Parker walks on conspiracy to commit murder charge

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High Court Justice Iain Morley rejected the prosecution’s application to downgrade the charge of conspiracy to commit murder against Hezekiah Parker, to kidnapping.

Cynthia Parker said Monday’s ruling by the High Court judge to discontinue the matter vindicated her 28-year-old son who she said has been repeatedly targeted by members of the Royal Police Force of Antigua & Barbuda (RPFAB) for half of his life.

“The police … have been targeting him and saying all kinds of things, even from his school days. He was in a little incident from school days with a [toy] gun and I was the one who went and got it from the guy who took it away from him and I took it to the police and teacher. I don’t hide my children’s fault,” she told OBSERVER media yesterday.

The mother said that now her son can move on from the almost six-year-old matter that has served as a stumbling block in his life, since the virtual complainant, who had by then been deported, refused to co-operate, indicating he was not interested in proceeding.

The judge concluded, “A different case is contemplated, [and] to try and get someone convicted of something, where the complainant is not interested, and appears to have said there was never a case. In all these circumstances the court finds on balance it would be unjust to allow the amendment. Notwithstanding sterling efforts by Crown Counsel, the application to amend the indictment from ‘conspiracy to murder’ to ‘kidnapping’ is refused.”

More in today’s Daily Observer.

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