His Excellency Alistair Harrison, Governor of Anguilla, announced on Tuesday, March 9 that, on the unanimous recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission he has approved the appointment of Ms Ivenia Benjamin as Senior Magistrate. Ms Benjamin is a citizen of the Commonwealth of Dominica. She has experience there of working as magistrate, in the Attorney-General’s Chambers and in private practice. She will be taking up her position in early April.

Ms. Ivenia Benjamin

The Governor further announced that, again on the unanimous recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, he has approved the appointment of Mr. Keithly Benjamin to the position of Magistrate. Mr. Benjamin will be taking up his position around the end of April or in early May.

The Governor commented that he was delighted to be in a position to make these announcements and to end the hiatus in the Magistracy since the departure of Ms. Stephenson-Brooks. He paid tribute to her tenure as Magistrate, and also to the part-time magistrates John Benjamin and Courtney Abel who had acted during the interregnum.

The Governor noted that Ms Invenia Benjamin has had a long and distinguished legal career including as a magistrate, and would bring enormous experience to the post of Senior Magistrate. Similarly Mr. Keithly Benjamin, a qualified lawyer, has had a very distinguished career in the Royal Anguilla Police Force, which had given him a wealth of practical and legal experience. Apart from the recommendation of the Commission, the Governor noted that Mr. Benjamin came with glowing testimonials from senior members of the legal profession in Anguilla which spoke to his legal qualifications and experience as well as his personal qualities. He would be following in the footsteps of other senior policemen in the Caribbean and the British Overseas Territories who had taken up appointments as Magistrate, including Mr. Haynes Blackman who had been magistrate in Anguilla some years ago.

The Governor paid tribute to Keithly Benjamin’s tenure as Commissioner of Police, and said that he had enjoyed working closely with him over the last ten months. The position of Commissioner would now be advertised to suitably qualified candidates from within the RAPF and in the region.

Mr. Keithly Benjamin

The Governor said that it would be important for Keithly Benjamin to avoid any conflict of interest by recusing himself from any cases in which the RAPF was involved during his time as Commissioner. He was sure that, of his own volition, he would ensure that this was done. In any case it was expected that Ms Ivenia Benjamin as Senior Magistrate, would make arrangements to ensure this happened.

Governor Harrison made the announcements of the appointments of the two Magistrates at his press conference on Tuesday this week. Answering reporters’ questions, he expressed the view “that the combination of having one Magistrate from off island, and one from our island, is actually a very good one and it helps to balance the various interests of having somebody who is totally impartial coming from off island, but somebody who also knows the island.”

Meanwhile, Commissioner Benjamin appeared at the Police press conference on Wednesday to announce his retirement from the Police Force at the end of April, after a full career of 31years. Emotionally moved, as he addressed the reporters, he said he was very happy to be retiring after a very successful term of office and had prepared himself for his new role in the Magistracy. In expressing his determination to make a success of his new career, and to allow them to assess his performance in due course, he said: “I wish to say to all those who supported me, that you would have made a good choice.”

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