter was Sonya Young, who was Chief Magistrate at the time.

Said Stewart, “I want to know who instructed her, because she couldn’t stay in St Vincent. I want to know who instructed her as well and you talk about justice in this country? Well, my name is Glen Stewart and as far as Stewart Engineering is concerned, you can’t touch me.”

As a result of the inquest, a jury found Stewart responsible in the collapse of the wall, but no action was taken against him by either Jack-Bowman’s family, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Colin Williams or by the homeowners.

During his presentation, Stewart hinted that the Rock Gutter inquest was also allegedly obstructed by persons in authority here.

“…the same thing with the Rock Gutter matter. Check the politics involved in that,” said Stewart.

The Rock Gutter matter is in relation to the minivan that plunged into the sea on January 12, 2015, killing seven students. On Tuesday, November 3, a five-member jury arrived at a verdict that the students’ deaths were as a result of manslaughter by gross negligence, for which driver Ravannan Nanton, conductor Ehud Myers and head teacher of the Fancy Government School Colbert Bowen were all culpable.

The coroner in that matter was Rickie Burnett.

SEARCHLIGHT has been reliably informed that Young is aware of the allegations made against her and will be seeking legal advice.

Young is now a judge in Belize.