Lawyers denounce naming of woman as POI in Melissa Silvera murder probe

Lawyers representing a woman named as a person of interest by the police in the Melissa Silvera murder probe are expressing strong condemnation at the designation.

Yesterday, detectives assigned to the Major Investigations Division (MID) issued a notice to the public appealing for the woman to turn herself in.

But, lead attorney Valerie Neita-Robertson K C, in a media release this morning, accused the constabulary force of engaging in a defamatory portrayal of her client.

“Our client, whose identity has been erroneously released to the media, is not a person of interest, as confirmed by the police themselves just this week,” Neita-Robertson asserted.

She added: “You are aware that she is legally represented and despite being assured by law enforcement that she was not a person of interest, our client has faced undue intimidation as her name was thrust into the public sphere, creating unwarranted speculation in social media and every constitutional and common law due process requires you to speak to her attorney.”

According to the attorney, the unwarranted media attention has had a detrimental impact on her client's personal and professional life.

She wants the authorities to address her concerns.

“As legal representatives for our client, we will pursue all available legal avenues to address this injustice and seek appropriate redress for the damages caused by the unwarranted release of our client's name as a person of interest.”

Neita-Robertson appealed to the public to respect the legal process and refrain from making baseless assumptions about her client's involvement in the murder case.

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