Interesting comment on eighteenth century citizens rights. Good old Magna Carta I suppose. But I think their concept of a trial would be quite alien to us. It was not normal for an accused to be able to address the court and if you could not afford a lawyer to speak for you, your version of events went unheard. I remember reading of a woman executed for murdering her child; but the rope was not tied correctly and she survived. It was only then that enquiries were made and it was established that the child had died of natural causes and her conviction was quashed. Of course the case was then used to prove that the system was perfectly fair and that "God would interve" in any case of a miscarriage.

I'm certain Pictons actions in Trinidad were not in accordance with British law but I gather he was continuing to operate the Spanish law as it was in force when Abercrombie invaded. And Spain still had the Inquisition! I don't think anyone really expected to keep the island for any length of time. It was only after five years of rule and the threat of invasion receeding that the home government began to give any real though to what was going on there.
Picton wasn't very politically astute. He was a straightforward "tell it like it is and damn the consequences" type of fellow. If he had been better advised he might have quietly withdrawn from the island when Fullerton arrived and all the subsequent "unpleasantness" would have been avoided. I think Fullerton had his hands full with the planters and wouldn't have had time to waste pursuing a prosecution of the former govenor if Pictons continuing opposition had not forced him into some sort of drastic action. I don't think he was particularly offended by the torture of the girl or that he especially held Picton responsible. He just wanted to break the power of Picton and the planters and threw whatever mud he could find. Unfortunately for Picton, that particular piece of mud contained a pretty large rock!
Best Regards,
Dave.