Chief justice begins summing case to jury

Berates JFJ director for ‘dissent’

Still on trial for murder: Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams, Corporal Patrick Coke and Constable Shane Lyons.

The victims: Lewina Thompson, Angella Richards, Kirk Gordon, and Matthew James.

The defence lawyers: K Churchill Neita, Jacqueline Samuels-Brown and Christine Hudson; Earl Witter and Errol Gentles; Oswest Senior-Smith and Althea McBean.

The prosecutors: DPP Kent Pantry, acting senior deputy DPP David Fraser, acting deputy DPP Donald Bryan, acting crown counsel Chester Crooks, and Terrence Williams, DPP of the British Virgin Islands.

The judge: Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe.

Monday:

Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe orders the 12-member jury to acquit Sergeant Roderick Collier, Corporal Leford Gordon, and Constable Devon Bernard, saying the crown had not produced sufficient evidence that they had committed a crime.

As defence lawyers begin mounting their case against the other three policemen, the cops opt to give unsworn statements from the dock, avoiding questioning from the prosecution.

Reneto Adams reiterates his defence – sometimes speaking almost inaudibly – that his team was engaged in a shoot-out at Crawle on May 7, 2003, at the end of which his team recovered a Winchester 304 rifle and a Taurus pistol.

Patrick Coke, described as a regular churchgoer and a lay preacher, also gave a similar account in his statement.

Tuesday:

Shane Lyons in his unsworn statement says he was horrified to find females among the victims after the shootings.

A British ballistics expert, Mark Mastaglio, testifies for the defence that he could not confirm that all bullet fragments found at the scene were from the same gun.

Mastaglio testifies that the bullets were fired from the M16, that he found 12 bullet holes on the front door – 10 entering the house and two from inside out; and another five bullet holes on the backdoor, leading from inside out.

A statement by Sopheleta Clayton, who was killed by gunmen in July 2003, was read into evidence. Clayton was apparently an informant who kept Adams abreast of Bashington ‘Chen Chen’ Douglas’ movements.

Wednesday:

The prosecution begins closing arguments. Prosecutor Terrence Williams says it was Adams who had removed young Shanice Stoddart from the house before the shootings, and that those who had the opportunity to run from the house at Crawle were those who lived.

The shooting could not be justified, he said, because the police had not been shot at.

Lyons’ lawyer, Oswest Senior-Smith, argues self defence on his client’s behalf. He attacks the prosecution’s motives, saying the trial was ochestrated to ‘get Reneto Adams’.

Thursday:

Chief Justice Wolfe begins his summation of the trial. He cautions the jury not to read anything into the cops exercising their option of unsworn statements.

The issue they must determine, Wolfe tells jurors, is whether the four victims were killed in cold blood, or whether the police fired because they were being fired on.

Friday:

Wolfe continues summation. But at one point in the proceedings, he interrupts himself to reprimand Dr Carolyn Gomes, executive director of Jamaicans for Justice, apparently for her ‘body language’.

Wolfe, addressing a startled Gomes directly, threatens to “lock up” the JFJ executive director for dissent during his directions to the jury.

Wolfe, whose voice boomed throughout the corridors of the Supreme Court building, told Gomes she was no greater defender of justice than he, and challenged anyone to question his directions to jurors.

He then apologises to jurors for his outburst.

Gomes, during a court break, concedes that she might have been shaking her head and making facial expressions, saying she was concerned about how prosecution witnesses were being discredited.

Wolfe directs the jury to aproach 11-year-old Shanice Stoddart’s testimony with caution, saying they should look for collaboration, as she was susceptible to coaching.

He said three other witnesses corrobrated Shanice’s testimony that the only firing that day was from the police; that police witness Tyrone Brown’s testimony of the planted gun was different from his original statements, but was mentioned in a third statement.

Wolfe continues his summation Monday.