I was reading an interesting case about Jasmine Hartin, who shot (supposedly accidentally) a police officer in the head. She is in long-term relationship with Andrew Ashcroft, who she has two children with. Andrew's father is British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft. Andrew was unveiling his new luxury hotel when the incident happened, in the country of Belize. Hartin allegedly invited the officer, who was a friend, over to her apartment for a drink to discuss her personal security. They walked to a nearby dock, after the 10:00 p.m. curfew hours. What happened next is unclear. Security guards came running after hearing a single gun shot and found Hartin on a pier. She had what appeared to be blood on her arms and on her clothing. She initially refused to speak to police without a lawyer. Who is Jasmine Hartin? Daughter-in-law of billionaire Tory donor accused of killing police officer in Belize | The Independent There does not appear to be any evidence of motivation for the killing. The woman claims it was an accident. She says she offered him a massage for his shoulder pain. Mr Jemmott (the police officer) put down his gun and then the gun accidentally discharged when she was handing it back to him, shooting him in the head and killing him. The body of the police officer was found in the water. It's possible she may have been drinking too much and that could have contributed to the accident. It's also possible there could have been some reason she wanted to kill him. Maybe she had an affair with him and she was worried he was going to tell her wealthy long-term partner. Or maybe he had tried to make sexual advances on her. So first I want you to stop and think for a while, about how this case should have been handled by authorities. If you're wondering how authorities did react, she was initially arrested and denied bail, and eventually pleaded guilty to "manslaughter by negligence". Part of the reason she pleaded guilty was likely because the judge insinuated to her in the courtroom that if she pled guilty she would be unlikely to serve any additional prison time. from the article: The Belizean courthouse heard that the precedent in the case of a guilty plea for the offence was a non-custodial sentence including a fine. Judge Ricardo Sandcroft said he was unlikely to "veer away" from the existing precedent but had previously warned Hartin in an earlier hearing that he was "not bound" to it. She is due to return to the same court on May 31 for a sentencing hearing after the judge receives a socio-economic report which will be used to determine the amount of the fine. Canadian socialite Jasmine Hartin pleads guilty to manslaughter, The Telegraph, Colin Maximin, April 2023 This is yet another example of why people plead guilty, very common in the legal system. Not just in Belize but in the U.K. and U.S. She was actually told if she pleaded guilty there would probably be no prison time (although no guarantees).
