In August of 2014 when the sanitation workers did their famous garbage strike - PUP talk show host Albert Vaughan was right there on the frontline - doing what might charitably be called "media advocacy." But, police said he was loitering in a public place. And so, he joined the 41 sanitation workers who were arrested and eventually charged with taking part in an unlawful public meeting and municipal littering. Those charges were dropped by executive decree or something like that after the Prime Minister swooped in to save the situation.
But Vaughan's charge was never dropped and the his trial started in the Magistrate's Court a few weeks ago. Vaughan is claiming that he was just a media workers, acting as a reporter for Vibes Radio. His attorney Kareem Musa told us they have no case to answer.
Kareem Musa, Attorney for Albert Vaughan
"We have had to go through the process of this legal wrangling between the police and the prosecution and Mr. Vaughan and they eventually charged him with loitering in a public place, even though he was out there carrying out his lawful business as a reporter like many of you, but none of you were charged with any offenses. But because it is Albert Vaughan, they singled him out, they targeted him and this is clearly a political witch hunt. We are now at the stage of making our no case submission, because clearly he was not out there for no apparent 
reason. That's what the law of loitering is, that you remain in a certain place for no apparent reason. Mr. Vaughan was out there carrying that very story that other media personnel were carrying that day. Even the officer PC Linton Broaster admitted in testimony, that had he known that Mr. Vaughan was out there reporting, he would not have charged him. All he had to have done was provide him with an ID. Then this whole thing would not have gone through. Imagine that, that if Mr. Vaughan produced an ID to him, that would have been the end of the matter. He actually said that. He said he acknowledges that he had a constitutional right to be out there carrying a story. The police officer admitted that, so don't ask me why we are still here."
Two police officers testified and according to one of them, he approached a group of about 35 to 45 persons including Vaughan and other media and ordered them to leave citing the loitering provision. This same officer claimed that Vaughan started shouting that he would not leave. Magistrate Stuart will give her decision next Wednesday after the prosecuting officer files written submissions on Monday.
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