Justice must be swift and fair
Published:Thursday | March 6, 2014 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I recently heard the news that the Cuban light bulb trial has been postponed once again.
I believe, for this case, the time has been far spent; enough time has been used to put together evidence and to gather and prepare witnesses for testimony, both for and against those accused.
My concerns are not just for those accused, but for the State as well. Everyone deserves a fair and speedy trial, and in my opinion, this whole issue has been hanging over the heads of those accused for too long. It has interrupted their lives to some extent and this is not good.
One may argue that there are other persons in similar situations but no one is making any call for their speedy trial. The fundamental difference is that many of those cases are not highlighted by the media every step of the way.
Our laws stipulate that one is innocent until proven guilty, but based on the amount of focus placed on this trial, I am certain that if a study were conducted, the findings would show that in the realm of public opinion, these persons, Kern Spencer and Colleen Wright, have already been found guilty.
LONG WAIT FOR TRIAL
Our justice system needs significant attention. In 2009, when I was called to jury duty, one of the two cases tried in that three-week period dated back to 2002 as the time when the crime was committed, yet the trial didn't take place until seven years later. This is very long time for one to be either found guilty or have his/her name cleared.
I am calling on the Ministry of Justice to look into the matter of cases pending or being on the books for more than five years. They need to have serious consultations with the different entities involved in the process - from investigators to prosecutors and from defence attorneys to lay magistrates and judges - with a view to clearing the present backlog and to also ensure that justice is served swiftly and fairly.
Gary Rowe