KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Nov 6, CMC – The Office Director of Public Prosecutions says it will not pursue the criminal case against teacher and activist Adriana King, who had been accused of trying to block then-prime minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves from entering Parliament on August 5, 2021.
Earlier this week, the Court of Appeal overturned the May 28, 2024 order by Magistrate John Ballah staying the case permanently tat had left open the possibility of the charges being prosecuted.
But during his appearance at the Court of Appeal, Crown Counsel Cornelius Tittle announced that the DPP’s office had no interest in pursuing the matter but was interested in the point of law, namely a clarification as to when a magistrate can stay a matter due to delay.
The Court of Appeal commended the DPP’s office for its position, and the president of the three-judge panel, Justice of Appeal Trevor Ward KC, said he’s holding the DPP’s office to their word.
King represented herself during Wednesday’s appearance before the Court of Appeal and as a result, the case will be remitted to the magistrate’s court, where the prosecution is expected to formally discontinue the charge.
In making his decision in 2024, Ballah had relied on the Magistrate’s Court guidelines for the stay when there is a delay.
However, the Court of Appeal held that these are guidelines and not to be relied on as limits, noting that in King’s case, the defendant was responsible for five adjournments, the prosecution for two, and the court for one, over two years.
The Court of Appeal further noted that the application for stay was made in October 2023 and the stay granted in May 2024.
King’s legal team had applied for the stay but requested adjournment twice between the application and the judgment.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the delay did not prejudice the defendant and set aside Ballah’s decision.
King had been charged that on August. 5, 2021, she attempted to impede Gonsalves’ access to the House of Assembly. The incident occurred as hundreds of protesters gathered in Kingstown to demonstrate against proposed legislation mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for public sector workers, which was later passed into law.
King said that while she expected the court to rule as it did on Wednesday, she is concerned about the public’s doubts about her innocence, since the court never vindicated her.
“You have that to turn to. You can say to people, ‘Well, they lost their case against me because they had no evidence, because they failed to prove what they were accusing me of.’ So, you have that to say. But when a matter is nolle prosequi, as they say, you don’t have that”King said, maintaining that she would have won the case even if the state had not decided to drop the charges.
So, for instance, I started off initially charged with blocking Ralph Gonsalves from entering Parliament, then it was changed to me doing something to block him from entering Parliament, and then it was changed to me doing something that could have led to him being blocked from Parliament — more or less thinking about doing it,” King said.
King was suspended from the classroom after the charge. She insisted that authorities should interdict a defendant only if the matter relates directly to their work or if they suspect the worker is interfering with students.
The interdiction placed King on half pay.
CMC/kch/ir/2026