The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel said yesterday the lack of inquests into police-involved killings and in-custody deaths over a number of years is “distressing” and “unacceptable” and his administration will deal with the matter aggressively.

He said he will meet officials of his office and Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez to determine whether administrative or legislative fixes are necessary to address the problem.

He revealed there are about 28 police-related deaths that require an inquest, most of which are “just there”, languishing in the system.

While families often have their own thoughts about why their loved one was killed by police, it falls to the Coroner’s Court to ascertain the facts of each incident.

Some lawyers believe uncertainty around inquests go beyond slow judicial administration and raises human rights concerns as well.

“I received a preliminary report that indicates there are around about 28 outstanding coroner’s inquests into police-related deaths and I was distressed to see that roughly, possibly four of them are only being proceeded with,” Mr Bethel said following yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

“The rest are just there. I find that to be an unacceptable situation. I’ve already called on my officials to have a meeting this week to begin to address it to determine what has to be done, but it’s simply unacceptable that there should be 28 as yet unresolved matters that must attract and have a coroner’s inquest in order to bring closure as a matter of law; police-related deaths, in-custody deaths etc.

“We want to have this dealt with expeditiously. So I want to have meetings with my officials and thereafter have some meetings with the coroner and then we look at what has to be done either administratively or legislatively to correct the situation as soon as possible.”

Mr Bethel could not say how far back the outstanding matters go.

However, police-involved deaths before 2011 do not automatically trigger an inquest because they happened before the Coroner’s Act came into force. Some lawyers say relief may be sought from the Supreme Court to get the coroner to hold an inquest into such matters.  

“I got a listing of case names and their status in terms of whether they have been proceeded with,” Mr Bethel said. “The three or four that I saw have been adjourned until next year and the rest are just sitting there. We have to at least get those cases dealt with expeditiously.”

In an interview Monday, attorney Romona Farquharson-Seymour blamed the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and the Office of the Attorney General for the inefficiencies at the court in such matters.

She said those institutions take an “inordinate” amount of time sending their files to the Coroner’s Court.

“The AG’s Office,” she said, “marshals many of the matters. Police deal with interviews, the AG’s Office usually sends the file on to the Coroner’s Court and that’s where the delay arises.”

She said: “If they can get VBIs together, they can get these together. They have enough officers for them to get it done. We have over 100 murders a year. At least 70 percent of the time VBIs are ready in three to six months and it involves the same process as what is needed in police shooting matters. In fact, it’s less arduous because you’re not levying any charges. It’s just a pathologist report, witness statements, etc.”

According to The Tribune’s records, 11 people have died in police-related shootings this year.