Police express disappointment over “Papa” Brown case

They may not be able to prosecute the case in the courts, but the police can still air it in the court of public opinion. Today the police issued a statement expressing their disappointment that a major kidnapping case has been dismissed and the five accused have walked away free men. Police say Lionel Kelly, Andrew “Papa” Brown, and James Hyde had not only been facing charges of blackmail, aggravated assault, seven counts of conspiracy and kidnapping in connection with an incident involving the Requeña family of Gales Point on November sixteenth. Kelly, James, Brown, Hyde and Francis “Guy” Dawson had also been charged with a similar incident on December twenty-third involving Charles “Bruno” Leslie. The police say despite many hours of investigative work, all the victims decided to sign sworn affidavits asking to have their cases dropped and refusing to testify. Due to the nature of the incidents, the police say neither they, nor the Director of Public Prosecutions can do anything more if the alleged victims refuse to pursue the matter. They would like to remind the public that fighting crime requires teamwork and they need the support of the community for a safer Belize. The D.P.P. Adolph Lucas told News Five it is becoming increasingly common for victims of crime to decline to go to court.