The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Antigua and Barbuda, Anthony Armstrong has successfully requested the extradition of a British officer to face a rape charge on the island.
A government statement says this development marks a first in the legal history of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Armstrong had made the request through the United Kingdom Crown Prosecutions Service which presented the extradition request to the Westminster Magistrates’ Court before a senior District Judge in October, 2017. The request was finally granted in July this year, after the British Court heard legal arguments for and against it.
“The court’s decision was sent to the British Home Secretary for him to decide whether to issue an order for the return of the fugitive officer. The order was signed by the Home Secretary in August of 2018, paving the way for the British officer [to] return to Antigua and Barbuda,” the statement said.
However, the British officer, who was not named, may appeal the decision of the Home Secretary before another court.
According to the allegations, while on vacation in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2015, the police officer met with a foreign student studying at a local educational institution, and raped her shortly after.
The matter was reported to the police who commenced an investigation, spearheaded by Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Davis. However, before the suspect could be apprehended, he went back to the UK later that month.
