Bloomfield murder trial pushed back to April 2022
Published:Tuesday | July 13, 2021 | 12:09 AM
The judge-alone murder trial of the man charged with the murder of then Portland Eastern Member of Parliament Dr Lynvale Bloomfield suffered yet another delay and was on Monday pushed to April 20 next year in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston.
Simeon Sutherland, of Buff Bay, Portland, was arrested and charged with murder and misprision of felony in connection with the stabbing death of the politician on February 2, 2019.
The trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, but was adjourned after Sutherland’s attorney-at-law, Peter Champagnie, QC, told the court that he had a medical emergency and had beforehand informed the prosecution of the fact that he would not have been available for the commencement of the trial.
Champagnie, however, before rushing off to attend to the medical emergency, assisted his client in signing the judge-alone trial agreement.
Justice Leighton Pusey, who extended Sutherland’s bail, then pointed out that “this is a fairly early trial date based on the fact of not having a jury trial, as those matters are being set further along”.
In the meantime, Justice Pusey warned members of the media not to publish any photographs of the accused before or during the trial, adding that the court has the power to charge offenders with contempt of court.
The warning came in the wake of security concerns raised by Champagnie about the publication of photographs of his client.
Sutherland was arrested in 2019 by investigators from the Major Investigation Division (MID) after forensic evidence reportedly linked him to the scene of the crime.
Bloomfield was found with multiple stab wounds by an employee at his home in the parish on the morning of the fatal attack.
Two knives that were recovered at the politician’s house, along with a vest that was found in bushes near the premises, were said to be vital evidence in the case and were sent for forensic testing.
Sutherland was initially detained on February 13 by MID investigators, who have led the probe.
During the initial questioning, it was revealed that he admitted to being with Bloomfield several hours prior to the politician’s nude body being discovered with stab wounds, but Sutherland reportedly denied knowing anything about the killing.