As a prosecutor, she’s an officer of the court, but Jackie Willoughby is also the mother of a 14-year-old girl. And last night, that 14 year old was assaulted with a weapon. In the presence of her mother, the teenager Brianna reported to police that last night after 7:00, she was waking in the Belama Extension Area when she met a 14 year old male friend. They started to talk and held hands but it turned to hard talk when the young man allegedly passed a rude remark and then pulled out a handgun. She screamed, he let her go and someone called 911.
Police picked up the young man shortly after and went to pick up Jackie Willoughby at school. The young man was processed and charged for assault with a firearm, which is a serious offence. He was arraigned in Family Court today but the case took a very different turn. His aunt reportedly got up and questioned whether the 14 year old’s rights had been properly respected by police. The magistrate Natalie Carter determined that it had not and threw out the charge.
That has enraged Jackie Willoughby, who was not at court, but feels that her daughter’s right to justice was undermined in what she says is a gross miscarriage of justice.
Jackie Willoughby, Mother
“It is arraignment, its not trial and even so Jules let’s not move away from the lawful fact that if a person felt that his rights were violated, there are two forums for that. One is when the trial starts, the attorney can always bring it up during the trial. Two, if it was so badly done then go to the Supreme Court and file. Go to the Supreme Court. If at least Ms. Carter would have said, ‘well let us hear from the mother;’ send for me. In all fairness to me, is it that she is telling me that my daughter deserves no redress in the courts of Belize? I cannot buy that rubbish. Ms. Carter was out of line. There is no legal ground for Ms. Carter to have done that.
If in fact the family felt that the child’s rights were violated, then there is an audience for that but we were in court for an aggravated assault with a firearm and we were on arraignment, we weren’t at trial. So she should have allowed, take it down in notes. As a matter of fact I’ve called the Chief Justice, I’ve already made my reports to the Chief Justice, I’ve made my reports to the DPP, I’ve made my reports to all the authorities that I need to report to.
The reason I am coming on TV today is because the country must know, the country was must know, the Magistrates don’t know everything. The Magistrates don’t know everything. Clearly Ms. Carter did not know everything because had she known, she would have known that the Family Court is not the place for a constitutional motion, one. Once it is a constitutional motion, you must take it to the Supreme Court. But if in fact she wanted to give it some type of hearing, no problem, let’s wait for the trial. Let’s wait for the trial.
In the meantime, my daughter still has to live in the same neighborhood. So who gives redress to my child? And you don’t just go on hearsay, you call in the necessary authorities. She better than anyone should understand the issue of due process.”
We are told that police are also revisiting the case, and this, we gather is not the end of it.
