By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday 27th September 2018)– The Deputy Leader of the opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), Marcella Liburd, has revealed that Constable Lennox Hodge was not arrested on the day he was driving but rather in his uniform following his day off from work.
“What is more questionable is that Hodge was not stopped while he was driving. Hodge works in Nevis. He was off on Independence Day [19th September]. He was off duty when he was back at his job on the next day. He was called to down to St. Kitts in his uniform to be arrested for driving with an expired license the day before.”
So said Liburd at the party’s monthly press conference held on Wednesday (26th September) while speaking on the topic of the police officer at the center of alleged political victimisation, Constable Lennox Hodge-of the Nevis division- who is currently out on bail and is expected to face a judge next month in answering to two traffic-related offenses.
Liburd, who is a lawyer by profession, highlighted that she is not aware that driving with an expired drivers’ license was an arrestable offense, adding that, to her knowing it is a ticketable offense.
She made it clear however that: “I am in no way making an excuse for Constable Hodge for not realising that his drivers’ license was expired. It was an error on his part”.
Liburd then continued by pointing out that she is aware of many situations where persons who were driving with an expired license and were only ticketed for the offense.
She further noted that Hodge was not stopped at the time of driving and up to the time of his arrest he had not been asked to present his drivers’ license.
Liburd questions the means and procedures that was used to garner information about Hodge’s license since he was not stopped while driving.
“…More outrageous… How is it that they know his license was expired? They were determined that Hodge should be punished for driving Dr. Douglas!”
Liburd claimed that during the arrest, Officer Hodge was also told that he should not have parked Dr. Douglas’ vehicle in the area where he parked it and should not have gone down on the grounds to collect Dr. Douglas.
This, according to Liburd, was the real problem.
She shared her opinion that Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris was upset that Dr. Douglas was in the convoy for Independence.
“The real problem was that Timothy Harris once being told that Dr. Douglas was in the convoy for Independence irked him to the bone. What irked him even more was when he heard of all the cheers they received while driving in the convoying,” she commented.
Liburd-the Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Two- said she along with Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Three Konris Maynard were also passengers in the vehicle.
Constable Hodge was charged for Driving Without a Valid and Unexpired Driver’s License and for Driving Without Insurance on Thursday 20th September.
He was driving a privately owned vehicle at the time of the incident.
On Friday 21st September, the officer received bail in the sum of $10,000 with two sureties for his appearance at the Basseterre Magistrate Court come Thursday 11th October 2018.