Last night, we told you about the unusual letter that Police Commissioner Chester Williams wrote to attorney "OJ" Elrington.
The Commissioner informed Elrington that police investigators had conducted an extensive inquiry into Constable Alicia Trapp's allegation that PUP's Julius Espat assaulted her nine days ago at the Teakettle Village Council Elections. However, they have decided that Trapp was the aggressor and that based on the evidence and testimony of witnesses, she is the one should be charged with common assault.
The UDP discussed that today in a 2-hour press conference addressing several national topics. The head table heaped scorn on the Police Commissioner's letter from yesterday:
Moses "Shyne" Barrow - Leader of Opposition
"Whereas it is police officer Trapp who filed a report against the minister, Julius Espat, but in a quintessential textbook, dictatorial, authoritarian regime-fashion, they have turned the tables on her. And so, this is a very sad day for democracy, but I don't know if it is an attempt to curry favor with the current administration. I don't know if it is an attempt to pave the way for political aspirations. I don't know if it is just a part of the policy to move towards authoritarianism and autocratic rulership of Belize, but that is what it is."
Michael Peyrefitte - UDP Senator
"I have never seen, in my legal time, a person goes to the police station, and make a complaint. That person's attorney is then written to by the Commissioner of Police, who acts as a defense attorney for the person who is being completely against, judge and jury, and declares the man not guilty."
Orson "OJ" Elrington - UDP Politician/Attorney for PC Trapp
"Several persons, including the UDP party leader, have pledged that they will resource the defense of the trumped-up charges, the trumped-up criminal charges against PC Trapp, with every single resource possible. Secondly, is that Ms. Trapp can still - although the commissioner feels as though he is a prosecutor, defense attorney for the minister, and judge and jury, she does have the recourse of still filing a civil suit for assault. And thirdly, if they do decide to bring these trumped-up charges which have absolutely no grounding for them, she does have the recourse of filing a claim for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution."
