(Jamaica Observer) The mistrial application filed on behalf of former Turks and Caicos Island (TCI) Premier Michael Misick was on Tuesday dismissed by High Court Judge Justice Paul Harrison.
A story in Tuesday’s online edition of the Turks and Caicos Sun newspaper reports Justice Harrison as saying that he agreed with British prosecutor Andrew Mitchell, QC that the mistrial application filed by Misick’s attorney, Ralph Thorne, QC, was “novel” and “unprecedented”.
Thorne had filed the application arguing that the prosecution had engaged in the practice of issuing daily releases of “its unproven opening statement through a website created by the prosecution itself”.
“I consider this practice to be improper and undue and I have expressed this position in court,” Thorne said in a statement issued on the weekend.
The defence attorney said he felt constrained to issue his response on behalf of his client after Sandals issued a statement last Saturday in response to allegations made by Mitchell in his opening statement.
Sandals pointed to Mitchell’s statement that payments were made to Michael Misick by one or more Sandals-related companies.