Charges against Justin Jennings related to home invasions in St. John's and C.B.S. last year have been dropped.
The Crown withdrew 14 charges against Jennings, 35, in provincial court in St. John's Monday morning, saying a review of the details indicated there wasn't a likely prospect of a conviction.
Jennings' lawyer, Averill Baker, had pushed for the charges to be dropped when the case was called early last month, saying the Crown should charge a witness in the case instead.
Jennings had been accused of breaking into the man's home while armed with a handgun, and robbing him. Baker told the court that when police responded to the report of that home invasion, they found drug paraphernalia and equipment.
"I'd like to know from the Crown whether or not they have charged their main witness," Baker said at Jennings' last court appearance. "That sort of Crown witness, if charges that serious are pending related to this matter at his own residence, then I am allowed to cross-examine him on this and it goes to credibility."
Prosecutor Jude Hall said at that point that he would be reviewing the file and would make a determination on the likelihood of conviction.
Jennings still has 11 charges before the court, and he has pleaded not guilty to all of them. He'll go to trial March 11 on allegations of robbery, forcible confinement, extortion, breaching a court order, assault with a weapon and other firearms charges in connection with an incident last August. In February, he’ll go to trial for charges of driving while disqualified and breaching a court order.
Jennings made headlines last year when Judge James Walsh released him from custody with a sentence of time served on three assault charges, a dangerous driving charge and court order breaches, saying Jennings had suffered undue hardship as an inmate at Her Majesty's Penitentiary. Walsh made strong statements about the conditions Jennings had endured in the prison, saying the institution had failed to protect him and the inmates he assaulted when staff placed him in segregation excessively, inappropriately discontinued his medication, and in other ways.[email protected]
Twitter: @tara_bradbury
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