Magistrate adjourns matter administratively
Cayman Islands Education Minister Rolston Anglin did not appear in Summary Court on Tuesday as originally scheduled, nor did his name appear on the posted list of defendants. He was to have been sentenced for careless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.
A senior officer at the Law Courts said that the matter had been adjourned administratively because Magistrate Kirsty-Ann Gunn was not holding court that day.
Magistrate Gunn is the one to pass sentence because she started hearing evidence in the case 13 November and so is seized of the matter. She has set Tuesday, 19 March, as the new date for sentence.
Minister Anglin originally pleaded not guilty to charges that he drove along West Bay Road in the vicinity of Avalon Condos in the early hours of 23 May, 2012, without due care and attention (careless driving) and drove under the influence of alcohol, with a alcohol-in-blood reading of .110. The legal limit in the Cayman Islands is .100.
After the first day of evidence, trial was adjourned until 27 November because Crown Counsel Matthew Coles intended to call a witness who was available only on that date. He said the witness would give evidence about the rate at which alcohol is eliminated from the body.
On 27 November, before trial resumed, defence attorney Steve McField asked that his client be repleaded, citing only “a turn of events since we were here last time”.
Mr. Anglin then entered his guilty pleas. Mr. Coles said the pleas were acceptable and he offered no evidence on an alternative charge of driving while impaired.
The date of 5 March was set for when the magistrate would hand down sentence.
Mr. McField has not yet addressed the court in mitigation. One reason for the original adjournment was Mr. Anglin’s decision to attend a DUI counselling programme before sentencing.
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