Mistrial Declared in Kidnapping Case Due to Media Mishap

The kidnapping trial of William Danny Mason and Ryan Rhaburn was declared a mistrial in the Belmopan High Court yesterday, after a media house published sensitive information. Last week, despite warnings from the Director of Public Prosecutions, News 5 aired an interview with Rhaburn’s attorney, Simeon Sampson, speaking on a no-case submission denied by the court. Additionally, a juror’s face was shown during a television broadcast last week, prompting Justice Francis Cumberbatch to declare a mistrial. Today, seasoned attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley weighed in on the mishap, saying the judge made the right decision to throw out the matter.

Bradley stressed that removing jurors from trials is a greater issue, one that should not have been taken lightly by the public.