The number of charges brought against shooting victim Cornelius John increased by one, on Friday, when he was arraigned at the Serious Offences Court.
John appeared at the same court as Assistant Director of Public Prosecution, Karim Nelson, and Senator and Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Ashelle Morgan, who he alleged came to his house on April 13, when he was shot.
Director of Public Prosecution Sejilla Mc Dowall represented the Crown in the matters, while Ronald “Ronny” Marks represented Morgan and Nelson and Kay Bacchus-Baptiste appeared on behalf of John.
The DPP did not object to bail for any of the defendants.
John, a 60-year-old businessman, is facing three charges while two have been brought against Nelson and one against Morgan.
John is charged that on April 13, at Diamond, he “used threatening language to Nicole John in circumstances likely to cause a breach of the peace, to wit: he ‘would chop off my neck, sacrifice my head and blood to the devil with me and my children’.”
He is a further charged that on the same date and place, “used threatening language to Nicole John, in circumstances likely to cause a breach of the peace, to wit: ‘you want me to get a machine gun and kill you and your grandchildren and children and take alyo out’.”
A third charge is that on April 13, at Diamond, he “used threatening language to Ashelle Morgan in circumstances likely to cause a breach of the peace to wit he ‘had grenades and machine guns and that I should not get in his way or he will kill me and his wife’.”
John pleaded not guilty to all charges.
His lawyer asked that he be granted bail in his own recognisance.
Chief magistrate Rechanne Browne granted the application, and set bail at EC$2,500 bail in John’s own recognisance, meaning he was not required to provide a surety.
The court further ordered him to have no contact with the virtual complainant and adjourned and transferred the matter to the Calliaqua Magistrate’s Court for hearing on July 5.
Bacchus-Baptiste asked whether the matter between John and his wife should not be heard before the family court.
The chief magistrate said that the Calliaqua magistrate would make such a determination when the matter gets there.
Also on Friday, Morgan was granted EC$2,000 bail with one surety after she pleaded not guilty to a charge that on April 13, at Diamond, she assaulted John with intent to commit an offence to wit, wounding.
“We are having a stare down in here,” the chief magistrate asked as Morgan was standing in the dock and counsel Bacchus-Baptiste was at the bar table.
Bacchus-Baptiste asked for clarity on the chief magistrate’s comment and Browne said that she was noticing some staring between Morgan and Bacchus-Baptiste.
“What? No. As a matter of fact, my mind is on my client,” Bacchus-Baptiste responded.
John was not in court when his matter was called, initially, and his lawyer told the court that he was at the hospital and had been there since 7 a.m. that morning.
Nelson pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned on charges that on April 13, at Diamond, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded John, and that on the same date and place, he unlawfully discharged a firearm at John.
Nelson was granted composite bail in the sum of EC$10,000 with one surety and was ordered to surrender his passport.
The court ordered him to have no contact with the virtual complainant and ordered that stop notices be placed at ports of entry and exit.
The judges have political leaning and may be not be netural. That is the reason why the lawyer asked her to withdraw from.
That’s why u see crime will never stop in
st. Vincent
If Mr. John Threatened with a grenade, concealed in diamonds…these are serious threats that should have been recorded in a police statement….and why would I go into someone’s yard, knowing they said these life threatening statements?? This is weird…something sounds kinda twisted to me…This entire Case sounds more like a paradox, incoherent and incongruent…
Wow the colonizers demonized our people for ages and we’ve become like the colonizers..except we’re doing it to our own ..under the watchful eyes and guidance of our present day colonizer…the Lord Cumud. In yrs to come our grandchildren will look at the same Cumrod and his followers in utter disgust. Shameful indeed.
Shamblesssssssss
Why wasn’t these complaints made when the incident first occurred. This is a typical strategy from the defence playbook. Make a cross complaint and your opponent would not show up for court or the prosecution would withdraw the charges. The question the Magistrate should ask is, what motivated you (Morgan and the Deputy DPP) to make a report at this late stage rather than when the incident first occurred?
The point is we have a system of justice. Therefore, no one should take matters into their own hands as was done. These cases require a special prosecutor independent of the DPP. Someone from outside the jurisdiction. Everyone have unconscious biases and I am not confident these matters would presented fairly.
