Sykes laments incomplete court infrastructural works

HEAD of the judiciary Chief Justice Bryan Sykes says with the Government is on its “third strategy” to produce new courtrooms, long-standing infrastructure challenges which have humbugged several courts across the island must also be resolved so that trials can take place within a suitable time frame.

According to the chief justice, the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston, the Family Court also in downtown Kingston, the Family Court in St James, and the Manchester Parish Court in Mandeville are prime examples.

“Last year before Hurricane Melissa arrived, a contractor turned up at the Supreme Court and began some work, well, would you believe one year later the work hasn’t finished, I have not seen this contractor for the last six or seven [months]. I don’t know what has become of the contractor, I don’t know whether he is dead or alive and the consequence has been that one of our courtrooms in the Gun Court [Division] has been out of commission because they have to house the staff, the Supreme Court is literally bursting at the seams, so we had to house them in that court while the contractor commenced his work on the room near to the library upstairs,” the chief justice shared. He said subsequent rains led to the flooding of the library.