St. Lca: The law's an ass, now the court's a pig

Activities in the island’s judicial system came to an abrupt halt last Wednesday when dozens of lawyers walked off the job in the Castries courts in protest of the present conditions of the courtrooms.

At 9.30am Justice Indra Hariprashad-Charles was presiding over a High Court hearing of a woman charged with manslaughter of her one-time boyfriend in 2002.

At 10.30am the news made the rounds that “trouble” was brewing in the C Court presided over by Magistrate Mike Magloire. In no time the courthouse corridors were overflowing with fuming lawyers.

They spoke with one voice: “We’re not having any more.”

Lawyer Marcus Foster explained that about fifteen lawyers had come before Magistrate Magloire; there were about forty cases to be heard.

“Mr Alberton Richelieu raised the point that it was unacceptable and unsatisfactory that several lawyers where standing at the side of the courtroom because there were no chairs,” said Foster. In addition, the room was riddled with “termites and filth.”