<<< Justice Anita Allen
Nassau, Bahamas — Justice Anita Allen had to leave court Thursday afternon after Pleasant Bridgewater’s attorney Murrio Ducille and John Travolta’s Florida attorney Michael McDermott refused to “lower the temperature” after they got into a heated argument during cross examination after McDermott testified about the sting he had set up for the Bridgewater and Lightbourne. In fact, at one point Ducille accused Justice Allen of trying to muzzle him.
The fireworks got started when Ducille incorrectly pronounced McDermott’s name. McDermott told Ducille that his name was Irish, and correctly said it. Soon voices were raised as both men began commenting on questions and answers that we given. Tempers started flaring and Justice Allen told them, “Please! There is no need for this!”
Ducille eventually shouted at McDermott: “You sir, are an untruthful witness!”
“Maybe it was her [Pleasant Bridgewater] first extortion because that’s what she said!” McDermott defended himself.
“I am suggesting that you are the sergeant major in all of this,” Ducille said.
Ducille was about to make another statement and was corrected by McDermott again when his name was mispronounced. He said McDermott, McDermont, McDonald’s whatever.
“My lady, would you please have him address me by my proper name?” McDermott asked of Justice Allen.
“You’re the leader in the orchestra!” Ducille told McDermott.
“There does not have to be any shouting in this courtroom” Justice Allen told them. “There should be no comments.”
“He started it!” Ducille said. “He’s a witness on whom reliance cannot be placed.”
McDermott stated that he did not agree with Ducille’s statement and again he and Ducille started going off at each other only to receive a stern warning from the Judge who grew increasingly annoyed.
“Take off your lawyer hat, you are a witness” Justice Allen had to remind McDermott before telling both he and Ducille to respect the court and each other.
Still the argument continued. Tarino Lightbourne’s attorney Carlson Shurland even got up at one point and angrily stated “Why is this witness arguing with the court?” He was then calmed by Ducille and sat down.
Justice Allen was so frustrated at one point that she put her hand to her head. Then in the middle of it all, she got up and went to her Chambers to allow everyone to calm down. The trial resumed Judge got frustrated and put her hand on her head at one point. Then had to recess to allow everyone to calm down. The trial resumed on Friday on a much calmer note. Justice Allen began the morning by warning all persons that the courtroom is not a theater and that she expects respect from those in court.
McDermott denied trying to as Ducille put it “sting” Bridgewater. He also denied coming to the Bahamas with “evil intentions in his heart”. He further stated that no threats were made against him personally, but rather Mr. Travolta.
The threats were made against mr. Travolta not me. Was not threatened by anyone. No. I love the Bahamas.
John Travoltas lawyers had the wrong concept from the get go about our judicial system, you have to blame that on people like Nancy Grace. She always talks her foolishness when it comes to these little Caribbean islands, like we don’t know what we doing and anything buck up goes. That’s why McDermott was in for a shock, he had the wrong impression that he could come here and disrespect our courtrooms and our judges, but it doesn’t work that way here. Welcome to the Bahamas Buddy!
@Russell Johnson
Russell, I am noticing how quickly this case came to court (in less than a year). Wasnt the court’s case log suppose to be backlogged? So how did this case get to jump to the front and be brought to trail in less than a year?
Why cant all cases, especially murder and rape cases, be brought to trail this quickly? Looks like only foreigners can get a speedy trail in the Bahamas.
That ambulance driver probably already been picking out his new home and car. Plus I believe he was getting ready to tell them people where they could put their job, especially how they already had him on probation. I must say though, he handled this disappointment well. He could of had a massive heart attack or nervous breakdown when he realized his dreams of becoming a millionaire had been shattered and then discovering what was really going on behind the scene. McDermott had this man walking around on cloud 9 for days with his hopes build right up and they know they weren’t going to pay him. They made him to believe he was in charge of this whole situation and he was the one calling all the shots and all that time they been there setting him up and entertaining him both at the same time. I mean from the PM down to RBPF know what was going on.
