Bahamas lawmaker not charged in Travolta mistrial

By JUAN McCARTNEY

The Associated Press

NASSAU, Bahamas — The Bahamas lawmaker who caused a mistrial in the John Travolta extortion case has been "rightly ridiculed" but will not be charged with contempt of court, the judge said Thursday.

Senior Justice Anita Allen said she considered punishing Picewell Forbes with a fine or jail time for announcing an acquittal last week while the jury was still deliberating — remarks that she said gave the appearance of a leak from the jury room.

But Allen said Forbes had taken responsibility by apologizing to her, and she felt he had been punished enough.

"You have been rightly ridiculed locally and internationally," Allen told Forbes at the hearing. "It is my opinion that you have suffered enough."

Outside court, Forbes declined to say who told him that defendant Pleasant Bridgewater, a former senator from his party, had been cleared by the jury. He made the announcement during a televised speech to a Progressive Liberal Party convention, and one of his lawyers has said he was just repeating a rumor.

"My apology speaks for itself," Forbes said in a written statement. "My life will continue from here on to be informed by these events."

Bridgewater, who is also a lawyer, is accused of negotiating for paramedic Tarino Lightbourne in an alleged plot to extort $25 million from Travolta following his son's January death in the Bahamas. The pair allegedly threatened to release a private document related to the treatment of 16-year-old Jett Travolta.

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to extortion.

A new trial is expected next year. Jurors had heard a month of testimony from witnesses, including Travolta, before Allen declared a mistrial on Oct 21.

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October 29, 2009 02:35 PM EDT

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