Judge slams delay tactics after defendants backtrack on guilty pleas

Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell made it clear that she would not tolerate unnecessary delays as she swiftly handled a case involving two defendants, Tajay Bryan and Tyrone Walker, who initially confessed to a crime but later tried to backtrack.

The case, heard in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court last Thursday, saw Bryan and Walker charged with receiving stolen property. However, prosecutors revealed that the charge should be amended to larceny by finding, as the men had found a power wash machine.

When their attorney attempted to request an adjournment, Judge Burrell questioned the need for a delay.

"What are we coming back here to do? The matter is not complex. There are 1,200 matters in the court. Why should I set the matter for another date for the investigating officer to attend? Why should the complainant miss work again?" she asked.

Burrell gave the attorney time to confer with the defendants, but when the men were asked to enter their pleas, they reversed their earlier confessions and pleaded not guilty.

The judge immediately called both the attorney and prosecutor to the bench for a quick discussion, after which she instructed the listings officer to set a trial date.

"Are there any trial dates in September? It's just a one-day trial, find a date," she said.

The defendants' attorney then requested that Bryan and Walker be repleaded. This time, both men pleaded guilty to larceny by finding.

Despite their guilty pleas, Bryan and Walker were admonished and discharged by Judge Burrell.

"If they are thieves, they will come back. Thieves cannot help themselves, it's in their instinct to steal," Judge Burrell remarked.