Fifty-six-year-old Layou vendor Annamay Lewis is scheduled to be tried today on charges of wounding Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves and throwing missile to the danger of the public on August 5th, 2021, but defence lawyers Kay Bacchus-Baptiste and Israel Bruce are predicting that the prosecution will withdraw the wounding charge.
The lawyers made their prediction yesterday during a media conference held at Bacchus-Baptiste’ law chambers. Their prediction is based on the situation where the prosecution had failed to make disclosure to the defense as ordered by the court.
Lewis was taken into police custody on August the night of August 5th hours after Prime Minister Gonsalves sustained an injury to his head after abandoning his official vehicle and walking across the street through a crowd of protesters on his way back to parliament. She was charged days later and granted station bail.
When she appeared before the Kingstown Magistrate Court on August 9th, Lewis pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawfully and maliciously wounding Dr Gonsalves. The court ordered the prosecution to make disclosure to the defense by August 31st and the trial was then set for today Wednesday 15th September.
Lewis was taken into custody again last week and charged with throwing missiles to the danger of the public during a protest at White Chapel, Kingstown, on August 5th. When she appeared in court last week Wednesday, she pleaded not guilty. Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett ordered that disclosure be made by Monday, September 13th and he set the trial for today alongside the previous charge.
At yesterday’s media conference, Bruce spoke of a particular video circulating on social media.
The video shows a woman with hand movement appearing to throw an object. However, the video, which appears to have been captured under the Building and Loan building at White Chapel, does not show an intended target. In fact, there is no scenery of the nearby road or beyond the pillars of the building.
Bruce said that what was of interest was that the prosecution did not make the video available to the defense in relation to the wounding of Prime Minister Gonsalves but in relation to the charge of throwing missiles to the danger of persons.
Bruce said that it was the defense’s firm belief that the prosecution will be proceeding with the charge of throwing missiles today “because they know there is no evidence for them to make out the charge and lead against Ms Lewis.” He also said he knew “there are those who will continue the condemnation.”
“That video does not bear out the charge that she, Annamay Lewis, was the person who caused the injury to Dr Gonsalves. But, mark what I said and you follow it down the road,” Bruce told reporters.
“I am predicting today, publicly, that the state will drop the charge against Annamay Lewis for wounding Dr Gonsalves,” Bruce said.
Bacchus-Baptiste endorsed what Bruce said about the prediction that the prosecution will withdraw the charge in relation to the wounding.