Published 11 May 2017
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The government has signaled its intention to move against an existing situation in which suspects of violent crime given bail reportedly end up committing other serious crimes while on bail.
Attorney General Vincent Byron is indicating that appropriate legislation will be tightened up to address those and other crime-related concerns.
The government wants to amend both the bail act and the firearms act.
“An assessment of trends over the past five years has revealed that criminals charged with capital felonies and are being granted bail have gone on to orchestrate and commit other capital offences. This alarming trend has led the government to seriously consider the possibility of amending the 2012 Bail Act to include a certain category of offences that will not be eligible for bail. Currently, Section 3 of the Bail Act gives discretion to the court to determine whether bail should be granted or denied, Sub Section 2 provides for partial exception. We have persons charged for certain offences, including murder then bail may only be granted by the High Court. The recent trend is quite troubling, and seems to require a proactive approach in the fight against crime. Consequently, the police force has recommended that the Bail Act be amended to tighten the framework and to address persons charged with capital offences involving firearms under a different scheme, rather than the granting of bail.”
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