The Manslaughter by Negligence case against Canadian national Jasmine Hartin, 33, over the death of Superintendent Henry Jemmott has ended with a sentence requiring her to pay $75,000. Justice Ricardo Sandcroft handed down the sentencing in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 31st. Hartin has 12 months to pay this amount or serve a year in prison. In addition to the fine, Hartin must complete 300 hours of community service at the YMCA Belize and produce a video about the consequences of drinking and making bad decisions.
The five-figure fine is considered the highest handed down for a Manslaughter by Negligence charge in Belize. While it may not be regarded as a justifiable amount for the loss of a family man like Jemmott, Hartin was reportedly initially startled but did not object and accepted the judgment. Following the sentencing, Hartin and her public relations representative rushed out of the court without offering comments to the media. However, her attorney Orson Elrington did speak to the media outside of the courtroom, stating that this is an opportunity for his client to start a new path in her life.
Hartin, a mother of twins and ex-partner of Lord Michael Ashcroft’s son Andrew, pled guilty to the Manslaughter by Negligence charge on April 25th, speeding up the case process to sentencing instead of a trial. Elrington stated that Hartin based her decision on what was best for Jemmott’s family as she did not want to put them through a lengthy trial.
The former San Pedro resident had been fighting the case since May 28, 2021, when she was accused of fatally shooting Superintendent Jemmott while they socialized at a pier south of town. Hartin maintained that it was an accident as she did not intend to kill the senior cop. Hartin alleges that Jemmott wanted her to get acquainted with guns, as she had been attacked days earlier on the mainland. Hartin said that after handling Jemmott’s service weapon, she gave it back to him when it suddenly went off, shooting him behind the right ear.
While the Manslaughter by Negligence case has closed, Hartin still has drug possession and standard assault charges pending in court.
