Lawyer blames accident for client’s no-show

A June 2023 warrant which was issued for a Kingston man has been activated by order of the St James Parish Court after the defendant failed to appear in court on Monday.

Demitri Ffrench is charged with criminal trespassing at a Montego Bay-based hotel. Presiding parish judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce ordered the activation of the warrant, which was issued and stayed for execution during Ffrench's previous court date on May 21. In seeking to explain his client's absence, Ffrench's lawyer, Chumu Parris, indicated that the defendant had got into an accident outside St James.

"I got a call this morning that he was in an accident. It was in the parish of Manchester," Parris told Grant-Pryce regarding Ffrench.

"Why was he absent on the last occasion?" Grant-Pryce inquired.

"He was absent due to illness," Parris replied.

Grant-Pryce subsequently explained to the prosecution's civilian witness, who was present for the proceedings, that the warrant which had been issued for Ffrench due to his previous absence would now be activated for the police to bring the defendant to court.

"It means that I cannot give you a date to return to court, but you need to keep in contact with the clerk of the court, or the clerk of the court must be able to contact you when it is that he is back before the court," the judge told the witness.

According to reports, on June 28, 2023, security personnel at a hotel in Rose Hall spotted Ffrench on the property. Upon realising that he was not a guest there, they summoned the police. Ffrench was subsequently searched and a card machine which he could not account for was found in a black knapsack in his possession.

Ffrench was subsequently charged with unlawful possession of property and criminal trespassing. However, the unlawful possession of property charge was eventually dismissed during a previous court date last December, as the court declared that no prima facie (first impression) case was established on that charge.