Boucher free of indecent assault charge

Walter Vernon Boucher is now a free man after a jury found him not guilty, by majority verdict, of an indecent assault charge.

The Crab Hill, St Lucy resident had been on trial accused of committing the act against a girl sometime between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016.

Justice Randall Worrell delivered the summation in the case on Friday morning and the eight-member jury retired to reach a verdict.

However, after hours of deliberations, they returned to the court and told the judge that they had not reached a unanimous verdict.

They were then instructed by Justice Worrell to try again to either reach a verdict on which all of them could agree or one on which the majority could agree.

Around 2:26 p.m. the forewoman returned and informed the No. 2 Supreme Court that while they had not reached a unanimous verdict, six of them had agreed on a not guilty verdict while the other two decided that Boucher, who is in his late 60s, was guilty.

Justice Worrell then dismissed the jury after thanking them for their service.

“Mr Boucher, the jury has found you not guilty. You are free to go,” he told the accused who briefly spoke to his lead defence lawyer, Arthur Holder and walked out of the dock into the arms of a family member who hugged him.