Errol Bascoe, Former PNP candidate charged for sexual misconduct

Jamaica: Errol Bascoe resigned as the provisional candidate for Member of Parliament from the People’s National Party (PNP), these developments took place after Bascoe was accused and charged with buggery.

In a public statement from Friday evening, the PNP shared that the party had accepted Bascoe’s resignation, they went on to share Bascoe’s single-page resignation suggesting this was “keeping with its commitment to the principle of transparency.”

The allegations in question arise from a man aged 23 from Gayle, St Mary. The man alleges an uncomfortable encounter with Bascoe, who was seeking the guidance of the educator in relation to a legal matter.

Bascoe, who also acts as the principal of Tacky High School is currently under state custody and is scheduled to appear in court this week. Bascoe has maintained his innocence since the allegation was made, in his resignation to the PNP he outlines the allegations made towards him are “scurrilous and malicious”, and states “I am innocent of this false accusation, and I am confident that the truth will prevail in due course… I know that, in time, justice will be served and my good name will be preserved.”

He goes on to say that he is handing in his resignation “with great regret and a heavy heart”, it is suggested that he has stepped away to minimize the potential impact the scandal may bring to the party’s reputation.

There has also been pressure from the Generation 2000 (G2K), which is the youth wing of the Jamaican Labour Party (JLP), who explicitly demanded Bascoe’s resignation from his post as principal at the Tacky High School.

The youth wing issued a statement on Saturday stating that Bascoe’s reasoning to resign from his candidacy “raises concerns about his ability to continue to lead an educational institution, given his failure to address similar issues as principal. They went on to say “We urge him to do the right thing and tender his resignation immediately to safeguard the reputation and well-being of the school.”

The Jamaica Teacher’s Association (JTA) has also weighed in by saying it will wait for the court verdict in regards to the allegations levied against Bascoe, and that it will allow the country’s legal proceedings to take its course.

Bascoe is potentially facing federal prison and being kept to hard labour for up to ten years if found guilty. The police have confirmed that a full-scale investigation has been launched, and appropriate details will be shared with time.