EXCLUSIVE: Cop killer Jasmine Hartin walks free from custody after police admit she did not break any laws by trying to leave Belize
- Jasmine Hartin accidentally shot police officer Henry Jemmott in May 2021
- She was detained at the Belize border yesterday after trying to ‘abscond’
- Within hours, cops realized they made a mistake – with its police commissioner blaming the woman’s daylong incarceration on ‘discrepancies’ in a fine payment
Convicted cop killer Jasmine Hartin walked free from custody Wednesday – after police admitted she had not broken any laws by trying to leave Belize, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The new development comes in the 34-year-old Canadian socialite’s comes as she was detained at a border post Tuesday after trying to leave the country, following a trial for killing local police officer Henry Jemmott in May 2021.
The 42-year-old police superintendent was shot in the head with his own gun as the two socialized near a hotel on the island of Ambergris Caye belonging to the billionaire dad of her British boyfriend, Andrew Ashcroft.
She has said she had been drinking with Jemmott and was being taught how to use his gun when it went off by accident, killing him. Since then, the mom-of-two has avoided jail time, asked only to pay a $37,000 fine for the manslaughter offense.
However, after sending the money to her lawyer over the weekend, a court official refused to return her passport – leading her to be issued an emergency travel document to cross from Santa Elena into Mexico Tuesday at 12:30pm.
While attempting to enter the country, she was quickly detained at a border post locked up in a sweltering Belizean jail. Within 24 hours, officials conceded they made a mistake – with the country’s police commissioner blaming the woman’s brief incarceration on ‘discrepancies’ in her payment.
While attempting to enter the country, Convicted cop killer Jasmine Hartin was quickly detained at a border post locked up in a sweltering Belizean jail. Within 24 hours, police officials conceded they made a mistake – with the country’s police commission blaming the woman’s incarceration on ‘discrepancies’ with a fine she paid for the manslaughter offense
The 42-year-old victim, Belize Police Superintendent Henry Jemmott, was shot in the head with his own gun as the two socialized near a hotel on the island of Ambergris Caye in 2021
‘Having conducted the investigation, looking at the court order and the statements recorded, there in insufficient evident to prosecute Hartin for any offense, especially since the entire fine has been paid,’ Commissioner Chester Williams said.
‘While there were some discrepancies with the declaration it was clear she was acting on the advice of her attorney who she had all reason to believe.’
Jailed for roughly a day, the Canadian national previously insisted she did nothing wrong when she tried to cross into Mexico on a Canadian-issued travel-document, but was still taken into custody.
Her lawyer on Saturday said she had paid the fine and wished to ‘express her sincere regret and remorse to the Jemmott family for the loss of their beloved Henry’, who left behind a wife and five kids.
But after sending the money to her lawyer, a court official at first refused to return her passport, a spokesperson for Hartin said. She was then issued an emergency travel document and tried to cross from Santa Elena into Mexico at 12:30pm.
However, when Hartin produced documents demonstrating that she had wired the funds to her lawyer in accordance with the cour, authorities instead began to probe the travel document she obtained from the Canadian consulate, it is claimed.
Louisa Chiaramonte, Hartin’s spokesperson, said the mother-of-two was taken to a room by a border agent to be questioned, accused of falsifying the travel document.
Local media suggested Belize’s police commissioner, Chester Williams, had intervened to stop her from ‘absconding’ the country, according to The Times.
Her lawyers quickly hit back at the claims, with DailyMail.com obtaining copies of the Canadian travel documents that officials would later confirm to be legitimate.
In statements to the media, Hartin- who at the time of the killing married to the son of British-Belizean billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft – had claimed she had been drinking with Jemmott and was being taught how to use his gun when it went off by accident, killing him instantly.
The incident took place at Ashcroft’ then newly opened Alaia Belize Hotel Autograph Collection, and quickly grabbed headlines.
