Cop tells court there was uncertainty if Bicknell offered a bribe
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Police sergeant, Dellon Lewis Monday testified that he would not have charged businessman, Bruce Bicknell, with bribery if he had been aware of his colleague’s uncertainty as to whether or not Bicknell had bribed him.
The witness earlier testified that he had arrested and charged Bicknell for bribery, following reports from Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn that Bicknell had offered him two $1000 notes when he was stopped for a traffic violation along Sir Florizel Glasspole Boulevard in East Kingston on April 9.
However, Lewis under-cross examination from Queen Counsel KD Knight, who is representing Bicknell, said that it was after he had charged Bicknell that he later learned of Llewellyn’s uncertainty in a meeting with Senior Superintendent James Forbes on April 13.
According to Lewis, Llewellyn told the meeting that the two $1000 notes could have been inadvertently placed in the envelope, which contained Bicknell’s motor vehicle documents,
“If he had said that prior to Bicknell being charged, he would not have been charged,” the witness said.
Lewis then testified that he was of the view that the meeting in question was held to correct the mistake that was made and that during that meeting it was agreed that the matter would not proceed any further.
However, when he was pressed by Knight he said that after the meeting he felt satisfied that nothing unlawful was done and that no one had threatened or offered him any reward during the meeting.
Further to that, Lewis also testified while he was being cross-examined by Queen Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown who is representing Forbes, that based on what Llewellyn had said he concluded that he had no evidence to proceed any further with the bribery charge.
He however made it clear that Forbes was not the one who had orchestrated the decision to abandon the bribery charge.
Lewis said that Forbes had not given him any instruction and that during the meeting he had merely summed up what the attendees had said.
Bicknell and Forbes are on trial for attempting to pervert the court.
Queen Counsel Samuels- Brown is expected to continue her cross-examination of Lewis Tuesday.
