Former Chief Minister David Brandt found guilty of sexual exploitation

Former Chief Minister of Montserrat David Brandt found guilty on six counts of sexual exploitation & one count of perverting the course of justice by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 30th 2021.

Friday, 2nd July 2021

Caribbean: Former Chief Minister of Montserrat David Brandt found guilty on six counts of sexual exploitation & one count of perverting the course of justice by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court on Wednesday, June 30th 2021. Notably, Brandt, currently one of just 20 prisoners at Her Majesty’s Prison, is to remain in custody until his sentencing on July 14. He was charged on September 18, 2015, with two counts of conspiracy to have sexual intercourse with a minor dating back to 2010. Moreover, he was afterwards released on EC$20,000 bail. In November 2018, more charges were brought upon Brandt after Britain spent over £200,000 of its foreign assistance budget to investigate the former chief minister on suspicion of child sex abuse. Brandt was caught again and subsequently charged with an extra two counts of child sexual exploitation & one count of diverting the course of justice. At the time of his arrest, Brandt refused the allegations, forcing that he was not guilty of the charges on him. “I am not guilty of these charges. My day in court will prove that is the case, and that I am innocent. These charges that have been comes against me are completely false,” said Brandt. David Samuel Brandt is an attorney and politician from Montserrat who served as the island’s 6th Chief Minister from August 22, 1997, to April 5, 2001. Additionally, In 2011 Montserrat replaced the Office of Chief Minister with the Office of Premier. Brief about David Brandt political career : In 1977, Brandt was designated to the Bar in both Montserrat & Antigua & Barbuda. He has been a Barrister-at-Law & Solicitor of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, including engaged as a Lawyer in the general practice in Montserrat from 1977 to 1990, 1992 - 1997 & April 2001 to the present. Brandt was 1st elected to the House in 1983 and servers as a backbencher (1983 - 1985) also Independent Opposition MP (1985 - 1991, 1993 - 1997) In the middle of the 1997 volcanic devastation, David Samuel Brandt assumed the position of Chief Minister of Montserrat. He tirelessly served the Montserratian cause to the British Government and was able to secure significant development capital for the island. He retired from active politics in 2001. As a member of the Legislative Council (LC) of Montserrat, he won a seat in every election since his first attempt in 1983.