- RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Police officers and the military guard at the Home Circuit Court downtown Kingston on November 2, 2005.Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
THE ENTRANCE to the Kingston Coroner's Court at 79 Duke Street, downtown Kingston is a virtual dumping ground.
The employees feel that because they deal with matters concerning the dead they are left to work in deplorable conditions.
Pigeons live in the ceilings of the courthouse, which is on the third floor and are now proving to be quite a nuisance when court is in session.
"One day last week the court had to take an early adjournment as the coos and droppings from birds were too much to bear" a member of staff revealed.
Evidence of the droppings could be seen even on the wooden desk where Coroner Patrick Murphy sits when presiding in court.
Officials from the Ministry of Justice have been informed of the nuisance the birds are causing, but the members of staff say so far nothing has been done.
NO ELECTRICITY
The small courtroom with few benches has no electricity and according to the staff "there has been no light for more than a year". They cannot say why despite numerous reports , the Ministry of Justice has not sent electricians to fix the light.
The linoleum on the wooden floor in the courtroom and court's office is worn and full of holes. Some sections of the wooden floor displayed under the torn linoleum are decayed and full of holes, so the employees have to tread gingerly in those areas.
"It is time you people get ceramic tiles on the floor because people not using linoleum on floors again, " a member of the public said last week. He had come to the office to get a coroner's report to assist him in getting a death certificate . He said his brother died seven years ago and he was in the process of adopting his nephew so he needed documents to prove that his brother had died.
The courteous staff did everything to assist him and even called the hospital to get the date of the post-mortem.
Elevators are on the building but they have been out of service for years and according to the staff they are told they cannot be fixed.
"Elderly people and people with foot problems have a difficult time climbing the stairs to the third floor," a member of staff said.
On one occasion, the Coroner had to go downstairs to conduct court, because an elderly woman who was called to give a deposition was unable to climb the long flight of stairs.
"People complain a lot about the stairs when they come to court or come to get documents", one of the employees said. The workers say the courts make a lot of money in fines particularly in the traffic courts and it is their view that the court staff should not have to work in deplorable conditions.
LEAKS
The building leaks when it rains, but the workers say a part from getting wet at times, they do not have to worry about the furniture being destroyed because the few pieces of furniture in the office were only fit for dumping. They consider themselves fortunate to have a computer in the office.
Despite the deplorable conditions, the Corner's Court disposes of 15 to 21 cases each month.
