SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — A politically charged courtroom drama unfolded this week as Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott appeared before the St Elizabeth Parish Court, answering to criminal charges stemming from a tense confrontation on election day.
The proceedings, which saw heavyweights from Jamaica’s legal fraternity converge in Santa Cruz, follow an altercation between Scott and Julie Francis, a Jamaica Labour Party agent, at the BB Coke High School polling station in Junction on September 3 — the same day voters headed to the polls in the hotly contested St Elizabeth South Eastern seat.
Scott, who contested and lost that race on behalf of the People’s National Party, is facing charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and malicious destruction of property. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to police reports, the incident was sparked by Scott allegedly overstaying his allotted time at the polling station. When a JLP agent reportedly attempted to address the breach, tensions escalated. A second agent, identified as Julie Francis, is said to have stepped in to calm the situation but was allegedly struck in the face by Scott before the mayor’s security team escorted him from the venue.
Following the incident, a formal complaint was filed and summonses issued. The matter is now before Senior Parish Court Judge Steve Walters.
Representing the complainant is a formidable legal team led by King’s Counsel Tom Tavares-Finson, who confirmed that an application for a fiat has been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, signaling an intention to privately prosecute.
The Mayor, meanwhile, is being defended by attorney Charles Ganga-Singh, who made it clear he is undaunted by the lineup on the opposite bench. In a terse response to media queries, Ganga-Singh stated, “Whether Tom alone, or Tom and 99 of his associates, I am fully ready to defend the matter.”
The case has been adjourned and is set for continuation on November 27.
As the courtroom becomes a new battlefield, all eyes are on what implications the case may have for both political figures and the already fractious relationship between Jamaica’s two dominant parties.
