The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

GEOFFREY Farquharson feels “vindicated” having served 14 days in jail for refusing to pay a $2,000 fine for contempt of court.

The lawyer spoke to The Tribune yesterday outside the Ansbacher House, the very Supreme Court building he was led out of to be sent to Her Majesty’s Prison for his behaviour during last year’s Kofhe Goodman murder trial.

“I feel vindicated” he said when asked how it felt to be released and allowed to continue his client’s murder trial. “I’m not particularly concerned and I think that once the appeal has been settled, the questions are going to be whether it was right to do that, whether it was hasty, whether the court exercised good judgement, whether there was a rush to judgement, whether the court wanted to ensure that I spend time in prison before the justice of this matter was decided.”

“I think we all will get a chance to see the outcome with respect to that,” he added.

Justice Bernard Turner had delayed the continuation of Christopher Butler’s case on Tuesday because the accused still wished to be defended by Mr Farquharson. The case had already been adjourned with the view that Mr Farquharson would possibly return after serving two-thirds of his sentence for contempt.

Days before his arrest, Mr Farquharson told The Tribune he was “terrified” of going to jail, but added that he would to take a principled stance not to pay the fine ordered.

Yesterday he said the experience had been “extremely useful”. “I got to see first hand what my client complained of on so many occasions and what the prison officers endure working in that place,” he added.

The sentence was an alternative punishment for Mr Faruharson’s behaviour during last year’s trial into the murder of Marco Archer during which his client, Kofhe Goodman, was convicted and eventually sentenced to death.

Mr Farquharson was found in contempt of court on May 22, the $2,000 fine was imposed on June 5 and he was arrested at the expiry of his 21-day deadline to pay his fine. The contempt ruling is being contested and Butler’s case is now scheduled to resume on July 16.