A high-profile cyberbullying case centered on a former top law enforcement official in Belize has been abruptly dismissed, after the key complainant failed to appear for the scheduled trial. The case, which was set to open on May 19, 2026 at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court, targeted Barry Flowers, a serving police officer based in Orange Walk, who was accused of committing online harassment against ex-Commissioner of Police (COMPOL) Chester Williams.
Court proceedings never moved past the initial check-in, however, after court officials called Williams’ name three times outside the courtroom and received no answer. Prosecutors confirmed to Magistrate Neeshad Mohammed that Williams had received formal legal notification of the trial date, and that court staff had made repeated attempts to reach him ahead of the hearing to confirm his attendance. All outreach went unanswered.
Under local judicial rules, a criminal complaint cannot proceed without the attendance of the named complainant to give evidence and answer cross-examination. With no alternative path forward, Magistrate Mohammed formally dismissed the charge against Flowers. In unusually blunt remarks delivered from the bench, the magistrate criticized Williams’ absence as a blatant act of disrespect to the court, noting that the former top cop’s position should have carried an even higher expectation of respect for judicial process. He emphasized that the country’s courts will not be weaponized to advance personal grudges between public officials.
Flowers left the courthouse as a free man immediately after the ruling, and told reporters following the hearing that he is now exploring his own legal options to pursue action against Williams over the baseless charge. The underlying dispute dates back to 2025, when Flowers allegedly published a Facebook post that was critical of Williams’ tenure as police commissioner. This is not the first time a cyberbullying complaint filed by Williams has ended in dismissal for the same reason: it marks the second such case involving the former COMPOL that has collapsed in court after he failed to appear to support his own complaint.