Monday, October 5, 2009

Tourists to be sentenced in assault case after changing pleas

CARIBBEAN 360 NEWS

ST JOHN'S, Antigua, October 5, 2009 - After weeks of hearing and giving testimony in court, the American tourists accused of assaulting police officers in Antigua and Barbuda following a fare dispute with a taxi driver last month, reached a plea deal that will see them being sentenced today.

The deal was hammered out over the weekend and five of the six visitors changed their plea to guilty, while the sixth had the charge against her dropped.

Shoshanna Henry, 24, her sister Rachel Henry, 27; sisters Nancy, 22, and Dolores Lalanne, 25; Mike Paul,24, and Joshua Jackson,25, individually and together faced charges ranging from indecent language and disorderly conduct to wounding and malicious damage.

They had all insisted they were not guilty.

But over the weekend, following discussions between prosecutors and defence attorneys, Shoshanna admitted to beating two female police officers and damaging their clothing and jewellery; the Lalanne sisters pleaded guilty to wounding another policewoman; Paul pleaded guilty to using indecent language; and Jackson admitted to battery on a male officer.

A few other charges were dismissed, including the sole charge against Rachel Henry who was jointly accused with Jackson and the others of beating that policeman.

 

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