Judge irked by stalled sentencing hearings due to incomplete case files

Several sentencing hearings scheduled for today before the St Catherine Circuit Court had to be postponed due to absent case files, irking presiding judge Justice Bertram Morrison.

More than 20 matters down for sentencing had to be put off.

Among the affected cases were that of Andre Knight, the man convicted for the murder of a couple who were found in a shallow grave, and Mario Gopaul, a former court employee on arson and larceny charges.

Morrison bemoaned that he had travelling from St James to St Catherine to undertake the hearings only for matters to be stalled due to incomplete case files, arguing that this was unproductive.

"This is beyond me. I have driven all this way to only do one sentencing matter, due to the absence of attorneys and no social enquiry report on file," Morrison said.

He told the court staff that reports are crucial and must be addressed to have justice preserved.

The court was informed that though the probation department was notified ahead of the circuit, the office has been encouraging issues.

Morrison said the issue of incomplete case files must be dealt with and set February 23 as the new date for all the postponed sentencing hearings.

The judge also had a word for attorneys who fail to show up to court.

Morrison declared that the Jamaican Bar Association should be notified whenever lawyers act with impunity toward court appearances.

- Rasbert Turner

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