This case has exposed the loopholes in our judicial system and now begs the question,what do we do with Defence aTTORNEYS WHO KNOW THAT THEIR CLIENTS ARE GUILTY BUT STILL USE TACTICS TO DELAY TRIALS FOR YRS THEN GO AND CLAIM THAT THE ACCUSED PERSONS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS HAVE BEEN ABUSED?oUR SYSTEM IS FLAWED SO LETS NOW HAVE IT FIXED AND PREVENT ATTORNEYS FROM MAKING LAVISH EARNINGS TO THE DETRIMENT OF EACH OF US.wILL THIS HAPPEN?NO NOT NOW BWCAUSE BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE IN PARLIAMENT ARE ATTORNEYS.WHY DO YOU THINK HAI HAS VICTIMISED CIVIL SERVANTS/?HE KNOWS THAT THE COURTS ARE SO OVER BURDENED THAT IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST TWENTY YRS FOR A HEARING TO TAKE PLACE.TALK ABOUT TRUST?TRUST MY FOOT.THERE ARE MURDER CASES PENDING FOR OVER 12 YRS BUT NO DATES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE COURT CALENDAR,THEN LOOK THIS CASE BECAUSE OF INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE FROM AMERICA GETS LEAP FROGGED OVER THE OTHERS.I GUESS IF YOU WANT JUSTICE IN THIS TOWN THEN COMPLAIN TO AMERICA.I WILL DO JUST THAT
If one follows Ducille case we would know he takes on case that he can win therefore there is some hidden evidence or lack there of that we know nothing about as for mcdummit he needs to go investigate what happen to his clients son and determine if his client should be charged
and mc germ with the irish scottish name but live in florida will learn the hard way that bahamians dont tap dance fa tea he needs to get that gel out he hair and show some decent behaviour he is like wind always blowing whats his purpose
ah my poor lightbourne he mussy say he was on to a winner no more turkey wing and white rice goodbye fire engine hello surf and turf nah look at him all handcuff up
@larry its the evidence thats what decides guilt or innocence you cant blame the judge jury nor lawyer they decide based on evidence..who provides the evidence? the police ech and you cant really blame them either if evidence is not there……..you can however blame tommy t thou for having no policy objective thats fair comment zero tolerance is not a long term thing and there is no resources human or otherwise to sustain such an objective so why the false hope? and when they resume hanging(s) things still wont change the population de-sensitized to death. the appetites of a blood thirsty few will be satisfied and the crime will continue people will then realise that only BLACK males 18-40 being hanged establishing an us agianst them environment us being the poor masses them being the elite the stakes will raise the more the hangings increase is this his vision kill dem all and done…..
Some of you goons are actually sticking up for Ducille now that he is defending your’ll girl, Pleasant. But just remember that is man who has become rich by getting murderers, rapist and thieves free, most likely to commit another crime again. So next time a murder happens don’t blame Tommy T, whilst your’ll salivating that the man responsible for putting so many criminals back on the street be successful in defending your’ll woman just because of politics.
@Reformer
LOL! She knows who gets things done!!
My question is why did Mrs. Gibson call the PM, AG, Marvin Dames and not Perry Christie, or the COP. Hmmmmmmmmm. She is saying something Folks!
@Kim Sands Yeah he’s the charity case…..LOL
That ambulance driver probably had to convince himself that he was doing it for charities in order for him to be able to carry out his plans, but once he got his hands on that money, I don’t think charity would have seen a dime from that money.
it is for the judge to control the the court he needed a mac fine for his contemptous behaviour this is the second circus show in as many years ….. politicians need a protocal and follow it they get star dust in their eyes and cant see they gat dese greedy press hungry people in our courts acting stupid how they case come up so fast anyhow and my people waiting fa justice…anna now john …..that 6 mill they waste talkin bout commercial gone down the drain…….and as for telling pleasant she was wrong she must be whisper that and anyone could see that ambulance fella delusional he want give money to charity counting chickens before the eggs even laid much less hatch as a result we have this display of idiotic behavior makin us look back a bush when we are anything but
This is how I really feel about John Travolta extortion case, I think it is for entertainment purposes only and just to make a spectacle out of Pleasant and to teach her a lesson about being underhanded. I don’t believe Pleasant will spend one day in Her Majesty Prison for this crime. If anybody goes down it would probably be the ambulance driver, but I don’t see how they could send him and don’t send Pleasant. That will be the interesting part in all of this. The reason I feel this way, is because we seems to have double standards in this country and our laws seems to be only applicable to a certain people. All the noise in the market doesn’t mean anything; you all remember the commission of inquiry? Nobody when to jail right? Ok then. The only thing it accomplished besides being entertaining which everybody going up there saying, “ I can’t recall.” was wasting the tax payer’s monies. In the event I am wrong this time and Pleasant do find herself behind bars, I believe it would because the government realize people are watching this case closely and they might not want to appear to be unfair and unbalance and this might also be a way to send a message to people in the country who considers themselves to be above the law.
Ducille deserves his reputation as a good defense lawyer. Mcdermott is either incompetent or feeling very guilty. The question of who called who first can be significant to the jury but would have probably not had anywhere near its current impact if Mcdermott had just admitted that he called first. Ducille on the other hand exploited the fact that Mcdermott showed this weakness, and made him lose his cool. A liar always loses his cool in the eyes of the jury.
Despite the fact that Pleasant had to know what she was doing is wrong and was also told so, she did limit her involvement to some extent and if it can be shown that the case would not have gone this far had it not been the clear intent to set up a sting then she may very well get off.
The question then comes down to why would the Attorney General and Prime Minster allow a sting to be setup, when at that point no crime had been committed? If Mcdermott is testifying that no specific request had been made for money BEFORE he initiated a call to the lawyers, under what authority was the wiretapping granted?
Plus as Ducille is a foreigner he must also respect the decorum demanded by our system. Anita is well within her right and job description to quiet the colluseum as she did.
