Perjury case against police officer collapses
A police officer who faced multiple criminal charges, including perjury, has been acquitted by the High Court after a judge ruled there was no case for him to answer.
Marley Sebastien, who had been indicted roughly four years ago, walked out of the High Court yesterday after the matter was dismissed.
Sebastien had been charged by the Director of Public Prosecutions in connection with evidence he gave in 2019 during a separate police matter involving fellow officers Pamphil Prevost and Simon Power, as well as during their 2022 retrial.
His attorney, Valston Graham, told the court that the prosecution relied on discrepancies between his client’s accounts to suggest dishonesty. However, he argued that the evidence failed to establish that any statement was false.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, Graham made a submission that the evidence did not establish a prima facie case and that Sebastien should not be required to mount a defence.
The presiding judge accepted that submission and instructed the jury accordingly. “On all three counts, Sebastien should not be called upon to answer and to return a verdict of not guilty on all counts,” Graham said.
The charges included two counts of forgery and one count of perverting the course of justice, alongside the perjury allegation.
Graham maintained throughout the proceedings that the case lacked evidentiary support.
He further argued that the case depended on inconsistencies between statements without identifying which version was allegedly false.
According to Graham, the law requires independent corroboration in perjury cases, which he said was absent.
The attorney noted that similar arguments had been raised earlier during committal proceedings in the Magistrate’s Court, but the matter was still sent to the High Court.
He added that the case dated back to an investigation that began in 2012 and that his client can now move forward with his life.
Sebastien’s acquittal follows recent outcomes in related matters, in which other officers were also acquitted after courts found there was no case to answer.
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This case was commenced, with a huge amount of publicity, by the DPP before the verdict was delivered in the other criminal trial in which Office Sebastian was giving evidence. The publicity was clearly and obviously intended to influence the jury in the other criminal trial, but the defendants in that trial were acquitted because the DPP failed to produce any evidence which could convict them – they were released at half time.
This prosecution was also hopeless, and the DPP has failed to get past half time yet again.
Judging how she has previously reacted, she will appeal this latest humiliation and suffer more humiliation in the Court of Appeal.
All at the tax payers expense.
How much more of her incompetency do we have to suffer.
Everyone on those bogus cases with no evidence will collapse you watch
Can we change the Police uniform, the collar is not properly worn it need to be corrected to show character not complaining but the photographer needs to pay attention. It should show professional and character.
When will the governor fire the DPP? He wants to be controlling everything but the things under him are not being managed well. She is clearly abusing her power by bringing cases that she should not be bringing. I hope the officer brings a malicious prosecution case against them. This is ridiculous! Do your job Governor
Meeno wah dem ah wait pon
TifFunny is so Dumb she makes SlowWanda Government looks like they are Doing a Great Job
How many more cases does the DPP have to lose before she is shown the door? Juses Cristo! Her office record is one of a loosing streak.
If the DPP office cant bring justice to sociedty, what is their puporse? Collect a check? Hot up space?
It is time the DPP is shown the door. The office of the DPP need to be revamped from head to toe.
Any other person in the private sector with this losing record would have been sacked a long time ago.
My God. I have no faith in that office.
The current DPP had demonstrated time after time, case after case her inability to discharge functions and thus grounds for removal from office.
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