PC Alpheus Parham is Freed of Manslaughter Charge

Police Constable Alpheus Parham has been on remand since May 2010 when he allegedly shot a man detained at the Caye Caulker Police Station. Alex Goff was in lockdown for disorderly conduct and assaulting a Police Officer when he allegedly got in an altercation with Parham and was shot in the head. In 2015 Parham was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter, but almost exactly one year later, he is a free man. This morning the Court of Appeal found that Parham had not gotten a fair trial, and would not get a fair retrial because the case is so high-profile. The panel found that the trail Judge had failed to direct the jury properly on the issues of self defence and also on the good character of Alpheus Parham. With that, after almost six years behind bars, Parham was free to go.

Simeon Sampson, Attorney for Alpheus Parham

“Today is a leap year and I’m sure Mr. Parham’s heart is leaping for joy. He’s been in jail now for almost six years. He was tried and convicted and today the Court of Appeal saw that there were too many errors in the summation by the Judge on points of law, and consequently Mr. Parham was set free a while ago and no retrial was ordered.”

Reporter

“What were your grounds?”

Simeon Sampson

Simeon Sampson

“Everything succeeded…wrong direction on provocation, wrong direction on accident, wrong direction on good character and the DPP conceded. That’s the most important thing. The Office of the DPP conceded.”