Micobie man who spent nine years on remand was not indicted- DPP

Raymond Jones, the 58-year-old man who spent the last nine years on remand for murder, was not indicted, according to a statement issued on Saturday from the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

On Friday, High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon freed Jones.

Jones of Micobie Village in Potaro, Region Eight, was freed after Justice Kissoon found that Jones’ constitutional rights to a free trial within a reasonable time was breached by the State.

Jones was accused of fatally shooting Gary Joseph with an ‘arrow and bow’ on December 26, 2012, at Micobie Village. He was later charged and committed to stand trial in 2014 following a preliminary inquiry (PI) before a Magistrate.

One year later, in 2015, the DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack received the depositions for Jones’ case.

However, the DPP remitted the matter back to the Magistrate to “correct what has been described as several material irregularities and omissions on the part of that officer.”

The DPP Chambers Saturday said additional evidence was requested in 2015, October 2020 and in January 2021. But that evidence was not provided and as such, the DPP could not prefer an indictment.

An indictment is a formal, written accusation of a crime that is presented to court for the prosecution of an accused; in this case, Jones was the accused.

After indictable charges are instituted there is usually a preliminary inquiry (PI) or trial in the magistrate’s court. PI’s must be conducted for indictable offences such as murder, manslaughter and rape. And after the PI is completed, the DPP receives the depositions.

When those depositions are received, the DPP can either “prefer” an indictment- that is, the formal charges are presented to the judges in the High Court for hearing at the Assizes, or the DPP can discontinue the charges.

In this case, the statement from the DPP’s Chambers clarified that the DPP could not prefer that indictment in the absence of the additional evidence.

As such, it noted, “…there was no indictment against Raymond Jones” and so the Judge did not quash an “indictment.”