A "refusal to transport" document is at the centre of the John Travolta extortion plot, it has been claimed.
The paper reportedly details how John and his wife Kelly Preston were unhappy with plans to transport their 16-year-old son Jett to hospital by ambulance after he suffered a seizure while on holiday in the Bahamas on January 2.
Gossip website TMZ reports the document "detailed how John Travolta told EMT workers he wanted to fly his son to Florida rather than drive by ambulance to the hospital which was 45 minutes away".
It is claimed John eventually realised there was no time to fly Jett, who later died, to be treated in the US, and so agreed to let Bahamian medics help him.
Paramedic Tarino Lightbourn was charged with conspiracy to commit extortion and attempted extortion for allegedly demanding $25 million to keep the document private on Monday. His attorney Grand Bahama's Senator Pleasant Bridgewater has also been charged with conspiracy to extort, and has been released on $40,000 bail.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Marvin Dames of the Bahamas police has downplayed the importance of the document, saying: "The document did not apply in the Travolta case. It did not apply because he was very ill, and so, the only alternative would be to take him to the hospital. Refusal to transport documents are for cases involving minor injuries. If your injuries are minor and you don't want to be transported, the ambulance driver would produce that form. It waives responsibility on the part of the hospital."
The officer added police are satisfied the Travolta family did everything in their power to help their son.
He added: "We were satisfied from all our investigations that the Travolta family and those who rendered aid to Jett did all that was humanly possible to revive Jett. All did what they were able to resuscitate him. There's no evidence to support that there was any effort to avoid medical treatment. Lightbourn said that himself in several interviews."
Dames revealed the alleged plot took place around two weeks ago, when Bridgewater called John's attorney and said her client wanted to sell the document.
John - who was officially named as a witness in the case yesterday - immediately complained to Bahamian police.
Dames said: "The complaint states the request was for $25 million. At the time, Bridgewater represented the young man. She would have made the request.
"John is the complainant on record."
The police are now trying to ascertain whether the document is authentic.
Dames added: "We don't know where the original is. We don't know if he generated the document. Lightbourn is the key person here. He's the one who made the attempt."
Former Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchombe, who is a long-term friend of the Travoltas, has also been questioned in relation to the case, but has not been charged.
(China Daily/Agencies January 30, 2009)
