Three police officers have been freed of multiple charges for allegedly robbing two civilians, after prolonged delays in prosecuting their case.
Earlier this week, Dion Ottley, Ryan Grandison, and Steve Williams were discharged by High Court Master Margaret Sookraj-Goswami, who upheld an application filed by their legal team, led by Senior Counsel Keith Scotland, over the conduct of State prosecutors.
The officers were initially charged in early 2016, following allegations that they robbed two men of cash and jewellery while armed with their service pistols.
All three were jointly charged with four counts of misbehaviour in public office, while Ottley faced two additional charges for conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
Their sufficiency hearing under the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act (AJIPA) had been repeatedly adjourned over the years, as prosecutors cited issues with the indictments and challenges in securing key witnesses.
In a last-minute development before this week’s scheduled hearing, State prosecutors emailed the court stating they could not attend and were still unprepared to proceed with the case, which was meant to determine whether there was sufficient evidence for the officers to stand trial.
Scotland applied for the officers to be discharged under AJIPA provisions, an application Master Sookraj-Goswami granted, ruling that the State’s explanation for the delays was unacceptable.
The officers were also represented by attorneys Asha Watkins-Montserin and Sarah Carraz.