UK media reports CJ's friend afraid to return to TT

DILLIAN Johnson, a close friend of Chief Justice Ivor Archie, has told UK media outlet The Guardian, that he does not want to return home to Trinidad because he, “fears being murdered for his sexuality.” The article, published today, is titled, “Questions over shooting of gay man with links to Trinidad judge.”

Johnson was shot on December 3, and fled Trinidad on December 29. He is seeking asylum. His local attorney Thalia Francis-Brooks, called a press conference last month to claim her client was granted asylum by the UK government. The British High Commission in Trinidad responded in a terse statement that while it is unclear where Francis-Brooks got her information, it obviously was not from the UK authorities.

The Guardian’s story comes just as the TT Law Association announced it will hold a special general meeting to discuss allegations of misconduct by the Chief Justice, in the face of a legal challenge by Archie to halt any such investigation. Archie claims the Law Association is exceeding its power and that members are “tainted by bias” against him.

Newsday contacted Francis-Brooks for a comment about her client’s interview with the UK media. She said she had no knowledge of any article that came out today in the UK Guardian featuring her client. She also refused to comment on Johnson’s asylum status. She also refused to facilitate an interview with her client.