Who is Jasmine Hartin? Lord Ashcroft's daughter-in-law arrested in Belize after police chief shot dead
An American real-estate developer was arrested in Belize on Friday in relation to the death of a senior police officer in San Pedro. The dead officer was identified as Superintendent Henry Jemmott of San Pedro and who joined the police in 2000.
Jemmott was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the right side of his head; speaking about the incident, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said that Jemmott's body was found on in the waters near a pier.
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Who is Jasmine Hartin?
The property developer who was arrested in relation to the death was identified as Jasmine Hartin. An 'emotional' Hartin was on the pier above the water with her arms and clothes stained with blood, Commissioner Williams said.
Jasmine is married to 43-year-old British developer Andrew Ashcroft. Andrew's father Lord Ashcroft is a billionaire well-known as one of Britain's most high-profile political donors.
Andrew is the youngest of Lord Ashcroft's three children from his first marriage and is a citizen of Belize, where he lives and works with Jasmine in San Pedro, the main town on the island of Amergris Caye, which lies off the coast of Belize and is a popular holiday destination.
Commissioner Williams also said that Jemmott and Hartin had been socializing when he was shot dead. He also said that at the time of his death, Jemmott had been on leave on the island and had been trying to solve 'some personal issues'.
Williams said, "I was not aware he was out on San Pedro until I got the call last night that he had died. It's a sad situation, and it is something that we as a department will have to find a way to deal with and will as best as we can. The police have spoken to several persons living near the area of the incident and will use such information in their investigation."
Williams also explained that the post-mortem will help ascertain how Jemmott sustained the injury, including help in determining if the wound was self-inflicted. According to a report in The Belizean, Hartin was not cooperating with the police and was waiting for until her lawyers arrived. Godfrey Smith, the former Attorney General of Belize, has been hired by Jasmine to represent her. According to footage accessed by a local news channel, Smith was spotted on the island on Friday morning. As of now, however, there has been no response from Smith regarding the case.
The incident occurred near a beach that is owned by Ashcroft and Marriott which is close to the Alaia Belize Resort. Alaia opened on May 7 and at the time Ashcroft had said, "With deep family roots in Belize and calling it my home for over 20 years, I wanted to ensure that Alaia Belize captured the lively spirit, genuine hospitality, and friendliness of the destination and locals."
He had also added, "My team and I worked closely with the Marriott International team to bring it all to fruition and allow our future guests and owners an opportunity to immerse themselves into the Belizean culture."
Currently, Jasmine works as Director of Lifestyle and Experience at the resort.