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Curtis Reid v Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd, etal
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE OF JAMAICA
IN COMMON LAW
SUIT NO: C.L. R -037 OF 2000
BETWEEN CURTIS REID CLAIMANT
AND CABLE & WIRELESS JAMAICA LIMITED lSTD EFENDANT
AND JENTECH CONSULTANTS LIMITED
AND WAYNE REID 3rd DEFENDANT
Mr. P. Beswick and Mr.
the Claimant; Mr. R.
Alexander & Levy for
instructed by Vaccianna
Terrence Ballantyne instructed by Ballantyne & Beswick for
Braharn and Mr. M. Hogarth instructed by Livingston,
the 2nd Defendant, and Ms. V. Allard and Ms. T. Watkins
& Whittingham for the 2"d and 3'* Defendants.
Heard on July 19,20 and 21,2004.
ANDERSON, J.
This is an application by the Defendants herein to strike out certain portions of the
Witness Statement of the Claimant, Curtis Keslake Reid, on the basis that it offends
against the Hearsay Rule. It might be thought that an application of this nature would
be unnecessary, and certainly undeserving of judicial time to produce this brief note
on my ruling. However, as will be apparent from some of my comments below,
despite its longevity, as witnessed by its existence for over four (4) centuries, the
elusiveness of a perfect definition continues to plague litigants and courts alike. It is
said that the origins of the hearsay rule can be traced to the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh
in 1603, who was found guilty of hlgh treason on the basis of testimony that someone
had overheard someone else say they heard Raleigh would slit the King's throat.
It is not my purpose here to launch into some treatise on the law of hearsay. But I
believe that at this particular time in our emerging jurisprudence and with the recent
enactment of the new Civil Procedure Rules 2002, (The CPR), there is need to spend
some time on this as it will be a matter which faces judges every time they are in a
trial and must look at witness statements.
An Extract from The Law Commission for England and Wales Consultation Paper No
117 on "The Hearsay Rule in Civil Proceedings" and Part V "Provisional
Conclusions" had this to say: