Socialite accused of killing Belize police officer claims she is a victim of husband's wealthy family
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The Canadian socialite accused of killing a Belizean police officer is now claiming in an interview that she has been treated unfairly, is a victim of her husband's rich and powerful family, and that they are using their connections to keep her away from her children.
Jasmine Hartin told 7 News Belize that no one from John Ashcroft's family visited her while she was held because they had been advised it would be bad optics.
Hartin, the mother of twin 4-year-olds, was released from jail on bail Wednesday as she awaits trial for the May shooting death of Henry Jemmott.
She told the local news outlet that while she has had a "complicated" seven-year relationship with Ashcroft, the son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft, she was "shocked" by the Ashcroft family's complete abandonment of her after her arrest.
"I can't believe how I've been treated," she said.
She added that she's heard from other family members that the Ashcrofts "were instructed to distance themselves from me immediately."
"That they couldn't have bad press associated with their reputation, so, therefore, I wasn't — I didn't have any family come to visit me in jail. I didn't have any family call me," she said. "Instead, a couple of friends came to see me, but never once was I allowed to speak to the children during that time."
Hartin was rearrested last week after her original bail backer told the court he was afraid she wouldn't show up to trial.
Frank Habet, a former associate of Hartin's, told the court he could no longer cover her $30,000 bail because of her erratic actions following her first release.
Hartin tried to access her family apartment at the Grand Colony Resort to see her young children.
Video emerged of Hartin chasing Ashcroft into the neighboring Alaia Belize hotel. Hartin allegedly took the video herself and can be heard repeatedly asking Ashcroft why he was denying her access to their children, Ellie and Charlie.
The incident prompted Habet, the resort manager of Grand Colony, to pull his support and his funds.
"Ms. Hartin appeared at Grand Colony Resort behaving in a disorderly and abusive manner and creating great disturbance at the hotel in the presence of guests," Habet said.
Hartin was initially arrested on charges of shooting and killing Jemmott following a night of drinking. She had been held at the notoriously tough Belize Central Prison for more than a week following her arrest and said no one except her lawyer and another friend visited her.
She has been charged with manslaughter by negligence after police said they found her with blood on her clothing and arms near a dock.
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Jemmott's body was found floating nearby in the water.
Hartin initially claimed Jemmott had been shot by someone from a passing boat but changed her story after authorities told her she would be charged with cocaine possession as well.
She eventually told investigators she and Jemmott met up for a night of drinking. Jemmott suggested she practice loading his gun, something she had done with him before following an incident when a man allegedly became aggressive toward her. Hartin told investigators Jemmott told her to get a gun for protection. She claims that during their second practice session that she had trouble ejecting the magazine and that it accidentally fired, hitting the father of five behind his right ear and killing him.
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Tags: News, Canada, Latin America, Crime, Tourism, Cops
Original Author: Barnini Chakraborty
Original Location: Socialite accused of killing Belize police officer claims she is a victim of husband's wealthy family
