Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Complainants requesting court cases to be discontinued a trend

Complainants requesting court cases to be discontinued a trend

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has said it will not accept any letters – whether notarised or not – from any complainants or legal representatives of a complainant asking for a matter to be discontinued before the courts.

The DPP’s office said the announcement follows a disturbing and unacceptable trend of complainants submitting letters for matters to be discontinued despite clear instructions to not send those letters.

“If a complainant no longer wishes to proceed, it is mandated they attend the police station and give a witness statement to that effect,” the press release said.

“The decision to discontinue proceedings rests solely with the Director of Public Prosecutions. Just because a complainant no longer wishes to proceed does not automatically mean that the matter will be discontinued,” it further said.

The DPP’s office also noted that there are several offences that are so severe that the prosecution of these matters is in the best interest of the public. Therefore, such cases will not be discontinued, even if a request to do such is received.

Those matters include domestic violence cases (including domestic violence between parents, children and siblings), murder or attempted murder, wounding or grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm, burglary, drug offences, theft, and other crimes of dishonesty (such as obtaining by deception, false accounting) and sexual assault including rape and indecent exposure.

The list also includes offences where children are victims, offences where elderly persons are victims, breach of trust or public officer offences and offences that involve proceeds of criminal conduct.

You must testify


The DPP further advised the public that persons who provide witness statements are required to attend court, especially if a summons or subpoena has been issued.

“Failure to comply with a court-issued summons or subpoena could be met with court action,” the statement read.

“If a virtual complainant or witness believes they are at risk or have been threatened, they should contact the Commissioner of Police, without hesitation. It must be appreciated and respected, that all reports made to law enforcement concerning a criminal offence, are taken very seriously,” it continued.

The office highlighted that law enforcement resources are invested to ensure the investigation and prosecution of all criminal reports made.

“When a complainant or witness decides they do not want to proceed or to give evidence at court, it not only undermines the criminal justice system, it wastes law enforcement resources which could have been applied to another matter,” the DPP’s office said.

“The public is kindly reminded that threatening, persuading, or otherwise influencing a virtual complainant or witness to not give evidence, not appear at court, alter their account of a matter and any conduct that could disrupt, hinder or halt a criminal investigation or prosecution is considered a criminal offence and offenders shall be investigated and prosecuted,” it continued.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×