Man freed of gun charges again
Published:Wednesday | January 26, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
A shooting case against 29-year-old Rameish Simpson, of White Horses, St Thomas, has been dismissed in the Gun Court because the complainant cannot be located.
This is the second time within a year that Simpson has been freed in the Gun Court.
Attorney-at-law Christian Tavares-Finson applied yesterday for the case against Simpson to be dismissed for want of prosecution.
Acting Supreme Court judge Evan Brown granted the application.
It was reported that the complainant had gone abroad and did not leave a forwarding address.
Simpson was charged with shooting with intent, wounding with intent and illegal possession of a firearm after he was accused of being involved in a drive-by shooting last year in Yallahs, St Thomas.
2009 case
In January 2009, Simpson, who was allegedly rescued from the police by Western St Thomas Member of Parliament James Robertson and taken to hospital, was freed of gun-related charges in another case.
He was accused of shooting with intent at the police and illegal possession of firearm.
Simpson had said in his defence that the police wanted to kill him.
Justice Kay Beckford upheld submissions from defence lawyer Charles Ganga Singh that the Crown did not prove its case against Simpson.
Following Simpson's rescue in January 2009, Robertson, who is also the minister of energy and mining, was summoned to the Yallahs Resident Magistrate's Court.
He was served with summonses for obstructing the police and using abusive and calumnious language.
When Robertson appeared in court, he apologised to the police and the court for what had happened.
Resident Magistrate Andrea Thomas admonished and discharged him.