Health check for soldier

When the court martial of Barbados Defence Force (BDF) Private Raheem Reeves resumes next Wednesday the panel will be told whether he is fit to stand trial.

Reeves has been granted sick leave until September 7 by the BDF’s medical doctor. At that date he would be scheduled for further evaluation.

Judge Advocate, Principal Crown Counsel Krystal Delaney advised the panel’s president Lieutenant Commander John Mapp to adjourn the matter until September 8, when the contents of that evaluation are made available.

Reeves is charged with leaving his duty station at the St Ann’s Fort headquarters on March 14, 2021 without reasonable excuse. He was assigned as part of a COVID-19 Sanitization Unit.

When the matter resumed this morning at Hodgson Hall, St Ann’s Fort, the Judge Advocate said she was in receipt of an application for sick or compassionate leave as well as a certificate from the BDF’s medical unit.

Moments earlier Delaney had rejected a request by Reeves’ legal team of Queen’s Counsel Michael Lashley, Dr Lenda Blackman, Simon Clarke and Sade Harris for the court martial to be dissolved.

In his submission, Lashley argued that due to the delay in bringing Reeves’ back to trial it would not be “prudent or practical” to continue the trial within a reasonable time.

He told the Judge Advocate that she had the power to dissolve the court martial having regard to the circumstances.

“The court has further discretion to try him under another court martial,” the attorney pointed out.

“The question is whether it is practicable, reasonable, prudent or whether it is just or in the interest of justice to carry on this court martial against a man who has been deemed unfit. The question is not whether Private Reeves is guilty or not guilty. Justice must not only be done but seen to be done.

“I hope that commonsense prevails and we put aside all of our prejudices and treat to the matter at hand in a fair and just manner,” Lashley noted.

In his response, prosecutor Captain Neville Corbin argued that there was no reason for the court martial to be dissolved at this stage.

The Judge Advocate agreed with the prosecution that with the matter being adjourned for just five days it would not constitute an unreasonable time.

She pointed to several instances throughout the court martial which began on August 23, where the day’s proceedings were cut short to accommodate defense counsel.

“It cannot be said that he is not able to get a fair trial considering how we have worked thus far. A further week will not make the trial unreasonable and I will advise the president not to dissolve the panel at this stage,” Delaney said in her ruling. (RB)