KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC- The defence attorney in the preliminary inquiry into the murder of Glenn Jackson, former press secretary to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, has asked the acting chief magistrate to excuse herself from hearing the matter since her husband might be called as a witness. Kay Bacchus-Browne, who is representing the accused Francis Williams, made the application when the hearing began in Kingstown on Wednesday after a fire at the court forced a postponement from July 24.
Bacchus-Browne also wants the magistrate, Sharda Bollers, to excuse herself from the hearing if the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) was involved in the investigations. The magistrate was at the time of the investigation director of the FIU. Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Colin Williams said that the magistrate’s husband, Martin, who is the manager of mobile service provider, Digicel, assisted with investigations. Williams said anyone who assisted in the investigations was a possible witness but did not say whether Mr. Bollers would be called to testify. Bacchus-Browne, however, said was surprised the prosecution still did not know who their witnesses would be. Williams, in responding, said Bollers was not a primary witness and the prosecution could always decide whether it was necessary to call him. Magistrate Bollers said that the prosecution will on September 7 tell the court if Mr. Bollers would be called as a witness. Jackson’s nude body was found in the back seat of his car, 800 feet from his East Kingstown home on March 6 with a gun shot wound to the chest.