Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore on Friday recused herself from ruling over the preliminary inquiry into the shooting to death of taxi driver, Jason De Florimonte who was reportedly shot and killed by his neighbour in August, after she stated that one of the parties involved in the matter approached her concerning the case.
Magistrate Azore informed the courtroom on Friday that she will be sending the matter back to the Chief Magistrate in order for her to reassign it to another court.
Even though she did not disclose whether it was a relative from the victim or the accused that approached her, she noted that she “doesn’t want anyone to tell her how to do her job”.
The preliminary inquiry into the alleged manslaughter was set to begin on Friday morning before Magistrate Azore. The accused Erwin Bacchus was ordered to make his next court appearance on Monday, September 17.
Bacchus, the owner of Tourist Villa Hotel, Subryanville Kitty, who allegedly shot and killed De Florimonte is on $1.5 million bail.
During his appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, defence attorneys Nigel Hughes and Glenn Hanoman told Magistrate Ann McLennan that their client was acting in self-defense on the day of the incident.
Hughes had disclosed that Bacchus fired two warning shots before shooting De Florimonte who had armed himself with a knife and rolling pin and attacked the hotel owner’s handyman.
As such, bail was granted to the accused. As a condition for bail he was required to lodge his passport with the court and report weekly to the Kitty Police Station.
On the day of the shooting, 30-year-old, De Florimonte of Fifth Avenue Subryanville, Kitty, Georgetown was reportedly assaulting his girlfriend in front of his home when the hotel’s handyman intervened.
However, this reportedly angered the now dead man who pursued the handyman to the hotel but was reportedly shot by Bacchus who went to the rescue of his employee.
