Court Raises Concerns That Prosecution May Be Undermining Domestic Violence Policies After Prosecution Drops Charges Twice In Six Months.
Alric Lindsay 
By Alric Lindsay
Chief Magistrate Hernandez issued a sharp rebuke to Crown Counsel from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on today, October 20, 2026, stating that prosecutorial patterns were undermining domestic violence policies.
The critique arose during the case of Jamaul Antwan Edward Barnes (case reference CR2026-00842), who faced allegations of common assault and intentional harassment, alarm or distress. DPP Crown Counsel Wedderburn informed the court that the prosecution was formally withdrawing all charges against Barnes.
Upon reviewing the file, Chief Magistrate Hernandez voiced strong concerns, pointing out that this marked the second time in a short six-month window that the Crown had abruptly dismissed domestic violence charges in relation to the same complainant.
Striking a critical tone, the Chief Magistrate stressed to the prosecution table that “this is not the way the policy is supposed to work,” emphasizing that repetitive cycles of filings and sudden withdrawals fail to provide the structural protections mandated by domestic abuse protocols. The charges against Barnes were formally dismissed.
Note to readers
Please see the previous article below explaining why a policy exists for the DPP to exercise its discretion to continue the prosecution of cases even though the female victim changes her mind and decides she does not want to proceed with the charges.
