Supporters, friends and stalwarts of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) gathered outside the courtroom in large numbers chanting “Free Spaggs John…free Spaggs John.” Some carried placards bearing the same slogan.
Hector “Spaggs” John, the MP for the Salisbury constituency, was arrested and taken to court on Friday September 13, 2019 charged with incitement for statements he made at a United Workers Party (UWP) public meeting in Roseau on September 6, 2019.
“Roosevelt Skerrit, this is my last time I am coming on the platform asking you to tell us about the money…you will be hearing about Hector John. You will not be seeing me; I will not be speaking anymore. I am going to tell you something before I leave, don’t think that you will call the elections without electoral reform. You will have civil unrest on your hands. Good night and God bless,” John said.
The matter was adjourned to December 13, 2019. Gildon Richards the lead lawyer on the defense team told the court that the incitement charge was defective and will not be able to stand. He said, in his submission, that the phrase “civil unrest” standing as the sole pillar of the charge is not sufficiently clear in meaning or effect, to constitute incitement of a crime.
“The charge is exceptionally vague and defective and ought not to be put to the defendant in this form purporting to be an offense in law,” Richards stated.
He told the court that if this matter is brought before a jury that is “not supporting John’s party” it is likely to lead to “grave injustice.”
“Further, until the House is dissolved, he is a sitting member of parliament who, in a year of election, ought to be able to bring to the government’s notice and [make] public the dire need for propriety in the electoral process,” Richards said.
He continued, “It is in this context, I am forced to submit that no charge should be read to him.”
Magistrate Michael Laudat then asked the prosecution and the defense to prepare written arguments in the incitement case, the police versus Hector John.
The prosecution then asked the court for time to respond to which Magistrate Laudat requested that they make submissions in writing: the defense by November 15, 2019 and the prosecution by December 6, 2019. He will then give his decision on December 13, 2019.
John was placed on ten thousand dollars bail with one surety and no reporting conditions. The prosecution did not object to bail.
Speaking to the press after his release John said he will not be intimidated by his arrest.
“I came to town to do some business on Friday, September 13, 2019 and was walking next to the Prevo Cinemall when a police vehicle stops and told me that they were arresting me,” he said.
He continued, “They will not intimidate me. Everybody who takes actions will face the consequences. I am a strong advocate for open and transparent and accountable government. They have given me more energy to do what I do as a member of parliament,” stated a defiant John. “Are we really free in our country? Can we talk freely and work freely? This is something we need to ponder in this country. Dominica deserves better. I will not be intimidated and continue to speak freely and openly.”
John’s legal team consists of Gildon Richards, Cara Shillingford, Ronald Charles, and Henry Dyer.
Hector is just another ba ba black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bag full. One for Lennox, one for Hector and one for bongo natty nya.
I hope Hector and the UWP leadership will sue the police for wrongful imprisonment. This abuse of power ordered by the wanna be double doctor dictator has to stop – one way or another!
so telling the labourites of Bellevue to throw hot water on the workers supporters is not incitement? we never heard from the police commissioner on this statement up to this day. Dominicans wake up, the labourites will do anything right now they are desperate. we will not be intimidated, we will stand for what we believe, if not we will fall for the lies of manipulative prime minister of ours. labour must go, change is a must.
Skerrit and his regime,desperate men.
What is it that Spags Hector John has been arrested for? Its a UWP thing? I bet initiated by the big boy(s)at from th failed, highly corrupted DLP Comic? (Who the cap fit, let them wear it).
“Roosevelt Skerrit, this is my last time I am coming on the platform asking you to tell us about the money…you will be hearing about Hector John. You will not be seeing me; I will not be speaking anymore. I am going to tell you something before I leave, don’t think that you will call the elections without electoral reform; you will have civil unrest on your hands. Good night and God bless,” John said. What is wrong with this statement that people protest?
You mean for this? So What!, the police dont have work to do.? Spags is a member of Parliament, represents a constituency and we the people of Dominica. In his position as an elected member of Parliament, he and others (DLP or UWP) has that right to call out the ridiculous behaviour and manner in which law officers behave and conduct themselves.
Amen. Sensationalism. However, when the PM himself encourages his supports to dash the uwp reps with hot water when they come to their door steps or to get in the faces of uwp supporters to call them traitors, this is seen as nothing just fun ans jokes man. We are getting on like little sensitive little school girls these days. The labor party on its period it seems, hence all the red.
The police will be equally accountable for these atrocities that are taking place in Dominica. If Carbon and his Officers want, all they have to do is join heads and demand Skerro stop interfering with Police business.
I will be happy to join any force that will create a fair system in Da.
