Jasmine Hartin Appears in San Pedro Court for Additional Disclosure Materials
Accused of manslaughter by negligence in the death of Senior Superintendent of Police, Henry Jemmoth, Jasmine Hartin appeared before the San Pedro Magistrate Court this morning. There, the prosecution submitted additional pages of disclosure and several D.V.D.’s related to the allegation against her. The question is: will all this be enough to convince the court on March thirty-first that the matter should be taken before the Supreme Court of Belize for trial? News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Jasmine Hartin is another step closer towards facing trial for the charge levied against her in the death of Senior Superintendent of Police Henry Jemmott. In a disclosure hearing inside the San Pedro Magistrate Court, the prosecution submitted seventy-eight pages and three DVDS containing the arguments they are prepared to put forward in the trial against Hartin. These materials, in addition to the eighty-one pages of evidence submitted in a previous disclosure hearing, makes for a total of one hundred and sixty pages that Hartin and her attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley must now sift through.
Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney At Law
Richard “Dickie” Bradley
“Procedurally, Ms Jasmine is required to be given full disclosure in the indictable matter, which is a case everybody is focused on. Today in court she was handed by the prosecutor Sargeant Andrews the remaining pages which amounted to seventy-eight pages of disclosure and three DVDS. They are completing the burning of two others, which is then complete, giving all the information which the prosecution hoped to marshall when the day for trial comes.”
The preliminary inquiry, a hearing in which the judge will review the evidence to decide if there is enough evidence to have a trial, has been set for March thirty-first 2022. And with the pages and pages of evidence and dvds, the prosecution’s case against Hartin, at the onset, appears to be thorough.
Richard “Dickie” Bradley
“A lot of times when you see large disclosures, they are banking on quantity. But, we are interested in quality. We would want to see which statements really contain the matter that goes to the allegation. The rest would just be fluff and formalities. Remember there were only two persons on the peer and one is not here. So, a hundred and eighty pages are most interesting.”
Paul Lopez
“Anything eye popping initially that gives you the trembles?”
Richard “Dickie” Bradley
“It is too early to say. Remember, I am not charged, but I know Jasmine is going over each page several times and she makes notes and she is in communication to be of assistance with us.”
As for Hartin, who has been going over each page of the prosecution’s evidence against her, she had this to say.
Jasmine Hartin, Accused of Manslaughter by Negligence
Jasmine Hartin
“The first round of disclosure I received had a lot of shocking surprises I should say. I haven’t been able to go through these as yet. But, it has been interesting so far, yeah.”
According to attorney Bradley, a Queen’s Council in Britain has offered to assist Hartin in the case.
Richard “Dickie” Bradley
“They are going all out for the kill, no pun intended. But, that is the state of affairs. So the magistrate is going to hold a preliminary inquiry at the end of this month March and commit the matter to the next available session in the Supreme Court.”
Reporting for News Five I am Paul Lopez.
