Accused want cases heard

Some accused who are on remand at Her Majesty’s Prison, Dodd’s St Philip, are questioning the repeated adjournments in their cases.

When they turned up in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court and prosecutor, Sergeant Carrison Henry asked for an adjournment, one politely turned to Magistrate Douglas Frederick and said: “Excuse me Sir when will my matter be heard.”

In one case, a young man said he’s the holder of seven CXC’s, is a graduate of the Barbados Community College and has been on remand for the past 24 months.

“I am wasting my time here, I could be studying at the university,” he told the court.

Another also voiced his concern, pointing out that he too had been on remand for 24 months.

Noting that so many things have changed over the years, Magistrate Frederick told them that there was a time when people would throng the surroundings of the court to see a murder accused but it no longer happens because there are so many murders today, and the same police officers have to carry out investigations into other offences.

“It is overwhelming,” he noted.

He said however that everything was being done to ease the situation.