Margaret Pratt's Justice Diary - June 2017

Hello, my name is Margaret Pratt, my husband Roger Pratt was murdered in St Lucia in January 2014.

When I spoke last month I was really very encouraged. The interim director of public prosecutions, Daarsrean Greene, had been in touch. He'd agreed to take the case under his own wing and push it forward.

This month, I'm much less optimistic.

There was a voir dire hearing when the fitness to plead assessment on one of the four defendants was due to be heard. That hearing took place on 12 May.

The case was adjourned again for a fourth set of psychiatric assessments on one of the defendants.

Since then I've not heard Mr Greene's feedback. He has promised twice to let me have his update within 24 hours but on neither occasion has he followed through on that promise.

The fact that he's not been able to deliver on his promises just disappoints me more than I can say.

There are three outstanding issues that I am actively seeking help from Mr Greene on:

• The first is this issue of the forensic evidence. He undertook to review the forensic evidence in Roger's case and I haven't yet heard back from him about those points
• The second point is around the severance of the indictment. He wishes it to be assured that even if the case against one defendant falls he's able to get the indictment re-served on the other three defendants.
• The other thing I'm not clear about is what the impact will be of a November trial date, as currently set by the judge, on the October date that had previously been set for the trial of those accused of violence and attempted theft against me.

I never thought these trials would take place at the same time but I had always been led to believe that the first charge, the one of murder, would need to be heard first.

St Lucia is a violent place. There have been 23 murders already this year on the island.

I do understand people within the judicial system are running hard to try to keep up but that's no consolation to me and it's no consolation to all the many other families who are also seeking justice for their loved ones in St Lucia.

Margaret