To whom it may concern

Greetings,

My name is Ryan Pook and I am presently at the Kolbe Foundation (Belize Central Prison) for the past six (6) years and seven (7) months remanded for a murder that I and my two (2) brothers, namely Michael Pook and Adrian Pook, were accused of committing from the 5th of May 2011.

We went on trial in November 2015 and our trial finished in December of that same year. Normally, after a trial finishes the trial Judge is supposed to hand down his decision right after hearing the case, but in our case, we haven’t gotten back a verdict as yet and that is very strange, considering that it was a murder trial and that it has been completed for two years now.

I and my brothers are begging for some assistance to get information about our verdict and how much longer do we have to wait to get that said decision.

We have been made to understand that the law allows that a trial Judge can give a decision up to 2 years after the trial finishes, but we have already completed that two (2) years and still we haven’t heard any word as to when that decision will be handed down.

Our trial Judge was Mr. Troadio Gonzales and he has already retired. We understand that a new Judge was to replace him in January 2018.

It is very difficult to be incarcerated from 2011 to 2015 (four years) waiting for trial, then after being tried in 2015 to have to wait another two and a half years for a verdict, but we did it, and did not make any fuss over it until now because that said two (2) years has completed and nothing has happened as yet. This is absolutely an outright violation of our rights as an accused and also as a human being.

Please assist us in any way you can because being locked up in prison for so long in limbo is nothing nice. No person who is accused of a crime they didn’t commit should be locked up for so long without knowing what’s next. Only who feels it, knows it!!!.

Respect to all and thanks,
Michael Pook, Ryan Pook, Adrian Pook