This is a total dictatorship that is going on in Dominica and I am calling on all conscientious Dominicans to put their voice to the cause for Freedom of our people. I need not repeat what Skerro and his Hench men have done which was worst than Hector to let you know that the double standards that exists in Da have to STOP!
When they come for the protestants the Catholics said nothing because they were not protestants, and when they came for my neighbors I said nothing because we were of different parties but when they came for me there was no one to say anything on my behalf. My people if we remain silent in the face of these assaults on people who oppose this Crime ministers , we won’t have a country to hand to our children.
Come out and do not be afraid. This is intimidation tactics but we wont be deterred.
As Prime Minister PATRICK JOHN declared war on the DREADS and won.Miss CHARLES declared war on the Defense Force and won.Edison James declared war on the Police he FIRED 8 including,the Police Chief and his Deputy.Edison James also declared war on the CIVIL SERVANTS.He called them sherkers and jerkers and BUG their offices.Lennox Linton has already declared war on the Police and senior Civil Servants.Roosevelt Skerrit has a bunch of UWP TERRORISTS destroying the COUNTRY and he is doing NOTHING.
what????. how can you declare war on senior civil servants when they are the ones who will be working with you as a member of parliament? Man Lin CLown you show your lack of …everything decent, day by day, comment by comment. What you just wrote made absolutely no sense in this day and age. I wonder what hamlet you emerged from and whether there are and intelligent people in that area.
oh please get your facts straight,look up the meaning of terrorist.
This is a joke in DA. Sad sad sad. Never In the history of DA we had this type of victimization of political opponents. Abuse of power by one man. All Dominicans should be alarm.
Lets be real not because you have freedom of speach you can say anything. I remember a young man was.provoking me i went to the station and i said to the officer .if he dont stop i will deal with him and the officer stop me and told me this was a fretening statment .do when thinking i said ok but in my right mind it was so we must be carefull when in rage we say stupid things
Hmmmm, Roosevelt Skerrit must be in a rage often then. I wonder why so. Not good for a country leader to be like that, not good at all.
Skerritt has taken a leaf from despotic leaders who he admires. He never has anything bad to say about the human rights violations in China, Venezuela Cuba, the Philippines but he is quick to refer to the America where his children were born as “Yankee imperialists” Remember Skerritt is on record as stating that Dominica doesn’t need an opposition. His actions and that of Chief Carbon and the sympathetic policemen and women is to intimidate the opposition. He is trying to provoke unrest or actions which he can deem to be unrest, remember the flatbed truck coup. Caricom investigating team said there was no coup. Try all you want weak, Skerritt, your evil schemes will not succeed. Now that you think there are enough Haitians in Dominica to possibly affect the election results in your favor you are now requiring visas. How low will you go Skerritt, why just not your record speak for you?
Take a look at Lennox Linton pointing his finger at a police officer, that guy is really out of other with his hooliganism violent ruffian attitude, Mr Skerrit, ring the bell Linton has got to go if it was in the UK 🇬🇧 this guy would have been in jail a long time ago for incitement why cant we do that here in Dominica it’s time to put a stop to that booboohaha from Linton.
Man dog, you see how you like trouble, you cannot see the face of the person pointing their finger at that man you call police; how you manage to determine the person is Lennox?
You are a trouble maker, you like chaos, and entropy!
You and Elizabeth are son, and daughter of Lucifer, the devil himself; as for Elizabeth who plays preacher, and like to talk about God.
I don’t know which god she serves, and which god she is talking about; for while with her mouth she profess to be a christian, while she is talking about god, the devil has his long arms in another part of her ripping it out!
I doh want to say what part of her I talking about; in any event I do not believe God Jehovah is in her life, but surly the god of this world dominates her body mind and soul!
You and Elizabeth need to give it a rest, because when Roosevelt lose this election, tears will flow!
Mr Francisco, This finger belongs to Lennox Linton no doubt about it, are you willing to put your life on it? 🤔 Anyway it is about time that you invest in a new pair of glasses 🤣🤣🤣😜👀
Man I will give you the benefit of the doubt. It does look like Lennox Linton. The shape of the ram goat head, the body language and his trademark way of finger extension.
This happened in a public place so there were many eyes observing. This bad behavior ca be used against him during his trial. Bad habitual behavior to add to the evidence during trial. With Linton track record there is no way he can escape conviction.
Our police officers are so nice. The officer is just smiling at this obvious assault.
The uwp leaders have the habit of provoking the police, but the police are real professionals and are not taking the bait. We have some real officers and gentlemen who we can be proud of. Great job guys.
If we were in the Uk, Mr. Skerrit would have been locked up long ago for corruption and for crimes against humanity.
Prison bird,…..you have only fake accusations against Skerrit, but there are people with a dossier of Linton bad behavior that would certainly put him behind bars.
