George Betson seeks Privy Council decision on eviction
Last June the Court of Appeal ruled that George Betson had no right to occupy a piece of land at mile two on the Northern Highway which he had been living on since 1973. And in July, police and court marshals proceeded in taking down the dwelling. This was after the Court found that Betson did not have a valid lease to the parcel of land, which measures two hundred and fifty by one hundred feet. Instead, another man, proprietor of the former Sanitation Enterprise Limited, Rupert Marin, had shown proper documents claiming the same parcel of land. But today Betson and his attorney, Hubert Elrington, were before the Court of Appeals to show that he has properly filed for a hearing before the Privy Council. Betson said the constant court battles have left him financially weak but hopeful while Elrington explained to us why they needed to go back to the Court of Appeal.
Hubert Elrington, Attorney for George Betson
“We had been given conditional leave to appeal to the Privy Council. This decision, Mr. Betson had won at the trial. We won hands down and in the Court of Appeal the decision was set aside so I had to appeal on behalf of Mr. Betson. But Mr. Betson is practically appealing in forma pauperis because you can’t get a penny out of him, not even a dollar he comes with. So I have had to be struggling to get the records put together. Now the rules governing the making of the records are very specific, the size of the type, the numbering of the pages, the numbering of the paragraphs, it is very, very specific and I have not complied with that in the hard copy. But I had the thing in electronic form so that it’s just a matter of pressing a button and I produced it in the form that is required. And I was able to show the Court of Appeal this morning, despite the very strenuous objections of learned Counsel Godfrey Smith. He brought a lot of cases but I had one there waiting for him and at the end of the day that case was good enough. So we live to breathe a couple more breaths.”
Marion Ali
“So what happens now?
Hubert Elrington
“Well, in seven days time the records have got to go off to London and I have to bring proof that they have gone off to London to the Court of Appeal and that they’ve gone off within seven days and then we proceed with the appeal at the Privy Council level. The Privy Council will say whether or not the property is his or Mr. Marin’s. That is the status.”
George Betson, Seeking Privy Council Decision on Eviction
“Like Mr. Elrington stated that he would take care of with this matter on a percentage basis, which is a lot easier for me under the circumstances. But this matter seems to be in the hands of the good germatician up at top to guide him. It’s very strenuous for me but it’s something that I have to deal with and pray for strength from above to deal with this matter. It’s not really over until it’s over.”
Marion Ali
“Where are you living now Mr. Betson?”
George Betson
“I live at number thee Partridge Street, renting.”
Betson’s story dates back as far as 2001 when he lost his lease to Rupert Marin. Betson fought the cancellation and Supreme Court Justice, Samuel Awich initially ruled in his favour, but the Appeals Court overturned that ruling last June in Marin’s favour. Under his lease, Betson had access to the land for a maximum of twenty-five years, but was given three years within which to construct a permanent structure on it, which he never did.
