Jerry Seales to appear in court

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Parent Category: Feb 2012

Category: Week end Feb 18th, 2012

Published on Monday, 20 February 2012 20:00

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The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Christopher Nelson is bringing Magistrate of the Western District, Jerry Seales before the High Court. DPP Nelson was forced to take that action against Seales after he dismissed a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) on May 12, 2011 on a rape charge involving small businessman Curtis Baptiste of Victoria, St. Mark’s.

The DPP’s Office sought to reopen the case, and had Baptiste rearrested one week later, May 17. However, when he was brought to court, Seales stood by his original ruling of not going forward with the case and called it a witch-hunt.

Baptiste is accused of raping a 13-year old school girl from Bonaire, St. Mark’s on December 31, 2010. Magistrate Seales took the decision to dismiss the PI after the Prosecution failed, after a 14-day notice, to produce the medical doctor who had examined the child.

DPP Nelson had also sought to have Magistrate Seales excused himself from presiding over the inquiry. In a telephone interview with The New Today Newspaper on Monday, DPP Nelson said he is now seeking judicial review over the Magistrate’s ruling.

The DPP said he is seeking to squash the decision of Seales to discharge Baptiste on the charge of rape. The State is also seeking to have the Magistrate’s Court complete the PI in an effort to have the accused man committed to stand trial in the high court. The DPP/Seales matter is down for hearing on February 28 at High Court Number Three. 

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