Canadian Hartin granted bail by court in Belize City

Canadian Jasmine Hartin was granted bail by a court in Belize City on Wednesday as she awaits trial on a charge of manslaughter by negligence in the shooting death of a police superintendent. Hartin's defense attorney, Godfrey Smith, said bail had been set at 30,000 Belize dollars (15,000 USD) with a requirement to report to a police station once per day.

Prosecutors had argued the 32-year-old could represent a flight risk as she was not a Belizean national and could face a serious prison sentence. But Smith said the risk was deemed not unacceptable, due to Hartin's wish to regain her role as primary caretaker to her four-year-old twins, coupled with the intense media scrutiny of the case, making it unlikely for her to be an international fugitive.

Hartin was charged on June 1 following the discovery of the body of police Superintendent Henry Jemmott on a dock in San Pedro days earlier. She is the partner of Andrew Ashcroft, son of Michael Ashcroft, a former deputy chairman of Britain's Conservative Party and a major financial backer. Michael Ashcroft also holds Belizean citizenship and was once its representative before the United Nations.