|
Judge orders retrial in John Travolta extortion case
The trial of two people accused of trying to extort $25 million from John Travolta following the death of his son in the Bahamas ended in a mistrial yesterday after a member of Parliament announced at a political convention that one of them was acquitted.
Bahamian Supreme Court ordered a retrial late on Wednesday. Senior Justice Anita Allen said she was reluctantly ordering a new trial "in the interest of justice" because the politician's statement.
Allen told the court, "The dilemma that we face is great. I am erring on the side of caution. Justice must be transparent".
Former Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater and ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne and his attorney were accused of threatening to release private information about the death of Travolta's son Jett at the family vacation home in Grand Bahama.
The date of retrial has not been fixed yet. It's not clear if jurors had actually reached a verdict.
Michael Ossi, one of Travolta's attorneys, said he is happy with the retrial decision.
Ossi said that if asked, Travolta would go to testify at the retrial. He said, "We are fully cooperating with the prosecution".
|