In April of last year Gerald Hewlett was allegedly stabbed and left for dead on a basketball court in Belmopan by the son of Deputy Commissioner of Police Maureen Leslie. Leslie's son Derrick Leslie was charged with attempted murder and grievous harm. But one year later Hewlett says the wheels of justice have been churning a little too slowly for his comfort. Hewlett was stabbed multiple times and one of those was to his neck. It barely missed his trachea and he now only has 80% of his voice. Hewlett says the turnaround by the justice system has added insult to that injury.
Gerald Hewlett,
"It is beyond unfair to me that somebody just comes along and tried to take away my life. You could say it will make one year now that I should have been dead, or if the doctors and nurses at the Belmopan Hospital didn't work to save me and the people who picked me up off the court didn't take me to hospital within time. What is going on here? Although justice is supposed to be slow here in Belize, it looks like it is even slower for me."
Keith Swift,
Why do you think that is?
Gerald Hewlett,
"Because of the person's relative, more or less it is that. I don't see no other way because if the case was in reverse, I had done the person anything, if I had done Leslie anything, they would have thrown away the key already and nobody would have been able to find it. I need some justice here."
We were unable to get comment from the Deputy Commissioner of Police Maureen Leslie or the Press Officer G. Michael Reid. Derrick Leslie is scheduled to go on trial for the attempted murder of Gerald Hewlett in the June session of the Supreme Court.