Judiciary: No ongoing issue between court security, police

The Judiciary has expressed concern over what it called “erroneous reporting” recently published by two newspapers about an incident at the Princes Town District Court.

A statement on March 4 cited the article with the headline “Suspect walks out from court despite prison sentence,” from the Guardian, on March 2, as well as the article “Sentenced to prison, man walks out court, goes to Carnival event,” from the Express, dated March 3.

The Judiciary said both misrepresent the circumstances surrounding an incident in which an accused person, who was on bail and attended a virtual court hearing at a Virtual Access Customer Centre (VACC), evaded police custody at the end of a proceeding.

The Guardian article includes statements about an “ongoing issue between court security and law enforcement officers.” It added that no notification was given for police on standby to escort the suspect.

The Judiciary further quoted from the article, “As per the court manager’s directive, security officers do not allow police officers to enter the court building while armed. Consequently, the suspect was not in lawful police custody at the time of his escape.”

The Judiciary accused the Express of including “similar inaccuracies.”

“The failure by both media houses to verify this information with official Judiciary sources before publication has resulted in the irresponsible misrepresentation of a serious incident,” the statement said.

“The Judiciary manages the security of all premises under its control, including courthouses and VACCs, and works collaboratively with all stakeholders, including the police, to ensure all court decisions are effectively carried out.”

The Judiciary emphasised that there is no ongoing issue between court security and law-enforcement officers.

“While this matter remains under active investigation by the police, the Judiciary underscores the importance of responsible journalism and the far-reaching consequences when misinformation is published.”