The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE Chief of Medical Staff at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre will have to explain to a judge why the psychiatric evaluation of a murder accused was not produced as requested for the court’s viewing.

Dr Nelson Clarke was issued a summons by Senior Justice Jon Isaacs to appear before him this morning for his response to prison chief Dr Elliston Rahming’s explanation that it was not the prison’s fault for the court’s order being defied concerning 46-year-old Richard Gibson of Sunshine Park.

Gibson is accused of murdering his 15-year-old daughter Richa Gibson. Last October, the teenager was stabbed to death at her home in Sunshine Park during an argument.

When the 46-year-old father appeared before Senior Justice Isaacs in April to be arraigned in the Supreme Court, he told the court that he was suffering from a mental disability.

Justice Isaacs deferred the arraignment and ordered a psychiatric evaluation of the accused.

On Tuesday, prosecutor Paul Jones told the judge that numerous written requests to the prison superintendent had not been followed, but he had received a letter from the prison doctor the previous day that the accused was on daily medication.

In yesterday’s proceedings, when Senior Justice Isaacs asked for an explanation as to why his April 13 order had been disregarded, Dr Rahming said his agency did comply with the court’s request in April though that request was only a copy of the original sent to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.

“Sandilands as you can appreciate is a separate entity. And the originating request was made directly to them and copied to us.

“We subsequently received on the 4th of June a request by the office of the Attorney General addressed to me which asked again for Richard Gibson to be seen by a psychiatrist and that the psychiatrist is to forward the report to the court.

“Mr Gibson was seen by a psychiatrist in April as a matter of fact, but the problem is that the psychiatrist never got back to the court,” the prison superintendent said.

Dr Rahming produced documents to support his claims, which, according to the documents, Gibson was seen by a psychiatrist on April 18, five days after the court’s order.

Justice Isaacs asked prosecutor Roger Thompson, representing the Crown in the summons matter, if the prosecution were in receipt of a copy of the report from the psychiatrist who evaluated the accused.

“No m’lord, the Crown is not,” Mr Thompson said.

“Mr Thompson, it would appear failure to provide the report lies with the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre,” the judge said.

He then made an order for Dr Clarke to be summoned to court.

Before the murder accused was taken away, he told Justice Isaacs that the medication he was given made him feel bad as he could barely attend the proceedings.

Senior Justice Isaacs said if he felt he was unable to be present during Dr Clarke’s explanation, the proceedings could take place in his absence.

Gibson said he would like to miss the proceedings. The judge acknowledged the request.

Today’s proceedings begin at 10am.