By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, BELMOPAN, Belize, Tues. June 1, 2021: An American woman and the partner of the youngest son of well-known British magnate, Lord Ashcroft, was on Monday denied bail in Belize, following the shooting death of a police superintendent.
Jasmine Hartin was arrested on Friday following the discovery of the body of Superintendent Henry Jemmott on a pier in the resort town of San Pedro.
According to Belize 5 news, quoting her attorney, Hartin was denied bail Monday follinng her arraignment hearing. She remains in police custody, pending remand to the Central prison in Hattieville after being charged with manslaughter by negligence. Her attorney, Godfrey Smith, says he will appeal for bail to the Supreme Court today.
Hartin, 38, an American, is the partner not wife, of Andrew Ashcroft.
Police commissioner Chester Williams said that initially Hartin refused to give a statement to the police. The police report said the Jemmott was shot just behind his right ear.
Hartin and Jemmott were drinking and socializing on a pier in the wee hours of Saturday morning before Jemmott’s body was found floating in the water with a bullet wound to the head and his service weapon nearby, police said.
He was fatally shot with his own gun and a postmortem has confirmed the headshot was the result of a homicide – not an accident, not a suicide.
Hartin, a US national, lives in Belize with Andrew Ashcroft and is the director of lifestyle and experience at the Alaia Belize resort, where she was staying before Jemmott’s death.
Her father-in-law is Belize’s former ambassador to the United Nations and his lawyer, the country’s former attorney general, reportedly visited Hartin in jail Saturday. Reports are that Hartin was found on that pier splattered in the officer’s blood and that she suggested to first responders that the bullet might have come from a passing boat.
Jemmott according to Belize media reports had worked in various aspects of policing and was recently the officer commanding San Ignacio Police Formation. And in May of this year, he was transferred to Belize City to take over command of precinct two.
