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The Canadian socialite and former partner of the son of billionaire and Conservative party grandee Michael Ashcroft has been fined after killing a police officer in Belize.
Jasmine Hartin, 34, was ordered to pay £30,000 by the supreme court in Belize City for manslaughter by negligence. She must also undertake 300 hours of community service and film a video about the dangers of “drinking and making foolish decisions”.
Hartin shot and killed police superintendent Henry Jemmott, 42, in May 2021. She has described the incident as an accidental discharge from Jemmott’s firearm.
The incident happened in the town of San Pedro, a popular tourist destination.
Hartin handled Jemmott’s gun while the two drank together on a pier in the evening. Hartin had reportedly been giving Jemmott a shoulder massage when he handed her his gun. After hearing a shot, police rushed to the scene and found Hartin distressed and covered in blood. Jemmott’s body was recovered from the water with a single gunshot wound to the head.
Last June, Hartin said: “I don’t remember ever touching that trigger on the gun so I don’t know what happened, to be honest.”
“I was trying to get the clip out and it just went off – I don’t remember ever touching the trigger.”
“I’m not sure if it was a faulty weapon or not. I really can’t tell you how it went off.”
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Hartin tearfully pleaded guilty to the negligent manslaughter of a police officer in April. Afterwards, she told reporters outside the courthouse: “I just want Henry’s family to have peace now and I want this whole thing to be behind all of us so we can heal.”
Hartin was living with Andrew Ashcroft and their two children in Belize when the incident occurred. The pair had been involved in the launch of a new luxury hotel in San Pedro at the time of the shooting. Lord Ashcroft, Andrew’s father, holds Belizean citizenship and has a substantial business portfolio in the country.
Andrew Ashcroft obtained custody of the children in 2022 and moved to the Turks and Caicos Islands to launch a new business venture.
Jemmott’s widow, Romit Wilson, spoke to the Daily Mail in April when Hartin entered her guilty plea. She said: “I have not given any interviews to any media houses since the day Henry was killed.
“I have focused on our children, taking care of them and dealing with our grief. I know they say grief comes in waves, but ours has been constant.”
“My children and I have had to endure Ms Hartin recounting in interview after interview, in full documentaries even, details of that awful night, details of her friendship with Henry and even details about my relationship with Henry.”
“She said she pleaded guilty to not put us through the anguish of a trial. I wish she had also thought about that before her international PR campaign.”
While she was on bail awaiting trial, Hartin gave several media interviews and appeared in an hour-long documentary for Discovery UK titled One Bullet in Belize where she gave “a series of exclusive in-depth interviews” recounting the events of the night of the incident.
