THE trial of Joel Andem and two others for the 2000 abduction and murder of businesswoman Sylvia Edwards was again postponed when the accused appeared in the Home Circuit Court on Monday.

The matter was this time put off until October 8 due to the absence of an “important witness” (a retired police inspector) in the matter.

A February trial date had also been aborted because the heavily armed security detail that usually escorted Andem was unavailable, resulting in the accused not being brought to court. The matter was then taken off the trial list and later mentioned, and the June 11 trial date had been set.

Andem, the reputed former leader of the Giddeon Warriors gang is jointly charged with Rohan Masters and Rupert Wallace, who are said to be former members of the gang which was based in rural St Andrew.

Edwards, 48, a Kingston gas station operator, was kidnapped from a shopping mall on Red Hills Road, St Andrew in July 2000 and later shot and killed after a $200,000 ransom was not paid over to her kidnappers.

Her body was later found buried in a shallow grave at University Heights, in Constitution Hill, St Andrew.

Andem is currently serving prison time on other criminal convictions.