Jasmine Hartin, Daughter-in-Law of Lord Michael Ashcroft, Confessed to Shooting Belize Cop After Drug Charge Threat: Report
Jasmine Hartin, the daughter-in-law of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft, had allegedly confessed to accidentally shooting dead a Belize cop after authorities had threatened her with cocaine charges.
According to a New York Post report, the 32-year-old socialite initially refused to coordinate with local authorities. However, local reports said that Jasmine Hartin started cooperating when authorities told her that she would be charged with cocaine possession.
Belize Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said the wife of Andrew Ashcroft, the youngest son of Lord Michael Ashcroft, then provided a statement under caution.
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The Shooting of the Belize Cop
Jasmine Hartin has been in custody since Friday after Superintended Henry Jemmott was found floating dead in the water off San Pedro island, Daily Mail reported.
The two were reported drinking and socializing on a pier before the Belize cop was found dead. Henry Jemmott was killed by a bullet, which hit him behind his right ear. Police said the gun used was his service pistol.
Jasmine Hartin was said to be giving the Belize cop a message moments before the incident. The two were reportedly playing around with the weapon before the shooting.
Police said that the Belize cop had fallen on Jasmine Hartin, who had panicked to get him off, causing his body to fall in the water, where he was found.
However, Henry Jemmott's family had raised doubts over her story, Fox News reported. Jemmott's sister, assistant police superintendent Cherry Jemmott, said his brother had a gunshot behind his ear like an assassination.
She noted that his brother was a top Belize cop, and she doesn't know how he let down his guard to be shot with his own gun.
According to local reports, Henry Jemmott's Glock had a trigger safety built into it, which makes an accidental discharge almost impossible.
Williams noted that the shooting appeared to be not an attack as the two were friends and had been drinking at the time.
Jasmine Hartin Charged
Godfrey Smith, Hartin's lawyer, said his client had been charged on Monday, May 31, with one count of manslaughter by negligence, adding that her bail had been denied.
Local news reported that manslaughter by negligence is a bailable offense, noting that police do not usually object to bail. However, they did object in this case as the daughter-in-law of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft is a Canadian and a flight risk, Radar Online reported.
Smith noted that Jasmine Hartin would remain in prison. He also said that they would be appealing to the Supreme Court, according to a Sky News report.
Hartin's father-in-law, Lord Michael Ashcroft, is a billionaire known to be a top donor to the United Kingdom Conservative Party and its former deputy chairman. He was also known to have massive businesses in Belize and holds Belizean citizenship.
Lord Michael Ashcroft once represented Belize before the United Nations. He was raised as a child in Belize and returned in the early 1980s, and he had built up a series of hugely successful businesses, including banks, telecommunications firms, and tourism ventures.
LinkedIn accounts indicated that Jasmine Hartin and her husband were connected with a local resort in Belize. The couple owns a luxury hotel named Alaia in Belize and only opened the resort for business in early May.
WATCH: Lord Ashcroft's Daughter-in-Law Charged with Manslaughter - From Sky News