Probe launched into bogus Hanover JP
Published:Saturday | November 16, 2019 | 12:34 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Hanover police have launched an investigation following the detention of a man who is believed to be impersonating a justice of the peace (JP).
While confirming the incident, the police told The Gleaner that the name of the individual will not be released, as he has not yet been charged.
According to reports, the situation arose from an incident where an application for a spirit licence was tendered for consideration at the court office in Lucea. The form was duly stamped and signed by a purported justice of the peace.
However, suspicions were aroused as the purported JP did not attach his seal to the document and there were irregularities with the identification number on the attached stamp. Checks revealed that the ID number on the stamp belonged to a Hanover JP with a different name.
The man who signed the document claiming to be a JP was taken into custody after he failed to present his credentials.
When contacted by The Gleaner, the Hanover Justices of the Peace Association and the Hanover Lay Magistrates Association revealed that the detainee is known by them but his name is not on their registers.
When contacted, the Ministry of Justice also confirmed that the individual in is not on their list of JPs in Hanover.
The detainee, however, continues to insist that he is a gazetted JP for the parish.