No evidence, no case against accused P.G. child molesters

In October of 2003, it was headline news. We were treated to lurid tales of child molestation involving indecent assault and carnal knowledge… all part of a sinister international ring of child pornography that had its headquarters in the bucolic town of Punta Gorda. Various criminal charges rained down on three U.S. residents of P.G.: Dennis Bruce, Amos Capps, and Lee Jones. Bruce and Capps spent close to three months in prison until they could make bail, and the trio was subjected to a storm of vilification in the press and the radio talk shows.

The only problem was that it turns out that despite all the hype, the police never had any evidence. So almost two years after the alleged crimes, the Director of Public Prosecutions threw in the towel and filed a motion of nolle prosequi this morning in the Supreme Court sitting in Dangriga.

What happened? From the start, the case appeared to have all the markings of an overzealous police prosecution fuelled by local hysteria. By the time the D.P.P.’s office was informed, the case had taken on a life of its own–although why it took over twenty months to figure out there was no reason to prosecute has yet to be explained. Meanwhile, attorney Michael Peyrefitte, attorney for Jones, told News Five that he is contemplating suing former officer in charge of the Punta Gorda police, Cardinal Smith, for malicious prosecution.

It is understood that Capps, who has been ill for some time, and Bruce will be leaving the country permanently, while Jones, a noted author and bird expert who divides his time between Belize and California, will be returning sometime in the future.