JLP CARETAKER Norman Horne made a formal apology to PACE Television producer, Deborah Gabriel in the presence of Supt. George Quallo, at Area 3 headquarters, on Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Horne had been summoned to Area 3 headquarters by Supt. George Quallo to give account of his actions on Tuesday evening at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville.
Deborah Gabriel, who is
from England and who is the producer and co-owner of PACE Television in Mandeville, made a report to Mandeville police at 9:00 p.m. last Tuesday evening, which alleged that Mr. Horne had behaved in a threatening and aggressive manner. The report also alleged that Mr. Horne attempted to sabotage video equipment after deciding to abandon an interview that had been arranged with himself and four JLP candidates in the local elections on June 19.
Supt. George Quallo stated that he considered the allegations to be very serious indeed and was concerned at the report which also alleged that three of Mr. Horne's associates intimidated and threatened Ms. Gabriel in order to recover a video tape that had been running when Mr. Horne was engaged in conversation with the show's interviewer.
Mr. Norman Horne admitted that his behaviour at the Golf View Hotel was an error of judgement and apologised to Ms. Gabriel who was also at the meeting arranged by Supt. George Quallo to resolve the matter amicably. Mr. Horne offered to foot the bill for repairs to a video mixer belonging to PACE Television, that had been damaged during the altercation.
Supt. George Quallo stated that whilst he accepted Mr. Horne's remorse at the incident, he would be keeping a close eye on the situation.
Speaking to The Gleaner after the meeting, Deborah Gabriel stated that she did not feel that Mr. Horne's actions tarnished the reputation of the JLP party, but was a reflection of his own character.
"I am amazed that a man in his (Mr. Horne's) position should behave in such a deplorable manner and he has set a very poor example both to his supporters and to the wider community. However, I accept Mr. Horne's apology and can only praise the way the incident has been handled, both by Supt. George Quallo and the Mandeville police."
