DEPUTY Superintendent Cornwall “Bigga” Ford, who was in charge of the 1088 Fifth Seal Way crime scene after seven youth were killed by the police on March 14, 2001, testified at the inquest into the killings Wednesday, that one of the two policemen he left to see that the crime scene was not compromised, was on the roof of the house when he and his team returned and the yard and house had been overrun by more than 100 people.

“When I went back to the crime scene at about 10:30 to 10:45 am, I observed that the premises were overrun by a whole heap of people. More than 100 persons were on the premises inside and outside the house,” Ford told the inquest, during examination by Carolyn Reid, the lawyer representing the police.

Ford, said he was a “bit upset” at returning to find one of the policemen on the roof of the house but could not recall where the other policeman was.

Ford who ended his testimony Wednesday, testified that the people were “destroying” the place and he received reports that they were also stealing.

“My team and I asked the people to leave and not destroy the crime scene but they paid no attention to me and I just left them,” Ford testified.

Ford said that the reason for securing a crime scene was to enable the police to return at a later time to search for items of evidential value that may have been missed previously. Overrunning of the crime scene made it futile to return to re-examine 1088 Fifth Seal Way.

He testified that up to the time of leaving the crime scene at 9:30 am on March 14, he did not personally pick up any shells outside of the house or at the gate.

Ford, who Reid asked about evidence given by an earlier witness, Aruga Lamont, that he was beaten at the greater Portmore Police Station on March 14, testified that he saw Lamont but that he did not appear to have been beaten and had not complained that he had been beaten.

The jury, who however appeared to be sceptical about Ford’s answer to the question about Lamont through the coroner Lorna Errar-Gayle posed a question of their own.

Gayle: “In reference to Aruga Lamont, the jury has asked me to ask you if he was beaten in your presence you wouldn’t have come and told us anyhow?”

Ford: “Yes, I would say I saw and I would also have reprimanded the person.”

Under cross-examination by Richard Rowe, the lawyer appearing for the estate of Tamayo Wilson, one of the victims, Ford said that he remained at the crime scene on March 14 until after Jevene Bent, assistant commissioner of police, arrived. He left to return at about 9:30 am.

And in reply to a question from Rowe as to whether it would have been a breach of constabulary rules to keep the seven injured men at the house for over half an hour after the shooting stopped, before taking them to hospital, Ford said that he could not speak in terms of a breach as “we are trained to save lives”.