HIGH court judge Justice Bryan Sykes blasted the police force Monday for the shoddy investigation being conducted by some of its members, which he said has lead to the acquittal of guilty persons due to lack of evidence.

The scolding followed the withdrawal of a double murder case against 26-year-old Spanish Town resident Dwight Mathias in the Home Circuit Court, for the April 2006 gun murder of two vendors - Craig Brown and Althea Grant - at the bus park in the old capital.

The Crown was instructed by Sykes to withdraw the case against the mason after the first day of testimony last Tuesday.

In another twist, the investigator in the matter - Corporal Dean Reid of the Spanish Town Police Station - had to be brought in to court Monday on an arrest warrant to give evidence.

Reid was crossed examined for about 15 minutes before the charges against Mathias were dropped, as the cop's evidence failed to advance the Crown's case.

Sykes who is a former prosecutor with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said during his upbraiding of the force that he was not personally knocking Reid, while stating strongly that he had concerns about police investigation.

Said Mathias' lawyer - Oswald James of the law firm James and Company - after the adjournment: "I'm just amazed at the ineptness and incompetence."

The fear factor

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS