Fugitive cop accused of shooting child arrested
NEWS that an ex-cop who is accused of killing a child in Majesty Gardens, Kingston in July 2003 was arrested when he arrived in the island yesterday, was met with delight by human rights group Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ).
The ex-cop Walter Spikes had fled the country before he could be charged for the murder. He was held by his former colleagues after he returned to the island as a deportee yesterday.
In a statement today, JFJ said that it was pleased Spikes was finally going to face justice but expressed sadness that the child’s relatives were not informed that he had been held.
“It has taken a further eight years for ex-policeman Spikes to be returned to answer to the courts for his alleged actions in the death of Renee, eight years in which the family have been left disillusioned and feeling abandoned by the justice system. The return of this ex-policeman to answer to the charge of murder was not communicated to the family by anyone in the police force or the DPP’s office, and, though feeling delighted, they are astonished that they had to learn of Mr Spikes arrest through the media,” JFJ said.
Nine-year-old Renee Lyons was killed by a bullet to the head while playing in her front yard.
Irate residents claimed that cops from the Hunts Bay Police station were chasing a street boy who was smoking a ganja spliff and fired wildly on a crowded street in the depressed community of Majesty Gardens popularly known as ‘Back To’. the incident triggered a massive demonstration with residents calling for the policeman to be brought to justice.
JFJ said the long time it took the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to hand down a ruling on the matter allowed Spikes the opportunity to flee the island.
“After five long months the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ruled that Mr Spikes should be charged with the murder of Renee. Unfortunately that delay allowed Spikes to abscond the jurisdiction and left the family devastated and at a loss as to how to get justice,” JFJ said.