For instance he could be charged with terrorism for imposter as a head of government in Guyana.( one will do for now)
Just think of someone posing as the Queen or the PM in England.
man bites dog if anyone should be in prison for incitement is skero and if u condone his actions maybe you too should be in prison. stupid retarded blindfolded labourites. blind leading the blind.
The blind leading the blind. Like Linton leading educated people from Layou to Roseau then getting them to pay for his legal fees. Up to now no one knows how much he collected…..Mama look transparency and accoutability gang bang style.
It is OK to stay in the US or any other country outside of Dominica and call for civil unrest you nasty little bugger, but Becareful what you wish for many of you suckers may not like it!!
where is my earlier comment
ADMIN: Let us know if you still don’t see it.
This all sounds very crazy how far is all this going to go..?Where is the focus of action on electoral reform which is the PRIMARY CAUSE of all these attempts to silnce dissent
Honorable Hector John, now you can take your place next to Mahatma Gandi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandella, Stevie Wonder, Rosa Parks, the people who sat at the All White Lunch Counter, and many others who engaged in Civil Unrest to draw attention to various injustices. People who don’t stand up for anything, will lay down for anything; I applaud you Hon. John. The case, if it proceeds to trial, will be a lost cause, and a waste of the taxpayers’ resources.
“Civil unrest is typically defined by law enforcement as gathering of three or more people, in reaction to an event with the intention of causing a public disturbance in violation of law. Civil unrest typically involves damage to property and injury to other people….” This definition of civil unrest speaks to the intention of the Spaggs John and the UWP. Let us not forget the Salisbury unrest lead by Spaggs and the events of February 2017 organized by the UWP that resulted in person’s been injured and massive property damage
And another farce takes place in Dominica courtesy of A rogue PM. The DPF allows this same PM to make fools out of them. Carbon has to go immediately, he is a total waste of space
Dominica is becoming more and mor like a communist country. Get people dependent on the government while they thank you for the crumbs, stifle free speech, get rid of the opposition by any means necessary
“They have given me more energy to do what I do as a member of parliament,” stated a defiant John”
Mr. John, Sir, that statement above have lighted up the reason you were arrested in the first place. It would have been better if you had acknowledged your flaw; it would not be shameful for you, but it would have exalted your credibility.
What is your “what I do as a member of of
Parliament”?
If the reason you were arrested, is what you call “do what I do as a member of parliament” I think you have made matters worse for you.
This was just another useless application of government resources with a subliminal intent to motivate supporters. Dictators always seem to resort to desperate measures when the writing is on the wall. This, in my opinion, is just another desperate move; the regular……….. victory is not guaranteed because the schemes have been understood and is being constantly and consistently challenged at every step along the way!
Thank God the Magistrate is not like the walrus sitting on the chair speaking foolishness in our house. I know people get foolish at Nights even sitting during the day, but this one is bigger than worst.
Here is what the Hon Hector John said: “Roosevelt Skerrit, this is my last time I am coming on the platform asking you to tell us about the money…you will be hearing about Hector John. You will not be seeing me; I will not be speaking anymore. I am going to tell you something before I leave, don’t think that you will call the elections without electoral reform; you will have civil unrest on your hands. Good night and God bless,” John said.
Here is what Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said. He said it in creole because he did not want international observers to understand so I will interpret what he said in English:
‘If UWP candidates climb on your step ( Skerrit step) I, in my capacity as Prime Minister, says to you to take HOT WATER and THROW on them.’
I want those of you reading my blog whether you are in Dominica, in the region or in the international world to consider the two statements and tell me which one should be arrested for incitement.
A day is coming and will soon come when the Police Commissioner will no longer use his office to make a FOOL of policing.
Soon and very soon Dominica will be fully free again and we will all experience freedom again.
Soon and very very soon, those that try to jail us will surely be jailed for their crimes.
When I think of Roosevelt Skerrit, who does what his god tells him to do and should not be criticized, I think of king Nebuchadnezzar, a young man God raised. That Nebuchadnezzar because of pride, picked up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for refusing to worship him. That same Nebuchadnezzar was sent to live in the wilderness for seven years, where he ate grass like an OX. His sins were very much like those of Pharaoh in Egypt and the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. All of these men were puffed up with pride, and they mistreated the lowly like Skerrit is doing. I urge Skerrit to start to familiarize himself with the book of Daniel so he could learn the lessons ahead of time
will be…
The People need to take to the street shut the country down the wanna be Dictator need to see the power of the people{NO JUSTICE NO PEACE}
“Roosevelt Skerrit, this is my last time I am coming on the platform asking you to tell us about the money…you will be hearing about Hector John. You will not be seeing me; I will not be speaking anymore. I am going to tell you something before I leave, don’t think that you will call the elections without electoral reform; you will have civil unrest on your hands. Good night and God bless,”
There is not a single word in the comments above that remotely promotes a rebellion; a riot or any form of civil disobedience.
