A second court in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has reserved seating specifically for the media.
When the Serious Offences Court re-opened on Monday after a three-month break, a media desk and chairs had been added for use by journalists covering the court.
Senior Magistrate Colin John now presides at the court after former chief magistrate, Rechanne Browne was appointed a High Court judge and assigned to St. Lucia on April 1, after a three-month acting stint.
Last year, magistrate John Ballah became the first magistrate to reserve space at a magistrate’s court specifically for the media.
The media desk was installed at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court, where the previous senior magistrate, Rickie Burnett, now a High Court, judge tried to ensure that journalists were always accommodated in the courtroom, even if he had to offer them chair from inside his chambers.
The desks at the two magistrate’s courts have been provided even as a desk at High Court No. 1, in Kingstown, which had seating for one media person, was removed more than a year ago and has not been replaced.