By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
AN elderly man will stand trial in the Supreme Court on charges of incest and attempted incest, a judge ruled yesterday.
Acting Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs had been asked by attorney Calvin Seymour, lawyer for a retired policeman accused of sexual relations with a ten-year-old granddaughter between August 2007 and December 2010, to determine that the accused could not stand trial on November 23 because of his impaired sight, diabetes, kidney disease and high blood pressure.
The judge ruled yesterday, however, that based on the evidence presented to the court that the accused would be in a position to appear for trial, which is scheduled for November 23.
The elderly man is also accused of attempting to have sex with another ten-year-old granddaughter on May 23, 2012.
He denied both allegations when formally arraigned in the Supreme Court in December 2013.
A physician testified two weeks ago that while the accused was not on dialysis for his kidneys, he had been placed on medication to slow the disease’s advancement to chronic levels and to also maintain control of his blood pressure and diabetes.
The physician said improvement was visible between the examinations but for the accused to stand trial would require him to take medication on time to control the development of the kidney disease.
He was physically fit enough to instruct counsel, the doctor said.
Algernon Allen II appears for the Crown in this matter.
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