Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
A COMPLAINANT in a criminal case in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court, after attending court for 29 times between August 11, 2003 and June 8 this year, says she has fallen victim to the justice system.
"All I am seeking is justice," says business-woman Kimberly Adamou, "to have the case disposed of one way or the other."
Adamou says she is frustrated with the large number of adjournments. The offence was allegedly committed on May 30, 2003 and Ms. Adamou said the first court date was August 11, 2003. She said that since that time there have been 12 mention dates and 16 trial dates.
The accused is Wayne Baxter who is charged with larceny, assault and malicious destruction of property. Baxter was a former employee of Ms. Adamou.
She finds it to be time-wasting, attending court so many times, and has sought the assistance of several officials within the justice system. She says, however, that nothing has so far been done to expedite the matter.
"I have even received phone calls verbally abusing me from some of the high-ranking officials I have written to seeking their intervention," she disclosed. She said the most recent abuse came last week Tuesday when she was accused of copying a letter to other individuals who were not in the justice system.
ACCUSED
"I have even been accused of sending email to Government officials about the long delay in the case when all I sent was one email to a ministry official," she added. Ms. Adamou said she was seeking justice not only for herself but all other litigants who have had cases dragging on in the courts for such a long time. She disclosed, after repeated requests for her case to be tried, the trial finally started on Novem-ber 8, 2005 before Resident Magistrate Carol Edwards, continued on May 18 and, on both occasions, only lasted for 90 minutes. The case should have continued on May 31 but, on that day, Ms. Adamou directed her lawyer to ask the RM to excuse herself from the case based on certain comments made and the RM granted the application. The case is now set for mention on August 3.
She says during this week she will be meeting with Dr. Carolyn Gomes, executive director of the human rights lobby group Jamaicans For Justice, and former Commissioner of Police Colonel Trevor McMillan who chaired an Opposition Leader Bruce Golding-established committee which pro-duced the document, 'A Road Map for a Safe and Secured Jamaica'.
Attorney-at-law Hugh Thompson, who has a fiat from the Director of Public Prosecutions to prosecute, said Wednes-day that it was a fact that the case had been before the court for nearly three years. He also confirmed that Ms. Adamou had instructed him to ask RM Edwards to recuse herself.
Thompson said there was the reality that there was a shortage of Resident Magistrates and a serious backlog of cases. He said some of the adjournments were granted on the application of the defence.