Any district attorney who would instruct a nation chief of police to order his subordinates to arrest and charge an individual one even suspicion as charged must be a fool!Why don’t they arrest Roosevelt Skerrit for being unable to account for $1,200,000,000.00 dollars.Why don’t they arrest Roosevelt for giving local Dominican born millions of dollars of CBI to build hotel.
How can one born in Dominica be granted Dominica citizenship?
Carbon, the most loyal lapdog of the most corrupt and incompetent leader in the Caribbean uses his position for political mischief against the leadership of the Opposition. This man was appointed to the position not because of his capability but for his loyalty to a corrupt, lying most dishonest crook in Caribbean politics. It’s my hope that this unjust charge would be tossed to the curb by the magistrate as it will be considered a complete waste of the Court’s time. The country is being governed like Skerrit’s personal property. Dominicans Arise! Wake Up! Your souls are about to be stolen. Don’t allow it.
HECTOR JOHN is an educated idiot,just running his big mouth.Anybody who BREAK the LAW will be ARRESTED and CHARGED.Any repeat of February 7 2017 the people involved will PAY.There will be NO uprising in Dominica any attempt the LEADERS WILL PAY.Somebody will pay for the DAMAGE done to Roseau on February 7 2014.Wicked,TRAITORS.
That includes Skerrit and his administration.
Lin,……a lot of wanabee lawyers (layers) are forgetting an aspect of the law called “intent”.
Those 5th grade layers and those calling for unrest are confirming uwp intent. Theiir postings do not imply “good intentions”
Satan was a liar and murderer from the beginning and he and his followers arrested Jesus and later killed him. What was the crime Jesus committed again?
So if our Lord was arrested and killed for coming to deliver us from sin and the bondage of Satan, why would it surprise us if Roosevelt Skerrit, a person with many characteristics of Satan, send his troops to arrest Hector John, just for warning him that if he does not give the people election reform there will be civil unrest? Satan has to be afraid because he knows his day is approaching according to Revelation.
Hector John
Positive vibes. Be strong.
Mark my words, ” Labour is falling and will continue to fall.”
“Roosevelt Skerrit, this is my last time I am coming on the platform asking you to tell us about the money…you will be hearing about Hector John. You will not be seeing me; I will not be speaking anymore. I am going to tell you something before I leave, don’t think that you will call the elections without electoral reform; you will have civil unrest on your hands. Good night and God bless,” John said.
My God in Heaven, how could this be incitement and for Skerrit and Carbon to arrest, and charge a member of Parliament for the above statement? That’s beyond politics. That’s what you call abuse of power and making a fool of policing!
But I to encourage Hector and the UWP to hold on because the battle has been won and victory will soon be realized. My friends remember we are Christians and our holy brethren like Simon Peter, The Apostle John, Stephen, John Baptist and James were all arrested and beaten. Jesus our Lord was arrested, spat upon, charged for nothing and then killed
So the uwp were inviting people to a Christmas Party.
Those people pretending the Hector John innocent and posting his defense are not doing him a favour. They are demonstrating his guilt. The tenet of the law is innocent until proven guilty. So Hector is arrested not convicted. So all this fuss to inflame the situation will not help him
Based on what i am reading, Dominica is plunging headlong into a Zimbabwe, North Korea, Uganda under Idi Amin, etc..
To me labour Party candidates can say anything with impunity,and it’s OK . I am no lawyer, but Skerrit’s utterances re burning opposition candidates with hot water is far more inciteful that Spaggs vague statement, yet nothing was done..
But for a country to reach the stage that Dominica is in, you must have a broken police force like Dominica has and a puppet Commissioner of course!
Wha happen Hector u ah try fu get a hype cuz u realize nobody na study u an ur party keep on trying
Man, I’m not the brightest spark I admit but what you mumbling there is totally unintelligible, I cannot understand a word you saying. Is that supposed to be English?
Reallyyy, sounds like Skerrit might have been your teacher some 16 years ago!
OMG
He said that Hector is trying a stunt for publicity because no one is paying attention to him or his party.
That is so easy to understand. So much easier than Linton’s pontifical, nonsensical, bombastic verbosity.
Sometimes Linton has no indication of the meaning of the words that he is usuing. But that is what we expect from a 5 th grade marzee.
You think he will tell the judge ” your honourableness no gobbling of tea in occurance. ( not drink tea)
So the prime minister can commit the crime of incitement and not be Arested. Seems the law is only for a few.