JANICE ALLEN WAS all of 13 years old when she died. Thirteen. She had barely begun to experience what life has to offer before being snufed out by a bullet - allegedly from a policeman's gun.
Recently, that policeman was found not guilty of any crime whatsoever. Her parents and friends were left to not only continue to grieve, but also had a new target to direct their anger against. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
They were not the only ones. Human rights groups such as Jamaicans For Justice, newly energised by what is seen by many as an unfair and inaccurate verdict, were once against at the forefront, crying out for, well, justice. The DPP began to feel the heat, finally in a nation where far too many innocents die as a result of people sworn to serve, protect and reassure, people who very rarely, if ever, have to pay the consequences for their actions.
So what happens next? Well the DPP has admitted to a 'foul-up' in the case, but was quick to blame some obscure prosecutor, who may have to face what were vaguely described as criminal charges, as mentioned in today's edition of The Gleaner.
Where does this leave the parents and friends of Janice Allen? If one recalls the law correctly, one person cannot be tried in court for the same offence twice so even if the officer did kill the 13-year-old, he has got away scot-free. Almost everyone else is left to grieve.
