In a resolution that closes out a high-profile legal matter tied to Jamaica’s upcoming national elections, all criminal charges against Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott have been formally dismissed by the Balaclava Criminal Court in St Elizabeth, following a successful out-of-court mediation process announced Tuesday.
Scott, who is running for a parliamentary seat in the St Elizabeth South Eastern constituency on the ticket of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), faced two serious charges: assault occasioning actual bodily harm and malicious destruction of property. The allegations originated from a physical confrontation that broke out at a polling station located on the campus of BB Coke High School during pre-election polling activities held on September 3, 2025.
According to initial incident reports, the conflict erupted over disagreements about compliance with polling station time limits. Prosecutors alleged that Scott physically struck Julie Francis, an election supervisor representing the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and broke her prescription eyeglasses in the altercation. From the outset of the legal process, Scott has entered a firm not guilty plea to all accusations leveled against him.
Scott’s defense counsel, Charles “Advoket” Ganga-Singh, consistently argued throughout pre-trial proceedings that his client was not the aggressor. Ganga-Singh maintained that Scott was actually the target of an unprovoked attack by a crowd of political opponents, and that Scott had already filed a separate counter-report with local law enforcement outlining his version of events.
During an earlier court hearing, Senior Parish Court Judge Steve Stewart granted a request to move the dispute to alternative dispute resolution, after both Scott and Francis agreed to pursue a negotiated settlement rather than proceed to a public trial. When the case was called for a status hearing on Tuesday, the court confirmed that mediation had concluded with a mutually acceptable agreement between all involved parties, clearing the way for the full dismissal of charges against Scott.
In comments to reporters after the court ruling, Ganga-Singh confirmed that every party to the dispute has expressed satisfaction with the mediated outcome. He added that the entire matter should now be considered fully resolved and closed, with no further legal action expected from either side.