A woman who was on the run for 20 years is scheduled for sentencing today.

The woman, Janet Thompson, pleaded guilty to absconding bail when she appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court, yesterday.

It was Thompson’s need for a police record that led to her ending up before the court as while the document was being processed she was was made aware that she had an outstanding warrant. An application was subsequently made to the court to have the matter relisted.

When the matter was called up, the court was told that Thompson was charged with assault in July 1999 after she allegedly hit a police officer who was in the process of apprehending one of her relatives.

Prior to Thompson’s guilty plea her attorney, Able-Don Foote, argued that his client had not absconded bail. He told the court that his client had come to court to answer to charges against her but did not hear her name called.

Insisting that Thompson had not fled but was going through a difficult period, Foote said the police knew where to find her.

According to her lawyer, Thompson gave birth to her daughter in August that same year and was suffering from post-partum depression. In addition, Foote told the court that Thompson had lost her mother to cancer in the same period and as such she was not “functioning in full capacity”.

Foote further stressed that Thompson came to court on her own volition. By this time, the clerk of court told the judge that they had located Thompson’s file.

The matter was subsequently stood down, but when the matter was recalled a sentencing date was subsequently set after Thompson pleaded guilty.

– Racquel Porter