File
The old Goodyear tyre factory, seen in this 2005 photograph, will be the new home for Morant Bay Courthouse in St Thomas.

THE OLD Goodyear factory in St Thomas is to be used as a temporary courthouse to serve the parish, Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne has said.

Lightbourne was speaking at a Gleaner Editors' Forum last week.

"We have sought and received permission to use a section of the factory," Lightbourne said.

The Morant Bay courthouse, the main seat of justice for the parish, was gutted by fire in February of 2007. Matters, which were fixed for hearing in the Morant Bay Resident Magistrate's court have been transferred to Yallahs. Lightbourne said that witnesses and litigants in St Thomas were having to travel to court in Kingston for circuit and gun-court matters.

The justice ministry, she said, will use the factory space as a courthouse for about 18 months.

"We have bought land, which was too small to build a judicial complex. We bought further land from the parish council, which is being sub-divided to give us the additional lands," Lightbourne explained.

The Goodyear tyre factory was closed in 1997 after the company pulled production activity outside the country.

A section of the factory was, however, refurbished at the turn of the decade, with the intention to use it as a call centre in what was then called the "production train." But this train never got going.

Meanwhile, there is no allocation in the 2008/2009 Budget for the restoration of the courthouse, which was the scene of the famous Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865. Despite a substantial increase in the allocation to the maintenance of courthouses and judicial residences over last year's provision, Morant Bay received none.

Judicial residences

Over $437 million has been earmarked to be spent on courthouses and judicial residences this year, up from $289 million last year. The increased expenditure, when adjusted for 20 per cent inflation, is $118 million. This amount is expected to take care of the refurbishing of the Balaclava and Cambridge Resident Magistrate's courts and the refurbishing of the coroner's and traffic courts in Kingston.

On a recent visit to the site of the burnt-out courthouse, The Sunday Gleaner dug through the pile and observed that although some records were badly burnt, several others were legible.

We also observed several case files dating back to 1968 and as recently as 2006. However, when contacted then, the minister responded that it is not aware of any files still lying around at the courthouse.

- D.L.