Judge rules attorney and businessman have a case to answer for alleged COVID curfew breach

Parish Court judge Nathalie Creary-Dixon has ruled that attorney Orinthia Lawrence and businessman Vivian Dowdie have a case to answer in relation to charges under the Disaster Risk Management Act.

The ruling was made on Monday in the St Catherine Parish Court.

As a result, the matter will be tried on May 8.

The accused were charged for alleged breaches of the Act at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They were allegedly out at a party along the Sligoville main road on February 23, 2021 after the stipulated curfew.

During the hearing the defence had argued that the crown failed to show that the accused acted in contravention of the orders and that the Crown did not establish a prima facie case against Lawrence and Dowdie.

However, that argument did not succeed.

The defence said the accused will defend their innocence from the witness box.

-Rasbert Turner

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