The criminal trial of government minister Winston Garraway for assault of a local journalist will be held in the St George’s Magistrate Court on Thursday.
Senator Garraway is charged with assault stemming from an incident more than a year ago when he attempted to prevent journalist Calistra Farrier from conducting an interview with senior government minister, Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen at Government Headquarters, Ministerial Complex.
The trial was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Sen. Garraway is accused of shoving the journalist to the ground while trying to block the interview which Minister Modeste had agreed to conduct.
The incident was widely publicised with a photograph of the journalist on the floor and the then Minister of State for Information standing over her in an apparently threatening manner.
In an audio recording of the incident, Sen. Garraway is heard referring to the female journalist as a devil.
At the time of the incident, the Keith Mitchell-led administration sought to pre-empt and usurp the authority of the Justice system by declaring that they had investigated and concluded that “nothing happened”, despite the widely circulated photograph.
Among the witnesses summoned by the prosecution is Shere-Ann Noel, President of the Media Workers Association of Grenada (MWAG) and also a contract employee with the Government Information Service.
Gerard Joseph, an employee of the Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN) who was also covering the post-Cabinet briefing that day and also videotaped the incident is also on the witness list.
Speculation is rife that Joseph could be a hostile witness after he denied having the recording, although senior GBN staff had admitted having it.
Senior Management later also denied the existence of the recording and did not make it available to investigators.
Farrier is the main witness for the prosecution and she says her expectation is that the police will handle the matter without any fear of political reprisal.
Sen. Garraway, who is now a Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office was charged only for assault although medical evidence was given to the police for causing harm to the journalist who was injured during the incident.