IN HIS early days as a social worker, Glenn Tucker had the opportunity to work in the courts and sometimes observed many cases of questionable decisions because of unreliable eyewitness testimony.
With the advent of DNA, Tucker was convinced that the courts would start to get it right.
However, after DNA tests were done months before and excluded two brothers of rape charges, Tucker was baffled as to why the men were still held in custody and released long after they were found to be inculpable.
Winning letter
Tucker spoke with The Gleaner shortly after he collected the coveted Silver Pen Award for his letter, titled ‘DPP must rely more on scientific evidence’, that was published in The Gleaner on July 25. He said he could not understand why the authorities would ignore DNA evidence and continue with a case.
One of the biggest problems in the justice system is the inordinate delay in disposing of cases, wherein witnesses sometimes have to keep coming back to court for years. Apart from the fear of anybody silencing them, witnesses in most cases have to keep returning to court for years, which is unfair to them,” Tucker said.
Tucker, who is copping his third Silver Pen Award since 2007, said there are times when he has concerns and he thinks they need to be expressed.