Trial of MP’S accused killer set for April 2022

IT will be April 2022 before the trial of Simeon Sutherland, the man charged with the murder of former People’s National Party (PNP) parliamentarian Dr Lynvale Bloomfield gets underway.

Expectations were that the trial would commence yesterday in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston with Sutherland answering to charges of murder and misprision of a felony in the 2019 incident.

However, when the matter was called up before Supreme Court Judge Justice Leighton Pusey yesterday, Peter Champagnie, attorney for the accused, made an application for the matter to be adjourned, citing a personal emergency.

“Regrettably, I wish to indicate that owing to a medical emergency involving a family member I am going to have a challenge in terms of committing my mind to this matter, this morning. While I have no expertise in the medical field, my presence and involvement in terms of that family member is critical and in those circumstances I would ask for an adjournment. It is not my habit to do so but I am so constrained,” Champagnie stated.

Justice Pusey, in granting the postponement, said the court is usually anxious to proceed in such matters, especially given the position taken in relation to trial date certainty. He, however, noted that this was to be balanced with the constitutional rights of the accused, adding that the attorney had done the right thing by turning up and informing the court and counsel on the other side instead of just not showing up in court.

In the meantime, he said the April 20, 2022 date was a fairly early date given the fact that the courts have not been conducting any trials by jury on account of the pandemic. Justice Pusey said if Sutherland had opted to be tried by a jury, he would have been given a much later date.

In the meantime, the media has been warned against publishing photographs of Sutherland.

This after Champagnie raised the issue of a recent publication showing his client’s face which he said has compounded what already existed about his safety.

“I am instructed to bring it to the court’s intention, but suffice it to say we would appreciate if the court could indicate to the media in particular, the sensitivity in relation to this matter, of course I bear in mind the public interest and I am respectful of that, but I am also asking kindly that there be no publication of photographs of my client,” Champagnie stated.

Said Justice Pusey: “I am going to remind the media that it is on the first level an offence for them to do that but persons have to consider that if the matter is being tried by a jury or judge alone you may try to affect the minds of the tribunal ahead of time.

“This is something that the court can control because the court does have [the powers of] contempt. There are powers that the court very rarely engages, so we just remind persons,” he added.

Bloomfield’s body was found at his house in Passley Gardens, Portland, on February 2, 2019, with multiple stab wounds.

Days later, Sutherland, who resided in Buff Bay, Portland, was detained as a person of interest in the death of the then Portland Eastern Member of Parliament’s murder, but was released.

He was, however, rearrested and later charged in March 2019. To date, the police have not disclosed a motive for the politician’s killing.

Sutherland, who was out on bail, had his bail extended until the April 20, 2022 trial date.