Orel Leslie Kept in Jail for Easter

Orel Leslie Jr.

He is behind bars after being caught out after a court-ordered curfew, having made bail in a case dating back to 2012. But Orel Leslie Junior will not be headed home for the Easter holidays after Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin today denied his request to go back on bail. Representing Leslie, Bryan Neal argued that his client has learned his lesson and requested another chance, but the Chief Justice ruled that the circumstances had not changed. When Leslie was first granted bail before Justice Denis Hanomansingh three weeks ago, he was ordered among other things to be in doors between nine-thirty at night and six-thirty in the morning each day. But the day after, a police officer testified that he personally witnessed Leslie at a local establishment in violation of the curfew, and that he ran from police when spotted. The Chief Justice’s view was that Leslie failed to make good use of his first opportunity and saw no reason to grant him another. But he ordered that Leslie’s case, along with that of Tyrone Meighan and Brandon Baptist, be assigned to new Justice Collin Williams and given reasonable priority. In November 2012, the trio was acquitted of the murder of Belize Defense Force soldier James Noralez, but on appeal by Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Vidal to the Court of Appeal, a re-trial was ordered and is pending.