The Judicial Service Com-mission (JSC) has sent Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys off on early retirement in the public interest, severing him from the judiciary nearly eight months after he was involved in an incident in which a policeman was shot.
Well placed sources confirmed last night that Magistrate Gilhuys was retired by the JSC though he is yet to attain the age of retirement.
Sources say that the JSC met on the issue last Thursday and made the decision after extensive deliberations, which started shortly after Magistrate Gilhuys was pulled from the bench in June last year.
Since Magistrate Gilhuys was never convicted in the matter the JSC was reportedly inclined to act cautiously and “not treat him as if he was convicted”, a source said. But the JSC had apparently reached a decision sometime ago that it was in the interest of the public that Magistrate Gilhuys be off the bench permanently.
Sources observed that the Magistrate’s legal troubles off the bench might have been part of the considerations before the JSC. Magistrate Gilhuys was called before the JSC to testify about the shooting incident and subsequent events. The magistrate also appeared recently in court on traffic charges.
Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack had recommended that no charges be laid against the magistrate in the shooting case, owing to deficient police statements on the incident.
On June 26, Corporal Mark George and his colleagues were on patrol on Woolford Avenue when they noticed a vehicle with tinted windows parked on the roadway. The policemen made checks and an argument ensued between them and the driver, who was later identified as Magistrate Gilhuys. It is alleged that the magistrate opened fire, and there was an exchange during which George was hit. Magistrate Gilhuys has maintained that he was fired upon first and that he returned fire.
Pending the investigation into the matter, Magistrate Gilhuys proceeded on annual leave.
