Woman charged for having TWO HUSBANDS vindicated; CJ dismisses

By Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Reporter

#TurksandCaicos, July 17, 2023 – The charge was that of bigamy which carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment and is an indictable offense, triable in the Supreme Court.

Bigamy is defined in law as a criminal offense, when an individual has married someone else while simultaneously being married to a spouse who is still living.

The office of the DPP in conjunction with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force up until Friday  July 7th 2023 had criminally charged a Kew Town mother and grandmother of marrying two Haitian men at alleged different times and dates.

Ms.  Enjaleek Dickenson for the office of the DPP presented the case which claimed that sometime in 2015, Evelyn ‘Joy’ Gardiner married a Haitian man Desire Toussaint. The marriage happened with Pastor Wayde Coleby of Healing Waters Ministries International in Providenciales.

The second marriage ceremony was allegedly performed in Cap Haitian, Haiti in November 2020 to Joseph Sabastian Able. Documents were produce before the Court at the hearing regarding both marriages but senior attorney, Ashwood Forbes challenged the authenticity and the lacking  supportive additional documentation at the sufficiency hearing on Friday.

Her ladyship the Hon Chief Justice Mrs. Mable Agyemang heard from counsel for the DPP Ms. Dickenson and from Defense attorney Forbes. After being convinced and strongly persuaded by Mr.  Forbes, the Hon Chief Justice, said I have to let her (meaning the accused ) go.

The case against EVELYN “JOY” GARDINER was dismissed.

This matter and all the other sufficiency hearing matters on Friday last, was by Zoom only. The accused appeared from her attorney Mr. Ashwood Forbes’ office and so did other accused individuals who were on bail and had to appear for sufficiency hearing.