A local litigant has raised serious concerns over what he describes as persistent and unacceptable delays by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in facilitating his request for a trial transcript, a document he says is critical to advancing his appeal.

Captain Javonson Willock, the claimant in civil matter ANUHCV2021/0121, presided over by Justice Jan Drysdale, claims his ability to move forward with the appeal has been severely hampered by administrative inaction and contradictory information from court officials.

The hearing in question took place on September 20, 2023, when the court gave instructions to address damages and costs after the defendants conceded liability.

According to Willock, before his witness statement had even been submitted and reviewed, Justice Drysdale told his attorney to manage his expectations, stating she already had a nominal figure in mind.

“This comment, made without the benefit of my evidence, raised serious concerns,” Willock said. Ultimately, no settlement was reached, and the final award reflected the nominal sum previously mentioned by the judge, a decision now being challenged on the grounds of perceived bias, among other things.

In preparation for his appeal, Willock had requested the official audio recording from the High Court, paying the required fee. However, he alleges the recording was entirely inaudible.

After raising the issue with the court, he was informed that the recording device had malfunctioned, leaving no record of the proceedings.

Willock says he applied for a transcript in May and has followed up repeatedly. On June 25, 2025, he received an email indicating his request had been sent to the court transcriptionist.

But Willock claims the transcriptionist has confirmed they have never received such a request.

Calling the situation wholly unacceptable, Willock says the missing transcript is preventing him from exercising his legal right to have the matter ventilated in the Court of Appeal.

“The delays, conflicting information, and lack of accountability undermine the fairness and efficiency of the judicial process,” he wrote in correspondence to the Chief Registrar based in St.Lucia, urging immediate intervention to ensure the transcript is produced without further delay.