Jailed for roughly a day, the Canadian national previously insisted she did nothing wrong when she tried to cross into Mexico on a Canadian-issued travel-document, but was taken into custody
It comes as her lawyers hit back at officials’ claims she was ‘absconding’ to another country, with DailyMail.com obtaining copies of the Canadian travel documents proving her actions were not illegal
Jailed for roughly a day, the Canadian national previously insisted she did nothing wrong when she tried to cross into Mexico on a Canadian-issued travel-document, but was still taken into custody
DailyMail.com revealed she had been locked up in this sweltering jail where she was forced to strip down to her underwear in an attempt to stay cool
Hartin is pictured in the Belize jail while she was locked up after her initial arrest, before being found guilty of manslaughter and released
Jasmine Hartin is seen shopping at a fruit stand in Belize last month
Jemmott was killed by a shot to the head while he and Hartin were drinking together late at night on a pier in 2021, near a luxury hotel owned by her then-partner Andrew Ashcroft on the island of Ambergris Caye.
Hartin’s former partner Andrew Ashcroft has said Hartin was ‘very drunk’ on the night of the incident.
Hartin claimed Jemmott had offered to teach her how to use his Glock-17 pistol for her protection.
Hartin has said that Jemmott had urged her to get a gun for her safety, and that the officer had offered to teach her to load and unload his service weapon.
She says that while handing back the weapon it went off.
In April last year she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by negligence, and last week was sentenced to complete 300 hours of community service and to make a video about the dangers of drinking and handling firearms.
Hartin was also ordered to pay damages to the family, which a friend reportedly helped her settle.
Judge Ricardo Sandicroft had required Hartin to wire the fine to her lawyer.
But Ms Chiaramonte says even with an emergency travel document, Hartin was stopped from leaving the country on yesterday afternoon.
Hartin’s supporters opted to pay the fine in cash Wednesday to try to secure her release, describing her detention as unlawful and yet another instance of the glamorous mother-of-two being mistreated by Belizean authorities.
They supplied police with a receipt for the full amount but Hartin was still behind bars early Wednesday evening, charged with no crime.
They also supplied DailyMail.com with exclusive copies of the Canadian travel documents to illustrate their authenticity. Hartin surrendered her passport in the wake of Jemmott’s killing but has not yet been handed it back.
In the meantime, police sources told DailyMail.com that Hartin was forced to strip down to her underwear this morning in an attempt to stay cool as temperatures in Corozal soared to 92F.
The tiny town jail has a handful of grim, concrete cells, several of which are currently occupied by suspects in the execution-style murder of a young father in nearby Libertad village.
Kurtis Usher was gunned down Monday on his doorstep as gangsters unloaded assault rifles into his home, grazing his three-year-old son Kayjay as he was bravely shielded by Usher’s partner Jasmine Williamson.
The same crew are suspected of trying to murder another couple a day later when they sprayed their home and car with bullets. The couple managed to duck and survive the onslaught of .223 rounds.
The Corozal police department was also mired in scandal in August of last year when bungling officers forgot to unload a prisoner from their van in ‘extreme heat.’
But the time they realized their mistake – some 13 hours later – Derrick Uh, 20, who had been arrested for grabbing a woman’s buttocks, had died from heat stroke.
Henry Jemmott, the police chief who was shot by Hartin, pictured with his family, widow Romit Wilson and children from left: Henry, Jemarie and Keyannie
The receipt that Hartin’s supporters say proves she paid her fine before attempting to leave to leave the Central American country
She wept in court as she entered a guilty plea to manslaughter by negligence at the last-minute before her trial was due to take place.
Jemmott’s widow Romit Wilson, 39, criticized Hartin’s behavior throughout the court case, accusing the socialite of conducting an ‘international PR campaign’.
Wilson, who had three children with Jemmott, broke her silence to tell DailyMail.com Hartin had sought to portray herself as the victim.
She previously said: ‘I have not given any interviews to any media houses since the day Henry was killed.
While on bail awaiting trial, Hartin gave several interviews in print and on camera. She has also featured in the documentary One Bullet in Belize on US streaming service Discovery+.
Hartin has described in graphic detail how she ‘accidentally’ shot the officer as they enjoyed a late-night drink. She said she ‘wriggled out’ from under the heavily built officer and was left covered in his blood.
Her former partner Ashcroft, the son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ascroft, has said Hartin was ‘very drunk’ on the night of the incident.
Ashcroft’s claims contradicted Hartin’s assertion she had only consumed a few drinks and was not intoxicated on the night Jemmott was killed.
The couple separated shortly after the incident and have since been embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their twin children.
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