No matter who is right or wrong, the conduct expected in our courts MUST be respected. We will NEVER allow the bullying tactics of yank lawyers to corrode the dignity of our courts.
@Tristan
Has nothing to do with worshipping foreigners, far from it, but I think it is wrong to say that just because he is a foreigner he can’t stand up to Ducille. Please Ducille is a foreigner his self. I have seen him in action and like most defense Attorneys he screams and shouts and tries to intimidate, he is doing his job, but that doesn’t mean that a witness because he is not a Bahamian must just stand there and take that. This case as most criminal cases is decided by the jury who are not judgers of the law but of the facts! So perhaps you need to educate yourself about the law and criminal procedure! My opinion based on what I have heard coming out is there is a clear cut case of extortion, a threat was made and money was asked for. We can dress it up all we want and blame Allyson, McDemott and others but at the end of the day, they threatened to expose if they didn’t get paid.
William seems to be a bahamian who worships foreigners and would sell his own. The Truth is the truth and it is shown in the case. If you dont understand law, go and do some It is alright to take sides but come on show the contrast please. Geesh
@eagleye
That’s right. Ducille’s actions shows that he has a weak case and is desperate. I don’t blame the man in not letting Ducille badger him. They were wrong and we cannot condone it no matter what nationality a witness is.We have to stop turning a blind eye to corruption and greed. As a witness McDermott had a right to stand firm and I am happy he did not let Ducille intimidate him.
Poor Bahamians. We are so dumb that McWhoever just comes to our country and “tricks” us into doing all sorts of stuff. Poor Pleasant didn’t know any better, poor Tarino just couldn’t resist. Poor Bahamians. We just get railroaded.
That is really a sad way to see ourselves Bahamians. We are just as smart as anyone else. Its just that these people chose to commit a criminal act. Please stop making excuses for wrong-doers. If someone comes to you, wherever they are from, and asks you to commit a crime, whether you have a law degree or have an obligation to them like Pleasant and Tarino did, will you be so lost and confused that you cannot make the right decision? Will you go along with the crime then blame the other person. This is really silly and portrays the Bahamian people as naive and immature. This is not about the witnesses people. This is about the people who are on trial. Are they guilty of a crime or not. Focus man!
@Russell Johnson
If the accused had acted in a professional manner from the get go and advised the ambulance driver accordingly we wouldn’t be here making our own judgment of this total embarrassment to the country and it’s citizens in the eyes of the international community. Never mind about trying to deflect the blame on to McDermott and starting to talk about racism…. for goodness sake…….. please….
The Defence Attornet was very successful in getting mac dummit to show his ugly side.He was carrying on for the sake of the international press forgetting that it is the peers of the two accused who are the jury.mac dummit showed the ugly american side and has been duiped by the defence who can now point out to the jury his nasty traits.A poor witness for the prosecution who has actually blown the case.Are lawyers no longer able to represent any reprehensible client?I am so ashame because mac dummit has given credibility to those on this site who say Maynard Gibson should have just warned Bridgewater.Afetr digesting what mac dummit said I now ask the question,can a client and Attorney no longer negotiate a deal to their satisfaction?Mac dummit has left mw troubled ah well its the jurys headache to weigh his testimony.He sounds racist.
The Defence Attornet was very successful in getting mac dummit to show his ugly side.He was carrying on for the sake of the international press forgetting that it is the peers of the two accused who are the jury.mac dummit showed the ugly american side and has been duiped by the defence who can now point out to the jury his nasty traits.A poor witness for the prosecution who has actually blown the case.Are lawyers no longer able to represent any reprehensible client?I am so ashame because mac dummit has given credibility to those on this site who say Maynard Gibson should have just warned Bridgewater.Afetr digesting what mac dummit said I now ask the question,can a client and Attorney no longer negotiate a deal to their satisfaction?Mac dummit has left mw troubled ah well its the jurys headache to weigh his testimony.He sounds racist.
People from other countries, especially the USA, always believe that we as a nation are so naive, that they can “railroad” us! Personally, I am sick and tired of it. I worked in the Financial sector (Banking) for 25 yrs. The Canadians, Swiss and the British tend to belittle and undermind us as Bahamians! They tend to treat us like we realy still live in “huts” ! Mr. McDermott knows just how to behave in court and give evidence as a witness, but instead he has come here with the notion, that our legal system (according to nancy Grace) is hogwash and that we don’t know much about judicial workings! He wants to “show us up” in the international eyes of the world! But, he has met the right person – Mr. Ducille WILL…NOT allow it to happen – not here, not now !!!
There is something “Fishy” about that Mr. McDermott, or whatever (hope) I spelt his name right! If you take note of the evidence, he stirred all the ingredients together to “bake” an extortion case. It seems to me, that it didn’t need to go that far, but that with his (mr. McDermott’s) intervention, things kept building and were dramatized. We will find out more..mmmmm!
McDermott is in our courts there is no way he should come into our country and try to munipulate our system we cannot do it in his country. Be firm Madam Judge and let no one run over you in court, let them hold their heads when you are finish with them not vice versa
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