St Kitts: DPP pulls Crown Counsels, police prosecution from Donna Harris court

St. Kitts and Nevis Magistrate Court is in turmoil after Director of Public Prosecutions, Valston Graham stopped his staff from appearing before Donna Harris, a sister of St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris.

According to an eyewitness, the matters on Monday morning involved five co-accused who were appearing in Court for the first-time. Magistrate Donna Harris asked the Clerk to ask the five prisoners to plead.  But this procedure is wrong since these were indictable matters.

Crown Counsel Teshaun Vasquez tried on several occasions to bring this to the attention of Magistrate Harris, but she refused to hear him.

Harris ordered Vasquez to sit and eventually ordered him to leave her court room.

WINNFM reported that DPP Graham after receiving a report of the matter made the decision that the Crown Counsel's ejection was unlawful and therefore no prosecutor or court orderly will attend Magistrate Harris' court until further notice.

It is understood that DPP Graham has written to acting senior magistrate Reynold Benjamin requesting an urgent meeting to have the matter ventilated.