TWO disturbing legal developments caught my attention recently and I have decided to comment on both of them. The first focuses on the preliminary inquiry, or PI, of the triple murder accused, George Blanchard which has to be done all over again and I hastily ask the question, why? Why should this matter have to go through the process of hearing witnesses and the lot when this was done already? What happened to the PI conducted by Magistrate Sobers? What became of those notes? In a Guyana situation where notes are manually taken with strict accuracy by the presiding magistrate, what happened with those court documents? Are they telling us that because that magistrate is on leave and his contract might not be renewed that everything he did should be thrown out? Are they subtly saying that transcripts taken by that magistrate likewise “go on vacation”? If this is the case then I shudder at the outcome of this matter. A magistrate going on leave does not preclude the fact that this aspect of the case was dealt with already. The next step is to proceed with the trial.
In all the inordinate delays, what is bound to happen is a bungling of the case and the unconscionable reality is the guilty walks free. This is the certainty of this matter because to call all those witnesses again some of whom would have died or migrated seems an exercise in futility. There is the possibility also, that a person’s memory fades, what would have been so fresh in one’s mind today will not be the same two years down the road when other variables are taken into consideration. There is even the possibility of one’s emotions coming into play. As oftentimes happen, hearts might have softened up towards the accused among other realities. The point is, Blanchard is sitting pretty right now. He shares the likelihood of walking free from this heinous crime all because the system let those kids down. This is the uncomfortable reality of this whole situation. What has taken our justice system so long to get this matter off the ground? What is going on in Guyana?
 The other matter is the total dismissal of the case against the Irishman who openly threatened to shoot the President. Now why was that guy pardoned without even the matter having a hearing or a trial? I stand corrected on this one but this is the story we were told. Crossman, was “apparently intoxicated” (note my use of the term apparently intoxicated) because we are all wary of that ‘I was drunk when I did it’ argument when someone intentionally wants to do something evil. So, as the story goes, while this youngster was “apparently drunk”, he made the bold threat of shooting the President dead. He was cautioned not once but thrice by those around him to no avail. He was arrested and the next thing we know this guy is free, all matters dismissed.
My question is why was the matter dropped? Was it a matter of highhandedness on the part of government or political interference in a judicial matter? Then if it is, Guyana is a poppy show. Here we have a blue-eyed white boy – not a racial slur, I just want to establish a point – can walk into Guyana, openly break the law and all he gets is a slap on the wrist “naughty boy.”  This tells me the colonialist mentally is alive and well in my country. Why should a matter as serious as this be dropped without him spending at least a few weeks in one of the smelly lockups of a local  jail is beyond me. This guy should have been taught a lesson. If I may crave your indulgence, let us picture the scene of a Guyanese conducting himself in such a manner, drunk or not, in Ireland or the US, think of what would happen to him; even if that Guyanese was a Mother Theresa?
I must hasten to  close by saying this, in my book Crossman should have spent a few weeks in a common prison then pardoned. This would have sobered him up to the consequences of his foolish actions. Failing this we have now opened up the floodgates of making our country a doormat.