A Former Montserrat Chief Minister Sentenced to a Lengthy Prison Term

Former Chief Minister and veteran attorney David S. Brandt will spend 15 years behind bars.

The sentence was handed down by Justice Stanley John during a sentencing hearing on Monday in Brades.

On June 30th. Mr. Brandt was found guilty on several counts of sexual exploitation and one count of perverting the course of Justice.

On Monday Judge John sentenced him to 9 years and nine months on four of the charges, 8 years and 9 months on one charge, and 7 years and 9 months on another  charge.

On the count of perverting the course of justice the former politician was sentenced to 15 years.

The prison terms for each offence will run concurrently for a total of 15 years.

Mr. Brandt was earlier found not guilty on one of the charges that were made against him.

During his sentencing hearing, Justice Stanley John, stated that in passing sentence, the court took into consideration a number of mitigating factors.

These include the guidelines for sentencing set out by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, the submissions in the Social Report, where a number of persons from the community provided comments on behalf of the accused and the prosecution.

He summarised his decision by stating that the aggravating factors far outweighed the mitigating circumstances and that the message sent by the court must be clear that no one in Montserrat is above the law.  

He further stated that the sentencing must reflect the seriousness with which the court view cases of this nature.

Mr. Brandt was first arrested in September 2015, after members of the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS), initiated the investigations and was assisted by officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK.

Reflecting on the investigations, Commissioner of Police, Steve Foster, says he is heartened by the collaboration and level of networking done to have brought the investigation to a successful conclusion. 

He said the RMPS recognized the sensitive nature of the case, especially to have had victims come forward to give evidence in such an important matter.

Mr. Foster states that this demonstrates that the RMPS is prepared to take all necessary steps to protect the citizens of Montserrat from crimes and the fear of crime.

The Commissioner of Police expressed his determination to bring those who exploit vulnerable persons and children to justice.

Commissioner Foster is also keen to advise all victims that the RMPS wants to encourage anyone who has been subjected to these types of crimes, to come forward and be confident to report to the Police. 

The RMPS says it has specially trained officers who are there to guide victims through the investigation and ensure all reports of this nature are fully investigated. 

Meantime, Deputy Commissioner of Police Charles Thompson says it is accepted that such crimes have long term effects on both the victim and those close to them and it is vital that justice is sought for those affected, and that persons who are responsible, are held to account.

He says no one in Montserrat is above the law.

During the trial which lasted 5 weeks, the prosecuting team for the Crown was led by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, with Annesta Weekes QC, as the lead prosecutor, along with Director of Public Prosecutions, Oris Sullivan. 

They presented evidence related to each offence to include; WhatsApp conversations with the complainants or victims which were recovered from Mr. Brandt’s phone, receipts of money transfers, interviews and testimonies, among other evidence.