Bridgetown.
Opposition Barbados Labour Party Member of Parliament George Payne has filed a suit against fellow party member and MP Edmund Hinkson.
The claim form, filed in the Supreme Court by the law firm Smith & Smith on April 25, on Payne’s behalf, seeks “damages for defamation in respect of the words published and spoken of the Claimant by the Defendant on the 25th day of February 2013 at a meeting held at the Barbados Labour Party Headquarters Roebuck Street Bridgetown which was attended by thirteen (13) members of the Barbados Labour Party elected to the Parliament of Barbados in the parliamentary elections held on the 21st day of February, 2013″.
Among other things, Payne also wants the court to grant an injunction restraining Hinkson or his servants or agents from repeating the words of which he complained.
In the official court document, Payne’s attorneys stated:
“A meeting of the newly elected members of the Barbados Labour Party in Parliament was held on Monday 25th February 2013 at the Barbados Labour Party Headquarters, Roebuck Street, Bridgetown, St. Michael at 10:30 a.m. The main purpose of the meeting was to select the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
“The persons who attended the meeting were Mia Amour Mottley, Cynthia Forde, Santia Bradshaw, Dale Marshall, Maria Agard, Ronald Toppin, Dwight Sutherland, Glyne Clarke, Trevor Prescod, Kerry Simmons, Jeffrey Bostic, Edmund Hinkson and the Claimant. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Dale Marshall.
“During the meeting, there were a number of contributions and interruptions and Mr. Edmund G. Hinkson was requested on more than one occasion to allow other members to make their representation without interruption. While the Claimant was making his contribution to the meeting, he was suddenly interrupted by the Defendant who indicated that he had no moral authority to speak about leadership and shouted out in a loud voice:
“You are a crook and a criminal; you are a big Queen’s Counsel and you committed fraud; you are totally unfit to be a member of parliament; you aint got any right here; you should be in prison”.
“The Chairman tried to calm him down and Mr. Ronald Toppin chided him for his outburst but in response to Mr. Toppin he retorted: “Don’t mind you, what do you have to show for the eighteen (18) years you were a Member of Parliament?”.
Other members spoke to him about his behaviour including Mr. Dwight Sutherland, one of our newest members who indicated to him that he should apologise for his outburst, which was disrespectful to a senior member and was sending the wrong message to the new members. To this he responded: “There are no senior members in here, we are all equal. George Payne is a political clown.”
“The Claimant felt humiliated, depressed and embarrassed by the comments made inasmuch as these statements were totally untruthful and because he had never had such damaging accusations made against him nor was he privy to any conduct on his part which would warrant such a damaging assessment of his character.
Payne the long standing MP for St Andrew and a former chairman of the BLP , Hinkson was recently elect to the House of Assembly as the Member for St James North.
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