June 28, 2021
-Washington Examiner
Lawyers for Jasmine Hartin, the Canadian socialite accused of killing a Belizean police officer, were working on Monday to secure funds for her release after her original bail backer told the court he was afraid she wouldn’t show up for 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 the mother of two chasing her common-law husband, Andrew Ashcroft, the son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft, into the neighboring Alaia Belize hotel. Hartin allegedly took the video herself and can be heard repeatedly asking Andrew Ashcroft why he was denying her access to their 4-year-old twins 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 wrote.
Hartin said Thursday that she had done nothing wrong.
“I’m being detained for an unknown reason,” she said, while her mother, Candice Castiglione, called the charges “bogus.”
Hartin was initially arrested on charges of shooting and killing Belizean police officer Henry 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. She was charged with manslaughter by negligence after police said they found her with blood on her clothing and arms near a dock.
Jemmott’s lifeless 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 that 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 clip and that it accidentally fired, hitting the father of five behind his right ear and killing him.
Jemmott’s family has claimed Hartin has been receiving preferential treatment by authorities because of her high-profile ties and family wealth.
