Trinity Criminal and Regulatory barrister, Yvonne Taylor has travelled over 4000 miles to St Helena where she has been instructed by the Attorney General to prosecute three historic sex cases and an attempted murder. The cases are unprecedented for the Island as they are the first trials to include intermediaries. In addition, Yvonne has been instructed by the Attorney General to advise in relation to extradition proceedings.
Ahead of the Trials, Yvonne has been presented with a certificate approving her as an advocate for St Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cuhna by the Lord Chief Justice, His Lordship, Charles Ekins Esquire.
The formal opening of the St Helena Supreme Court took place on Monday 20 February 2017, following which civil and criminal cases, including those prosecuted by Yvonne, will be heard by the Supreme Court until 17 March 2017.
At the opening, the Lord Chief Justice entered the Courthouse accompanied by the Sheriff of St Helena, Mrs Ethel Yon OBE and Father Dale Bowers. Lawyers, barristers, Justices of the Peace, officials, and members of the public also attended. Attorney General, Angelo Berbotto, welcomed the Lord Chief Justice and acknowledged the presence of Her Excellency Governor Lisa Phillips. In his speech opening the session, the Attorney General took the opportunity to welcome Yvonne and other visiting civil and criminal counsel.
The Chief Justice said of the forthcoming sessions: “A number of these cases that are due to be heard will be ground-breaking, both in terms of the procedure adopted and in terms of the principles to be decided. I know that I can count on all of those involved with the Supreme Court to do everything that can be done to ensure that the business of the court is satisfactorily concluded.”