Barbados opened its first gun court on Tuesday to speed up firearms trials and tackle a mounting backlog, but the government has yet to set a date for the second specialised court to begin operating.
Newly elevated judge Justice Douglas Frederick presided over the court’s first session in the No. 2 Supreme Court, hearing ten arraignments with one accused pleading guilty.
Earlier this year, the government announced plans for two specialised gun courts, one to deal with recent matters and the other with those committed before 2025, to tackle the mounting backlog of firearm cases.
A second gun court remained in the works, according to Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley. When asked when it would come on stream, he told reporters that the government had identified physical space, but additional work was required. He could not provide a date for when it would begin operating.
The first court’s start was briefly delayed by the late arrival of the prison bus, although Justice Frederick was already on the bench. When proceedings began shortly after 10 a.m., the dock was filled with accused people.
Principal State Counsel Rudolph Burnett is prosecuting the cases.
Acknowledging that delays could still occur, Lashley reiterated that greater use of technology could help ease some of the delays associated with the court system.
He said some proceedings, particularly arraignments and guilty pleas, could potentially be conducted by virtual conference: “This morning could have been done through Zoom, because they were the arraignments, but of course, there was a physical setting.”
Virtual hearings could also help address challenges with prisoner transport and the availability of criminal defence attorneys, he added.
“If you have prisoners on the bus who are coming down only to take a plea and that have arraignments, then you can do it by Zoom,” he said, suggesting that such hearings could be scheduled for 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., allowing lawyers to complete their other court work before returning to their offices to deal with virtual cases.
Lashley also acknowledged the shortage of attorneys available to handle criminal cases.
He said the court had previously tried to address the issue with a structured calendar. He added that steps were needed to improve coordination among attorneys while giving younger lawyers greater exposure to criminal law and criminal defence law.
“We need now to look at exposing young attorneys to the criminal law and to criminal defence law,” Lashley said.
Commissioner of Police Sonia Boyce and Deputy Commissioner Adrian Broomes also witnessed the proceedings.
Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens congratulated Justice Frederick on his elevation from the magistracy, saying the Bar had seen his “well thought out and fair judgments” over the years.
“We look forward to appearing before you, and we pledge our support to your court and coming here when required to do so,” she said.
(JB)
