MARK Hamilton, the 27 year-old taxi operator who is charged with the death of schoolgirl Kadean Elson, 17, was yesterday remanded in custody when he appeared in the Old Harbour Resident Magistrate’s Court.

He is scheduled to return to court on October 10 when his case is again set for mentioning.

Hamilton, who resides at 56 Marllin Terrace in Old Harbour Glades, St Catherine, was charged with the murder of Kadean on September 8 after being in police custody for several days.

Allegations are that on August 28, Kadean, the daughter of a policeman, left her home at Rose Hall in Clarendon to go to the hairdresser in Old Harbour.

However, when she failed to return home later the same day she was reported missing the following day by her father, Constable Corville Elson, at the Old Harbour Police Station.

On August 30, her partially decomposed body was found at Epsom District in St Mary, with a piece of string tied around her neck. An autopsy revealed that she was strangled.

The accused man was held at a premises at Old Harbour Villa on September 2 by the police.

Kadean was scheduled to begin sixth form this term at the Old Harbour High School.

Hamilton, who was yesterday dressed in a long white sleeve shirt and blue trousers, was led from the cell block at the Old Harbour Police Station to the court room upstairs under heavy police guard where he appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate Lorna Gayle.

Hours Before his court appearance, however, dozens of people began converging at the Old Harbour police station to get a glimpse of the accused.

While the accused was being led away to his cell, persons converged on the police station “begged” the police to release him in their care so they could beat him.

Kadean’s father and several of his colleagues from the Clarendon police division were among those who turned up at court yesterday when the case was mentioned.