{"id":333408,"date":"2024-11-28T07:30:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T11:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=333408"},"modified":"2024-11-28T07:46:18","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T11:46:18","slug":"dominica-opposed-to-granting-of-bail-to-jonathan-lehrer-says-national-security-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/homepage-carousel\/dominica-opposed-to-granting-of-bail-to-jonathan-lehrer-says-national-security-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Dominica opposed to granting of bail to Jonathan Lehrer says National Security Minister \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Minister for National Security Rayburn Blackmoore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While acknowledging the independence of the court, National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmoore said Dominica is ‘totally opposed’ to the granting of bail to double murder-accused, Jonathan Lehrer.<\/p>\n

He spoke one day after it was revealed that the court had opened bail for Lehrer – a move that sent shock waves through Dominica.<\/p>\n

“Let me begin by making it fundamentally clear that the state takes this bail application for Jonathan Lehrer, one of the accused of the double murder of Dominique Marchand and Daniel Joseph Langois, very seriously and it is totally opposed to the granting of bail,” Blackmoore said in a statement on Wednesday. “While I fully appreciate the independence of the court and embrace the principle that within our society, one is presumed innocent until proven guilty, however, there is consensus within society that certain crimes because of the brutality involved are very serious and therefore must be dealt with in the most serious manner by the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed out that the public interest is a “transcending issue” in the matter and it must be seen as being “preserved and protected by the court at all times.”<\/p>\n

He also said the government has enacted a Bail Act to offer clarity on the granting of bail.<\/p>\n

“One of the things your government has done over the years is to enact a Bail Act to seek to bring clarity as to how and when bail should be granted by the court and in instances when bail should not be granted,” he stated.<\/p>\n

Blackmoore outlined the instances in which bail is considered under the Bail Act.<\/p>\n

“One, the seriousness of the crime,” he explained. “Two, if the accused person is a flight risk,\u00a0 and thirdly, the public interest.”<\/p>\n

According to Blackmoore, from the very beginning, Dominica has taken the matter “very seriously.”<\/p>\n

“The police were quick and professional in their response and that has been manifested throughout the investigations,” he said. “The state has retained the services of one of the best senior counsels in the area of criminal law from the region to assist with the prosecution of that matter.”<\/p>\n

He vowed that justice would be done in the case.<\/p>\n

“The state will continue to provide all the resources needed to ensure that his matter is properly prosecuted and justice is not only seen to be done but will be done,” Blackmoore said.<\/p>\n

Lehrer was jointly charged with his accomplice, Robert Snider Jr., on December 6, 2023, for the brutal murder of well-known Canadian businessman Daniel Langlois and his partner, Dominique Marchand. The couple owned Coulibri Ridge and Eco Resort in the south of the island.<\/p>\n

From the very beginning, the matter has generated enormous public interest in Dominica and throughout the region.<\/p>\n

When news broke on Tuesday that bail is now open for Lehrer, many Dominicans took to social media to express their views.<\/p>\n

“What a joke! Not even a year in jail and he\u2019ll be outta here in a New York second! That\u2019s fast!” one wrote on Facebook. \u00a0“Will never see him again! No justice AT ALL for the beloved victims who did much for Dom! Can\u2019t the Canadian Government do anything????”<\/p>\n

“This bail condition is a joke that cannot prevent this man from absconding,” another wrote.<\/p>\n

“This is sad and disappointing. Our justice system has failed us on this one. What message are we sending to the youth? The gruesome nature of this crime should not warrant bail on any condition,” yet another wrote.<\/p>\n

Read bail conditions:<\/p>\n