The Court is one of the greatest institutions in our democracy and therefore this should be the place where disputes are settled and where persons who have been violated gets justice. No one should be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Let’s see how these matters turn out.
Well, well what a time in this country. They could’ve kill the guy and not even been arrested only to be granted bail. This case is going to go nowhere. I bet any money, they are going to have a mistrial. […] Vincentians, justice is going to be perverted. Goodluck Cornelius John, you will have to go the civil route and get some compensation.
Briefed by the big boss perhaps
SVG’s Democracy is effectively dead. Lady Justice is wearing sunglasses lying on the beach in the Grenadines; the ULP Cronies are having a feast. Poor people (99% of the population) don’t stand a chance concerns Equal rights and Justice or anything else. We have seen this more than once, more than twice, more than three times.
DOES ANYBODY SEE EQUAL RIGHTS HERE?
A GOVERNMENT-RUN BY FOOLS. THESE INJUSTICES THAT YOU, GUNSLAVES, STAND FOR ARE COMING BACK FOR YOU.
SVG is a dictatorship, under Gunslaves’ autocracy, where low-life sleaze bags occupy Government seats, and he running around doing what?.
THE CARDS ARE STACKED AGAINST MR. JOHN, […] WHO WILL BE NEXT?
So this is where this case is heading? Mask persons intruded in a man’s home and he is charged with threatening them with no form of material to protect himself. He didn’t know the people behind the mask so how can he be charged with threatening them. He was probably afraid for his life and tried to scare them off.
What BULL SHIT “threatening language” is used for charges against John? He was attacked a shot and you are bringing charges against him. The criminals illegally entered his property with masks and the police didn’t bring charge against them. This is a sign that the police goon squad didn’t care about the actions these people took.
[…] Chief magistrate Rechanne Browne […] should throw out the charges against John because he didn’t know who these people were when they came to his home. There is another charge that should be brought against the three criminals, “illegal entry into the man’s property. Did this dummy magistrate think about that?
This entire legal system is a farce […] Guess what? What goes around comes around […] My mother had a saying, “If you do good, good will follow you, if you do bad, bad will follow you”. Ralph your children and grand-children will suffer for your actions. I do make mistakes, but I am never wrong.
It is now clear that those that are alleged to have committed the crime are using a questionable offence as a defence; along with that I wonder if they are going to say that Mr. John shot himself. It is all so very sad that things are going to such measures in order to protect what some are now calling the “untouchables”. Are there any witnesses that Mr. John said these things? In the phone interview between iwitness News and Mr. John’s wife, she said there was NO ALTERCATION BETWEEN HER AND MR. jOHN ON THAT DAY. Kenton may have unknowingly exposed very important evidence that will “shoot down” the counter attack.
Shame on SVG
Mr John seems like he has some serious issues to deal with. men like him who would [allegedly] make such horrible threats to their loves one don’t deserve this public outcry he is getting, he needs serious help, I would like to know the reason why the other two was there, to be mixed up in this horror show she should step away and resign.
And therefore being charged –these Government officials should be placed on LEAVE!!!
The more time I wasted on reading about this case, where Mr. john was shot the crazier I become. There’s nothing alleged here, the man was shot and he has the scares to proved it, period. What is amazing for ten weeks no one was charged. Even though the victim identified the people involved in the case. The PM became involved before the police, therefore setting the tone as to how the case will proceed. The senator called the PM. […] I think the only way forward with this case and to satisfy the masses. The government must resigned, then the heads of the police hierarchy along with the Dpp […] In my view, that is the only way we can save SVG. We are heading towards a titanic conclusion, The PM is singled handedly dismantling our democracy for twenty years. SVG should be enrage, the government is constantly trying to extend control over the lives of our people. just saying
The case is “in defense of women” with three witnesses against John and John being presumably his own witness. Do we have enough facts to guess the outcome?
And what about the charges for trespassing ? Is justice only for the rich? Is justice only for friends and family ? If so, then justice is uneven and one sided.
What rubbish am I really reading. Is this a joke or what. The victim getting the most charges, Is this for real. Smh