| By Dale AndrewsPoonia LatchanaThe mental instability of a man accused of killing two policemen in the Brickdam compound five years ago was given as the reason for the delay in the Preliminary Inquiry into the matter.Solomon Blackman, a former policeman, was charged with the March 1,Wholesale Jerseys, 2004 killing of Deputy Superintendent Richard Griffith and Lance Corporal Ramnarine Latchana when he went berserk during a visit to the station.Since being charged, Blackman has appeared before three magistrates, beginning with Magistrate Adrian Thompson then to Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys and now Magistrate Nigel Hawke. Still the preliminary inquiry (PI) has not been completed.Initially it was reported that the delay is stemming from the police not taking the accused to court on several occasions.Poonia Latchana, mother of one of the dead policemen, had indicated that she was beginning to get the impression that if the police could be so callous about prosecuting someone for the killing of their colleagues, then who else could expect justice from them?But according to a source, on most occasions when the accused is taken to court, he is not in the proper mental state to appear before the magistrate.“Sometimes he cannot be brought from the prison because of his mental state. Sometimes they actually get him from the prison and he would hold on to the bars downstairs and would refuse to move,” the source told this newspaper.“He has very good size (is strongly built) and he behaves very badly so very often even if he goes into the courtroom, the Magistrate orders him out and nothing gets going because of his general mental instability ,” the source added.Solomon Blackman, who is charged with the murder of two policemen, leaving the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday. This newspaper was on hand yesterday at the court and observed Blackman sitting in the office of the court lock-ups, seemingly oblivious to what was taking place around him.Even when it was time for him to be taken back to prison he had to be pleaded with to leave his position.As he was heading to the prison van he muttered under his breath, “Y’all wasting me time.”Even the ranks at the court were not too keen on dealing with the accused.“You come and carry he nuh,” was the suggestion of one of the ranks when asked why Solomon was not being taken before the Magistrate.This newspaper was told that during the earlier hearings before Magistrate Adrian Thompson, a request was made to have Blackman deemed incapable of standing trial.The psychiatrist at the time had indicated that he is a patient of his and that he had examined him on several occasions at the Georgetown Prisons.“His conclusion is that he (Blackman) is mentally unstable,” the source pointed out.Kaieteur News was told that there was some amount of apprehension about taking Blackman to the Psychiatric Hospital in Berbice since the facilities there are not adequate to contain a person of his disposition.“There is no facility to keep him under lock-down. And given his violent outbursts it was the general feeling that to send him there may not be the right thing to do. Persons just kept hoping that maybe the medication, while at the prison, would bring him around to stand trial,” the source said.However, it was disclosed to this newspaper that Blackman has been refusing to take his prescribed medication.“Who can force feed him or force him to take medication?” the source added.According to the source, despite Blackman’s position, he is not special, and like any other person who is charged with murder, the matter will proceed once he is deemed capable of standing trial.The source explained that if at any point Blackman has a lucid moment where he can follow the proceedings and instruct counsel, the proceedings will take place.Kaieteur News was told that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has requested from the prison a report from the psychiatrist treating Blackman, before the man’s next court date on July 20.From all appearances, taking into consideration the provisions in the constitution, there is nothing that can be done to proceed with the preliminary inquiry, once the accused is deemed mentally unstable.“Let us say, for example, he goes into the court and he does what he has done in the past…becomes so disruptive that the court cannot proceed, once he is ejected from the courtroom, the PI cannot continue. Unlike England and other countries, we don’t have legislation that allows us to proceed with a PI in the absence of the accused,” a legal source told this newspaper.But the situation has become overbearing for Poonia Latchana.“I go on all the occasions; I travel from Berbice to town and I am never absent a date. I want justice in my matter, with due respect, I need justice. He was my only child and it is grieving me,” the woman said, breaking into tears.She said she has written several letters to the Chancellor of the Judiciary, the DPP, the Attorney General and to the media and nothing has happened.What has become clear is that should Blackman never show any sign of being able to stand trial the matter may never be completed.“The only thing that can be done is a court of competent jurisdiction committing this man to a mental institution, if the court is satisfied that he is mentally unstable.“If he is in that institution and he can be medicated to the point where he has lucid moments, the matter can be proceeded with. Murder has no time limit and in this case it is not that the state is not trying to prosecute him; in this case his condition is delaying it, so the abuse of process argument that another accused who waits for ten years may be able to use, will not be successful to him,” the source said.The only limitation is that by the time Blackman is fit enough to stand trial, many of the witnesses, like Mrs. Latchana, who believe that he is faking mental illness, might not be around to testify. |
