Too many cases of sex, murder, not enough jurors
MONTEGO BAY, St James
High Court Judge, Jennifer Straw yesterday expressed alarm at the number of sexual offences listed for trial during the Easter session of the St James circuit court and urged the country’s stakeholders to pay serious attention to stemming the rate of abuses.
Justice Straw, who filled in for Justice Norma McIntosh, noted that of the 28 matters to be tried during the three-week session which started yesterday, 15 related to sexual offences; 11 for murder and 2 for wounding with intent.
Describing the growth of sexual offences as “alarming, especially as it relates to our children,” Justice Straw said Jamaica’s children are rapidly losing the value of being children in the face of what had become an endemic problem.
The session, which is set to get under way this morning, with two cases down for trial, is also scheduled to deal with a 15-year-old girl on a
capital charge.
In the meantime, Justice Straw, who will be sitting in the Western Regional Gun Court, made reference to the limited number of jurors present for
the opening.
“We all want justice but don’t want to pay the price. Too many citizens are trying to evade jury duty and this is having a negative effect on the delivery of justice in St James,” she said.
