Two days after being discharged on attempted murder and arson charges because police misplaced evidence in the case, the parents of popular former model Yugge Farrell were, on Friday, back in court again charged with the same offences.
On Wednesday at the Serious Offences Court in Kingstown, Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias discharged Gailene Farrell and Calvert Charles.
Her decision came after the prosecution said they had been informed that police could not find the DVDs to which they had burnt the video interviews they had conducted with the accused.
The couple, which had been granted bail, had been waiting since last November for the commencement of a preliminary inquiry into charges that on Nov. 1, 2017 at Lowmans Bay, they attempted to murder Edward Durrant, a fellow villager.
They were also charged that without lawful excuse, they destroyed Durrant’s 12 feet by 16 feet wood and concrete house by fire and were reckless as to whether such property would be destroyed.
The preliminary inquiry was scheduled to begin last Wednesday, after several adjournments. However, they were discharged on Wednesday after the court was informed of the development.
But the couple was taken into custody Friday morning, where they were, again, slapped with the same charges.
When they appeared at the Serious Offences Court Friday morning, Browne-Matthias granted bail on the same conditions as she had done last year, but this time, did not order the couple to report periodically to police.
Bail was set at EC$30,000 with one surety. The couple was ordered to surrender their travel documents, stop notices were placed at ports of entry and exit, preventing them to leave the jurisdiction, and they were also ordered to seek the permission of the court to leave St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche told the court that everything was in place for the preliminary inquiry to begin as soon as Monday.
Defence counsel, Grant Connell, told the court that he still wished to proceed by way of paper committal.
“They have the DVDs?,” he asked in a somewhat mocking tone of voice.
The prosecution told him that the DVDs were accounted for, and everything was in place for the preliminary hearing to begin.
The parties agreed that the hearing would take place on Monday.
The couple is parents of Yugge Farrell, who made national headlines earlier this year after being charged on Jan. 4 with using insulting language to Karen Duncan-Gonsalves, wife of Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves the previous day.
The 22-year-old former model claimed that she was the years-long lover of the finance minister.
It is alleged that on the day that Yugge reportedly committed the offence against Duncan-Gonsalves, she also delivered to her a “blackmail” letter asking, among other things, that the charges against her parents be dropped.
Yugge went on to spend three weeks in a psychiatric hospital after the court granted an application by the prosecution, given in the absence of any supporting evidence that she warranted being sent for psychiatric evaluation.
It was later revealed that Farrell had a history of mental health issues.
She has been granted EC$1,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 17, 2018.
Is this not double jeopardy?
No, they were never actually tried and found innocent of this charge.
I don’t think this is double jeopardy since there wasn’t a trial and findings made by the court
There was no trial and verdict so double jeopardy is not applicable.
Keystone cops, first, last, and always.
For those who would like to experience a circus, but havent, do not disappear! The famous Wringlin Bros and Barnum went out of business,but you are in luck: You have one in the judiciary of SVG…
I trust that all those people who were shouting that the evidence was deliberately destroyed as part of a deal to dissuade Yugge Farrell from going public about her alleged affair with Camillo Gonsalves will now apologize for this outrageous charge of political corruption and judicial interference.
But these wicked evil sayers will never do so because they would make up any lie to try to discredit this democratically elected government which is why Dr. Gonsalves has had to put so many of them in their damn place by rightly suing them for defamation.
Again, as I said in my first post on this story and in countless other posts, the truth about these chronic mixups is very straightforward, as anyone who has lived in a developed and modern country outside the Caribbean would clearly know: we live in a backward, ignorant, lackadaisical, and incompetent country when it comes to the provision of most public services, especially the police.
The so-called forces of public evil in our country dont have the smarts to pull off any kind of complicated conspiracy, including rigging the 2015 election in Central Leeward.
Frankly, I wish they did because at least you can do something about trickery. But you can do nothing about incompetence, ignorance, sloth and other bad things except suck your teeth and move on.
I didn’t know that one can be cleared of all charges and then tried again for the same assumed crimes. Base from what i previously read…the judge did not say lets resume when DVD is found, she discharged them. Am I missing something here? :(((
The accused were discharged. They were never tried.
NO JEOPARDY
A few commentators, including ‘…Admin’ are correct. There was no trial.
Thus, the accused persons could not claim ‘…autrefois convict or
autrefois acquit’ (previously convicted or acquitted).
Given the lengthy delay and report that the ‘…technologically recorded
interviews’ were not available, the Court simply exercised its discretionary
power in ‘…dismissing the Complaints and discharging the accused.’
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is empowered to re-institute
the charges as obtained in the instant case. This is normal.
Public interest dictates that that this be done. Ultimately, it is about justice.
Why do people [in SVG] think that they can act with impunity?…….
Are we the people to believe that ms. Yugge Farrell went crazy and that she fabricated her story in order to blackmail the FM?
Sorry, we don’t buy that, some of us went to bed early, woke up early and learned well at school.
I would know if there are any investigative journalists in SVG looking into this? But there should be. I’m sceptical about the RSVGPF investigating this case.
Another thing, Politicians, cannot act with impunity, while in service of taxpayers, who pay their salaries. Polititcians should lead by example. What message are they sending when they refuse to answer to the people? Not even a statement.
Ms. Yugge Farrell has now joined the ranks of the many women worldwide who have been abused by elitist elements and treated unfairly.
I think it is a shame that society should just stand aside a let this young woman’s life be destroyed. If she had been the daughter of a prominent person, then, she would have been treated differently.
If SVG continues down this path, then there really is no hope for us. Integrity is dead in SVG.
+/- 40% unemployment, while representatives are beating their chest, about their accomplishments, claiming to be working very hard, yet, getting very little done. Shortchanging the people all the time.
That is why people[in SVG] think they can act with impunity.