MANDEVILLE, Manchester — A senior parish judge on Thursday referenced the 2018 sexual assault of two tourists at a Montego Bay resort to deliver a stark warning to justices of the peace (JPs): Thoroughly vet individuals before offering character references.

Justice John Tyme pointed to the case — in which a then hotel employee, who was wanted for rape in Manchester, carried out the attack — as a cautionary example of the dangers of unchecked endorsements, stressing that a JP’s signature can carry serious and far-reaching consequences.

“There is this case of Demar Scott. He was an entertainment coordinator at [a hotel] in Montego Bay. Demar Scott found himself in the room of two of the guests at that hotel. He had earlier stolen a gun. Having entered that room with those two guests he proceeded to sexually assault those guests. The gun fell and one of the guests used it and shot him… This was in 2018,” Tyme told 27 newly commissioned JPs in Mandeville.

“Demar Scott was wanted from 2015 by the Manchester police for rape. He was on the most wanted list, but he received a recommendation from a justice of the peace, who gave [a] recommendation so much so that [it] formed part of the document that got him that specific job. Therefore, it caused quite an uproar within the area of the justice of the peace,” added Tyme.

Scott was captured by the police in Clarendon a day after the reported assault of the visitors.

In March 2022 he appeared in the St James Parish Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of grievous sexual assault, and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

“When persons speak to you about making sure that when you affix your signature that you are, in fact, attesting to what you know, based on what you have researched, it is not abstract, it is real. I believe he [Scott] went to St Catherine… where he got the recommendation from, not here in Manchester. At the time you were justice of the peace in the parish and, therefore, one of the questions that the custos had on his mind was how is it that a justice of the peace for the parish of St Catherine gave a recommendation for a man who was from Manchester,” said Tyme.

“Now, with the change of the Justice of the Peace Act to now encompass the entire island of Jamaica, it means that in your space persons will come in for recommendation, maybe from other parishes, so do your research before you affix that signature,” he added.

Head of the Manchester police Superintendent Carey Duncan shared a similar sentiment at Thursday’s function held at Garden Hotel in Mandeville.

“The fastest way to lose public trust is to treat the JP seal like a favour. Say ‘no’ when you must. Verify identity, read the document; if something feels off, pause, because one careless signature can damage a life. One careful refusal can protect many,” he said.

Custos of Manchester Garfield Green said the commissioning of the 27 individuals will increase the cohort of JPs in Manchester to about 500.

“Based on our population and our ratio, we need a total of 2,000 JPs to adequately serve the people of Manchester, so we have another 1,500 to go. One of the challenges is that many of our JPs are aged, so we lose some to death,” he said.

“We are targeting the younger ones to come in and serve once they are suitable. We will commission them to serve as a justice of the peace, so I am asking persons to apply,” added Green.

He said the number of young people becoming JPs has steadily been increasing.

“Since I took office most of those who have been commissioned are under 40, so they are considered to be the younger group. We are looking at about 40 per cent of the batch that we have who are now considered to be amongst the younger people,” he said.

Among the requirements for people interested in applying to be appointed justices of the peace, Green said is that they must be at least 23 years old, must be a Jamaican, “must speak and write well, and your integrity must be sound and you must be of outstanding character in your community”.

Senior Parish Judge John Tyme speaking at Thursday’s commissioning of 27 justices of the peace in Mandeville, Manchester. (Photos: Kasey Williams)

The new cohort of justices of the peace in Mandeville are seen in this photo with civic, security and judiciary leaders seated following the commissioning ceremony on Thursday.