ROSEAU, Dominica, Aug 17, CMC – Police officer, Joshua Hamlet, has been remanded to prison until October 2, as he became the second member of the Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) to be charged with murder following the discovery of the body of a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing last month.
Hamlet appeared in a magistrate’s court in Roseau on Monday charged with the murder of Jerbiah Paul who had been reported missing since July 24, 2026. He will next appear in a magistrate court in Portsmouth, north of here for reporting on October 2.
Last Thursday, 23-year-old police officer, Jean-Luc Langlais, was also slapped with a charge or murdering Paul, whose decomposing body was discovered in a precipice in Capuchin, north of here 24 hours earlier by members of the Barbados-based Regional Security System (RSS).
Like Langlais, Hamlet was not required to enter a plea since it’s an indictable matter. They have both been remanded to the State Prison and will make their court appearance on October 2 in Portsmouth.
Earlier, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called on Dominicans to allow the legal process to take its course as he extended his “heartfelt sympathies to the family and friend of the young girl who lost her life in an unfortunate and tragic way.
“Such incident is not something that we would wish on anybody or we welcome in our country. And so I can appreciate the trauma and the heartache which her family has been experiencing over the last several days,” Skerrit said, commending the police for what “I consider to have been a very professional and methodological and systematic investigation that was carried out”.
He said that while it is unfortunate that somebody is dead “but it’s also important that we look forward to justice being served and let the process carry itself. The courts are there, the judicial system is there. I will leave it to the police to do the work and I’ll leave it to the courts to do its work,” he added.
Meanwhile, the group, Circle of Friends Inc. Is calling for a stronger, coordinated approach to protecting children and young people across Dominica.
In a statement, the non-profit agency expressed deep sadness over Jerbiah’s death and extended condolences to her family, friends and loved ones. The organisation described her as a child with a future, dreams and contributions still ahead of her, saying her death should force society to pause and confront difficult questions.
Circle of Friends, which focuses on the needs of children and youth with disabilities and special needs while promoting support, access and advocacy for vulnerable, disadvantaged and at-risk families, is urging other civil society organisations not to simply express outrage after the loss of a young life and then return to business as usual.
The group is urging organisations to examine whether their programmes adequately address the risks young people face, whether children feel safe reporting threats or exploitation, and whether parents and caregivers are receiving enough support.
It also questioned whether services are reaching the most vulnerable young people and whether organisations are working together effectively.
Circle of Friends said child protection cannot rest solely with police, social services, schools, parents or individual NGOs and that it requires a whole-of-society response and stronger collaboration among organisations working in child protection, education, youth development, mental health, gender-based violence prevention, family support, community development, faith-based engagement, disability support, law and human rights, and youth empowerment.
“Jerbiah’s life should not become another statistic that fades from our national consciousness.
Let her death be a catalyst for action,” it said.
CMC/cj/ir/2026