The charge against the St Catherine woman who was charged for harbouring a fugitive following the recapture of Constant Spring escapee Talik Chambers has been dropped. The woman, 21-year-old Jayan “Shamara” Holmes, who shares two children with the escapee, had spent weeks facing allegations that she deliberately hid the fugitive after his escape.
But on Tuesday, Acting Senior Parish Court Judge Janelle Nelson-Gayle dismissed the charge, accepting the Crown’s concession that there was no evidence to prove the case. Holmes’ legal troubles began shortly after Chambers’ dramatic escape and his recapture on August 20 in Waterloo, St Catherine.
Police reported finding Holmes in Chambers’ company that morning, and she was arrested during the same operation. From there, she was charged with harbouring a fugitive, an accusation that immediately altered the course of her life.
Early in the case, prosecutors opposed her release on bail. They pointed to her use of the name “Shamara Holmes” when she was taken into custody, while her official name was later confirmed as Jay-Ann. The Crown argued that this raised questions about her honesty and suggested she might try to evade future court dates.
Her defence attorney, Denise Hinson, countered that claim strongly. Hinson explained that “Shamara” was simply a nickname by which Holmes was commonly known, not an attempt to mislead police. She further argued that Holmes had played no role in Chambers’ escape or in hiding him afterwards.
According to the defence, Holmes had not harboured Chambers at all. Instead, Chambers arranged for a taxi to collect her and their nine-month-old baby, and she went to see him without knowing he had escaped custody.
Despite those arguments, Judge Nelson-Gayle initially sided with prosecutors and ordered Holmes to remain in custody until her next court appearance. At the time, the Crown pressed that her ties to Chambers and the questions over her identity were cause for concern.
But as the case progressed, the prosecution’s stance shifted. By the time the matter returned to court, the Crown acknowledged that it could not prove Holmes had knowingly sheltered or assisted Chambers.
Without evidence that she was aware of his fugitive status or had offered him accommodation, the charge could not stand. That admission cleared the way for Judge Nelson-Gayle to order Holmes’ release this week.