[www.inewsguyana.com] – The January 2015 Assizes for Demerara will be opened on Tuesday, January 13 and there are some 213 cases listed to be heard during the session, according to a press release from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Justice Navindra Singh, Justice Franklin Holder and Justice James Bovell-Drakes have been rostered to sit during this assizes. Meanwhile, the February 2015 Berbice Criminal Assizes will commence on Tuesday February 17 before Justice Brassington Reynolds who will commence sitting in January 2015. The February 2015 Criminal Assizes for Essequibo will open on Tuesday February 3 before Madam Justice Sandra Kurtzious who will commence sitting in January 2015.
The release went onto state “during 2014 we appeared in fifty (50) matters in the Court of Appeal. There are five Applications pending for Notices of Hearing of Appeals. 19 Appeals were dismissed and 6 matters were dismissed. Of these six Appellants, two died while awaiting their appeals to be heard while the four other appellants and their defence counsel made no court appearance.”
Ten Applications of Notice to Withdraw were granted while three appeals were struck out by the Court. Two Appellants had their Applications for Bail refused and one other Application for Extension of Time to file the Notice of Appeal was granted.
The Court allowed two Appeals. In one of these appeal matters, the Appellant had three separate Court hearings. The first Application was refused while at a second hearing, the Court granted him bail in the sum of $150,000 with surety in like sum. At the third hearing the Court granted his appeal and ordered a new trial by another Magistrate. The Appellant in the one other matter had his conviction and sentence set aside.
In the Demerara Full Court five (5) matters were heard during 2014 before Chief Justice Ian Chang sitting either with Justice Rishi Persaud and Justice Navindra Singh. In one matter, the Application by the defence to withdraw and discontinue the matter was withdrawn. In two other matters, the Applications for Extension of Time to file the Notice of Appeal were granted while one Application for extension of time was dismissed. One matter was struck out by the Court because there was no appearance by counsel for the appellant
The Berbice Full Court heard three matters before Chief Justice Ian Chang sitting with Justice Navindra Singh. In one matter, the Full Court found that it was the wrong Court to hear the appeal and transferred the matter to the Court of Appeal. Two other Appeals were dismissed.
In the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), four matters were heard during 2014 before Honourable Justice Denis Bryon, Justice Nelson, Justice Witt, justice Saundres, Justice Hayton and Justice Anderson. In one matter, the CCJ first granted leave to the defence to file an Appeal Out of Time. The CCJ then set a date for hearing of the said appeal, heard the appeal and dismissed it. In another matter, the Appellant’s Application for Bail was refused by the CCJ and referred the Applicant back to the Court of Appeal. In a fourth matter, the Application by the defence for Leave to Appeal Out of Time was dismissed.
