Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Smith Shocked! Says Walwyn may have jeopardised pending case

Smith Shocked! Says Walwyn may have jeopardised pending case

Local attorney Jamal Smith has indicated that Former Education Minister Myron Walwyn may have jeopardised his pending court case with the public statement he made after being arrested and charged with breach of trust by a public officer.
Last week, Walwyn issued a lengthy statement professing his innocence and intent to vigorously defend himself after being charged with Breach of Trust in relation to the controversial Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) perimeter wall project that reportedly suffered major cost overruns years ago.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was not pleased and called the statement an “erroneous and unfounded” attempt to “adversely influence the potential array of jurors who will eventually decide his fate” in a likely trial before the High Court.

Speaking on the Talking Points radio show on November 7, Smith said he was shocked when he saw Walwyn’s statement, especially since the former Education Minister is a lawyer and knows the implications of making public comments about a matter that is before the courts.

“I was extremely shocked to have seen a qualified lawyer who should know better, putting out such a statement,” said Smith who is the former chairman of the Labour Arbitration Tribunal. “Any lawyer will tell you ‘do not say anything once you have been charged’. These are criminal investigations, you do not speak about them. You do not try criminal matters in public.”

He said Walwyn’s statement has incensed (angered) the public and may push the DPP to take certain measures to ensure that the case is not further affected by public opinion.

“The question the judge now has to answer is ‘can these people get a fair hearing in this territory?’ That’s the other issue you might run up against and I’m wondering whether the DPP is preparing herself for a bigger play. There are some bigger plays she can make because of what has happened in the public domain,” Smith said.

However, he did not state what “bigger plays” the DPP may take.

The community has had mixed reactions to Walwyn’s statement. Some say he should have known it was wrong to make a public statement while others have championed the former legislator’s right to free speech.

However, Smith said people should know that the right to freedom of speech has limitations.

“People seem to have the wrong impression of what freedom of speech does. It doesn’t give anybody the right to say anything they want in the public domain. There is no absolute right other than the right against torture.”

“You have a right not to be tortured or subjected to inhumane punishment. Every other right has numerous exceptions – including the right to free speech. You have to be careful when you exercise that right to free speech,” Smith said
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×