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Shooting of Henry Jemmott

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Shooting of Henry Jemmott
LocationSan Pedro Town
Coordinates17°55′17″N 87°57′40″W / 17.92139°N 87.96111°W / 17.92139; -87.96111
Date28 May 2021
WeaponGlock 17 Pistol
VictimsHenry Jemmott
PerpetratorJasmine Hartin
MotiveAccidental
VerdictGuilty
ChargesManslaughter

On May 28, 2021, Jasmine Hartin, a Belize-based Canadian hotelier, accidentally fatally shot Belizean police superintendent Henry Jemmott with his own pistol while socialising with him in San Pedro Town. She pled guilty to manslaughter in April 2023, before being fined and ordered to undertake community service.

Jasmine Hartin

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Jasmine Hartin
Born1988
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Realtor, hotelier
SpouseAndrew Ashcroft
RelativesMichael Ashcroft (former common-law father-in-law)
Criminal chargeManslaughter
Penalty300 hours community service, $75,000 fine
Details
VictimsHenry Jemmott

Hartin was born in 1988[1][2] in Kingston, Ontario[3] to mother Candice Castiglione.[4][5] Her older sister, Jacinta Hartin, was born in 1985 or 1986.[6]

Hartin was in a common-law marriage[7] with hotelier Andrew Ashcroft, the son of former British Conservative Party deputy chair Michael Ashcroft.[8] She worked in real estate before being employed by her husband's hotel.[9]

After the shooting,[10] the couple separated. Andrew took custody of the couple's two children in 2022,[9][11] prompting a custody battle between them.[12]

Shooting

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On May 28, 2021, Hartin accidentally shot Belizean police superintendent[13] Henry Jemmott.[14][9] The shooting occurred on a pier in San Pedro Town.[15] After fatally shooting Jemmott with his own pistol, Hartin was arrested on May 31 and charged with manslaughter.[14] Initially denied bail and held in Belize Central Prison,[16] she was later released on 30,000 Belize dollars of bail.[15]

Aftermath

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Hartin discussed the shooting on the television program 48-hours stating that she went for a late night walk and drink of whisky with Jemmott, who was a long time friend, before accidentally shooting him, while he was showing her his Glock 17 pistol.[13] In an interview with The Times and another with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Hartin denied any romantic connection to Jemmott and stated that he was giving her a gun lesson.[1] In June 2022, Hartin made a plea to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for assistance to leave Belize.[17] Henry Jemmott's family accused Hartin of operating an "international PR campaign" in the aftermath of his homicide.[18]

On April 26, 2023, Hartin pled guilty to manslaughter,[10] and judge Ricardo Sandcroft[18] sentenced her to 300 hours of community service and a BZ$75,000 fine.[19][20] The court confiscated Hartin's passport.[2] After Hartin paid the fine, officials refused to return Hartin's passport, and she had to obtain temporary travel documents from the Canadian embassy.[2]

On June 6, 2023, Hartin was detained overnight at the Belize–Mexico border amid allegations that she was trying to leave Belize without paying her fine.[21][22][23] The next day,[24] she was released after police commissioner Chester Williams confirmed she had broken no laws and met her obligations to pay the fine.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sommerlad, Joe (2023-04-26). "How the Jasmine Hartin manslaughter case in Belize unfolded". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  2. ^ a b c d "Socialite Jasmine Hartin released from jail after bogus allegations". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  3. ^ Hunter, Brad (30 May 2023). "Convicted socialite Jasmine Hartin will finally learn her fate". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. ^ Hunter, Brad (1 June 2023). "HUNTER: Jasmine Hartin's mom makes desperate plea to Pierre Poilievre | SaltWire". SaltWire Network. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  5. ^ City, Will Pavia, Belize (2023-06-06). "Ex-partner of Lord Ashcroft's son to learn her fate over shooting death". ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-07.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Hunter, Brad (28 September 2021). "Troubled Canadian socialite Jasmine Hartin's sister nabbed in Kingston, Ont. coke bust". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  7. ^ Hunter, Brad (1 June 2023). "HUNTER: Jasmine Hartin's mom makes desperate plea to Pierre Poilievre". National Post. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  8. ^ "UK magnate's daughter-in-law held in Belize police death". Associated Press. 2021-05-29. Archived from the original on 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  9. ^ a b c "Tory donor's relative Jasmine Hartin accused of killing police officer". The Independent. 2023-04-26. Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  10. ^ a b Cobham, Tara (2023-04-26). "Jasmine Hartin pleads guilty to manslaughter after Belize police officer shot dead". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  11. ^ Gecsoyler, Sammy (2023-06-01). "Socialite Jasmine Hartin fined after killing Belize police officer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  12. ^ Hunter, Brad. "Socialite Jasmine Hartin released from jail after bogus allegations | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  13. ^ a b "Jasmine Hartin case: What happened on the pier?". CBS News 48 Hours. 1 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  14. ^ a b Smith, Karen; Ly, Elaine (2021-06-01). "Partner of British billionaire's son charged in shooting death of Belize police officer". CNN. Archived from the original on 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  15. ^ a b "Jasmine Hartin: Daughter-in-law of Lord Ashcroft granted bail after policeman shot dead in Belize". Sky News. 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  16. ^ Havler-Barrett, Chris (2021-06-03). "Rival gangs, scorpions and one of the 'World's Toughest Prisons': The Belize jail housing Jasmine Hartin". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  17. ^ "Stuck in Belize: Canadian woman pleads with Trudeau to return home". Toronto Sun. 14 June 2023. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  18. ^ a b Sarkar, Alisha Rahaman (2023-06-01). "British socialite Jasmine Hartin avoids jail after killing Belize police officer". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  19. ^ Epstain, Kayla (2023-06-01). "Jasmine Hartin: Socialite spared jail after killing Belize police chief". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  20. ^ "Jasmine Hartin Fined $75,000 for Death of Henry Jemmott". Channel5Belize.com. 31 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  21. ^ Humes, Aaron (2023-06-06). "Jasmine Hartin stopped at northern border reportedly trying to abscond without settling fine". Breaking Belize News. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  22. ^ Pavla, Will (2023-06-07). "Jasmine Hartin detained at Belize border". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  23. ^ Hunter, Brad (7 June 2023). "Canadian Jasmine Hartin barred from leaving Belize in shock twist". torontosun. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  24. ^ Humes, Aaron (2023-06-08). "Police no longer holding Jasmine Hartin after clearing up status with court". Breaking Belize News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
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