DPP denies backpedaling on appeal of ESHS wall case
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Tiffany Scatliffe has refuted claims that her office has backpedalled on its legal pursuit in the case involving Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn and former public servant Lorna Stevens.
In a post published on the official Facebook page of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Scatliffe addressed recent reports suggesting that her office had retreated after withdrawing an appeal in the matter.
“We have not peddled back. Please, folks, stop being misled by incompetent and incorrect statements,” the post stated.
She further explained, “There are several avenues legally available for dealing with such erroneous decisions. These incorrect stories do not make the ODPP look bad. It makes the territory look bad.”
The statement came after a news article accused the DPP of backpedalling and withdrawing an application to appeal the decision in the lower court.
In January, Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards ruled that there was “No Case to Answer” in the prosecution of Walwyn and Stevens concerning the Elmore Stoutt High School Wall Project. The ruling cleared both individuals of wrongdoing in the high-profile case, which stemmed from allegations of Breach of Trust.
The following day, the DPP filed an appeal against the magistrate’s ruling. However, on May 30, 2025, the DPP submitted a written notice to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, indicating a decision to discontinue the appeal filed on January 22, 2025, against the decision made by her Honour Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards to uphold the submission of no case to answer and subsequently dismiss the complaints against respondents for the offence of Breach of Trust.
Walwyn, represented by attorney Terrance Williams, and Stevens, represented by Valston Graham, have consistently maintained their innocence since the charges were first brought.
The Elmore Stoutt High School Wall Project case has been one of the most closely watched public interest cases in the territory in recent years, following allegations of mismanagement of public funds under the previous National Democratic Party (NDP) administration.
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Them uk police said Myron will be * up it seems like the Dpp is carrying out their wishes
Synonyms – Backpedal
back out of
change opinion
default on
do a U-turn
do an about-face
fail to honor
go back on
go into reverse
have second thoughts
reconsider
renege
shift one’s ground
SING A DIFFERENT SONG
take back
Underfund and understaff the DPP and neutralize the HOA’s fear of accountability.
Stop making excuses for incompetence. The DDP office receives funding. They bring in all manner of KC’s to try cases at very high legal costs to taxpayers. We need a new DDP. That is the problem. The current one is incompetent.
The number of grammatical errors found in the DPPs untruthful missive is appalling. Did she graduate from middle school?
The DPP need to tell the truth. The truth is that in her emotional haste she filed an application for appeal of the magistrate’s no case submission in the Preliminary Inquiry and legally this is the wrong procedure. The correct procedure is judicial review which she seem to have filed as well months after. Maybe somebody highlighted her incompetence on the issue to her superiors. BOTTOMLINE: This DDP is incompetent and unfit for this office. Her response to the 284 media story was GHETTO. 284 was accurate in their reporting. She backpedelled on the appeal. The DDP should google the meaning of the word. Get a new DDP. This one is a waste
Go up Sage Mountain and shout this for ALLLLLLL to hear.
The DPP just keeps showing how petty and personal this is with her immature rants on social media.
Government, change that password to the Office of the DPP’s Facebook page and get someone else to post. Her writings are appalling.
The DPP apears to have a odd relationship with the truth.
She was furious with the decision of the Magistrate to dismiss the proceedings at the end of the prosecution case.
The only option open to the DPP was to seek judicial review of the decision of the Magistrate – every competent lawyer knows that there is no right to appeal such a decision, and that judicial review is the only option.
However, the DPP immediatley filed a Notice of Appeal.
When the Defence took the obvious point that there was no jurisdiction to file a Notice of Appeal, she searched for an English KC to back her decision.
Every single KC told her the same thing – that her Notice of Appeal was a nullity and that she shoudl withdrawn it.
Finnaly, she withdrew in last week, and sought to justify her decision by referring to the belateded judicial review proceedings that she eventually filed.
The prosepcts of the judidicial review being successful are limited – especially since it was filed so late and the decison of the magistrate seemed to reflect the evidnece that was given at the trial.
The DPP has undoubtdly back-tracked from the appeal – whcih she shoudl never have filed. Her statement to the contrary is midleading and is certainly not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
It is time we changed the DPP.
My question is: why make an application that you then had to withdraw and put another? Wouldn’t that mean that the first application was not the right one? DDP looks like she is trying hard to cover up yet another display of incompetence. BVI news should contact a criminal lawyer here to find out the truth behind the story. Sorry but I do not believe her. It sounds to me like she was supposed to file for judicial review but didn’t know and filed for an appeal instead.
284 media is right. She backpedaled on the appeal because it was withdrawn before it was heard by the court. The word backpedal means to withdraw or change course. Didn’t she do that?
She filed judicial review subsequently which tells me that she did Shiite in filing the appeal. That was not the correct procedure. She needs to stop gaslighting and either tell the full truth or shut the hell up. Is shame she shame LOL
The lady is right. She did not backpedal. She is now catching up.
I see the office of the DDP as a pillar of our democracy. People must have faith and trust in the institution. It must appear to only be pursuing what is just and right. I was extremely concerned about the manner and tone of the response by that office to the 284 media article. I felt the vindictiveness. I felt the emotional feelings. I felt like it was something personal. Is this the way that such office should respond to a news article. Never mind the fact that it was replete with grammatical errors. That office was brought into disrepute and it leaves me as a citizen very concerned about how justice is being handled. I am most disappointed.
Good thing USA took head coach away cuz if he was here he would of smiling and eating in we face mehson.
All them coi cases had good intentions but sadly it looks like all those that abused the system will get off scott free. Sigh fake fishers fake farmers fake University students, barges that never got used etc etc etc
we BVI people got a way of easy offence and the need to clear the air. Madam shouda just leave 284 alone and let it rest. Everything don’t need a response
Admin. Cant you find a better photo of the DPP. She looks ….
At least the yellow site got it right
And those shady wannabe contractors who walwyn put bread on their tables has a personal vendetta against walwyn and sabotaged the wall to make walwyn look bad , because up to now they still is determined to create something out of nothing to lynch walwyn , what a set duplicitous – narcissistic hypocrites we hsve o the loose here •) we ha e so much guns ‘ execution style killers walking in the streets cocaine and crackk heads after we were introduced to the holy cartels by saint andrew and co in abundance that needs to be dealth with ( asap ) , and here these jokers are wasting our taxpayers money on a wild goose chase / it sure reminds us of how the wigged one who wasted our taxpayers money on his personal with ( vanterpool ) who took him to school / even after he (the wigged one ) brought in a trini attorney ( hustler ) who walked out with a couple of hundred thousands $$$ with a smile / but got a nice warn cell when he got back home . so it aint nothing new , ( its just another form of the rodeo game these wannabe aristocrats play using taxpayers moneyY •