Our tireless local media has been reporting for the last seven years about the routine adjournments of a rape case which sees the charismatic and popular Pastor Jippy Doyle at the centre. BU family members who are not familiar with this case can have a quick read. In a nutshell Pastor Jippy Doyle has been accused of rape by a female who would have been a minor at the time. We believe the sexual acts are reported to have happened between the ages of thirteen and fifteen years old. This case has been stuck in the ‘system’ for seven long years.
Yes indeed you read correctly!
Having said the above we know that there are real challenges within the court registry to efficiently process many cases currently awaiting trial. The question therefore can be rightly asked by the BU family, what makes this case special regarding the length of time to rooster. The BU household wish to make it very clear that our last sentence in no way intended to diminish the seriousness of the alleged crime which was perpetrated on the victim.
A Google by BU family members can quickly search-out the reason why this case has been jammed in the ‘system’ for so long. The reason reported in the local media most of the time has been the unavailability of Pastor Jippy Doyle’s lead counsel who we know to be the veteran Sir Richard Cheltenham. We did find it interesting that a search of Jippy Doyle’s name on the Nation database brought up zilch! Perhaps we typed his name incorrectly, BU family members can give it a try.
It is reprehensible that such a serious charge maybe leveled and both the plaintiff and the defendant would be denied swift justice. Isn’t there a saying that justice delayed is justice denied? Did we get that right? On the one side we have the Pastor whose reputation is being sullied, and on the other side of the coin we have a young adult who has to face the trauma of the rape ordeal every day because of the lack of closure. All of this is happening against the background of the large public perception that the judicial system in Barbados is independent and true.
We have no reason to doubt that Sir Richard is a busy man. We have no reason to doubt that he would have been sick as reported on those times which led to the perennial postponement of the case. What we don’t understand is how Sir Richard finds the time to island hop the Caribbean during the seven year period. He presided in the Prime Minister Mitchell fraud commission in Grenada where it is alleged he took a bribe. It was reported in the local press this week that Sir Richard submitted a 83 page report of his findings. It has also been reported in the local media that he is actively involved in the dispute resolution exercise between members of the St. Lucia Stephenson King cabinet. Again it has been widely reported the rife in the St. Lucia cabinet since the death of Sir John Compton.
How long is too long?
We are aware that in the court pecking order Sir Richard is a big boy. He is a Queen’s Counsel and has been practicing law for a very long time in Barbados. The Chief Justice would have climbed the ranks with Sir Richard and should know him well. In the interest of justice being delivered we hope that the obvious delays and manipulation of the Jippy Doyle case should cease.
The PEOPLE are watching and they are beginning to smell the stink which has started to envelope this matter.
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