Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama Family, Wants Swift Justice from the Attorney General
By Rev. Glenroy Bethel President, Families for Justice Organization
May 16, 2014 - 3:22:46 PM

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island - The following is a press statement from by Rev. Glenroy Bethel, President, Families for Justice Organization:

Families for Justice Organization arranged a Press Conference on behalf of the family of murdered victim Emerson Harding Jr. age 22, who was killed in a Grand Bahama Night Club  back in August 2012.

The accused IJahman Wells, age 17 at the time, was given bail two weeks  after the murder of Emerson Harding Jr. and was detained in Grand Bahama before given bail. The accused never spent time in a Fox Hill Prison waiting for his trial. This raised serious concern for the entire family of Mr. Harding  Jr.

The Particulars are that in August 2012, the accused was arraigned before the Magistrate Court where he made a plea of not guilty to the charge. There was a second and third appearance before the Magistrate's Court, to start a preliminary inquiry into the murdered victims death, but the hearing never got started. The families later learned that there was no prosecutors in charge of the case in Freeport, or in New Providence, and the Attorney General Office could not put there hands on the murdered victims file in order to prosecute the case.
 
On May 13, 2014 a fourth appearance, and still no prosecutors from the A.G. Office in Freeport or New Providence.  The case was put off until September 09, 2014 while the accused remains free and Emerson Harding Jr. family left to  pick up the pieces of their son's death. This is a social wrong and the Attorney General and her Office must not send the wrong message to society. It is the Organization's view, that The Attorney General's Office, should not be selective with the cases that are put before the Courts. Every case should be brought in a timely manner in order to insure Justice.

The Attorney General promised the Bahamian public swift justice and the Bahamian people must hold the Attorney General and the Attorney General's Office accountable in their actions regarding this case or any other cases in the Bahamas.

The family of Emerson Harding Jr. wants answers, and we believe that the Attorney General should answer the family as to why there is no prosecutors from there Office to manage the murder victim's case. It is almost 2 years and this case is still before the Magistrate Court. The family should not suffer this way, while the accused go free on bail.

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