KINGSTON, Jamaica — A former member of the Uchence Wilson gang this morning told the court that his decision to give the police information about the gang’s activities was because he was bothered by the slate of violent robberies being carried out its members.

According to the Crown witness, who is undergoing cross- examination in the Home Circuit Court via video link, he was never promised anything in exchange for the information such as a visa, a home or to be exempted from criminal sanction.

“So it is just out of goodness or the fact that the Lord touch you or the Holy Spirit touch you why you just decide to go in?” Asked Attorney CJ Mitchell, who is representing Fitzroy Scott, his girlfriend Tashina Baker and Cornel White.

“Yes,” the witness replied.

“Was it the Holy Spirit or God?” Mitchell asked.

“All the Holy Spirit to sir,” the witness further answered.

“But didn’t you tell the court yesterday that you gave evidence because you were beaten and because of homelessness?” Mitchell further probed.

“The beating and the homelessness just speed up the process,” the witness said.

“So why didn’t you say the Holy Spirit,” Mitchell continued

“Because last night when I went home I prayed and when I come now the Holy Spirit touch me,” the witness responded.

The former gangster, in expounding on his reason for going to the police, said he was not pleased with the fact that poor people, including the elderly, were a being deprived and injured. He said even before he became a police informant, he had given information to several different police stations, but he was not taken seriously.

“Am I to understand that while you were robbing people you were troubled about poor people being robbed?” Mitchell asked.

“Yes sir,” the witness answered.

Mitchell then asked if he was so troubled why he continued and how many robberies he committed after he was pricked by his conscience.

The witness in reply said he had stopped, hence why he was left at home.

But despite a grilling from Mitchell he insisted that he could not remember the number of robberies he was involved in after his conscience set in and only conceded that it was more than one.

“Is it that you are ashamed to say how many robberies you went on after your conscience attack?” Mitchell asked.

“Back then I did feel ashamed because of the influence I was getting from the gang,” the witness replied.

The attorney then asked him what brought on his conscience.

“If you see man a beat old woman and old man, kick off random door your conscience wouldn’t bother you?” The witness fired back at Mitchell.

The attorney then asked the witness, who previously testified that he and the gang had robbed his female relative, if his conscience was not bothering him then.

“Of course that was bothering me, a dem influence mi to go rob my [female relative],” he said.

“Fitzroy say him rob him father so a nuh nutten if me rob my [female relative],” the witness added.

The lawyer however told him that despite his conscience, he still went, but the witness said that was his reason for staying outside his relative’s house during the robbery, as he could not stand to see her getting robbed.

“But didn’t you share in what was stolen?” Mitchell asked.

The witness then replied that although he collected some of the money he shared it with his relative but she was not aware that she was getting back some of her own money.

He also admitted that he has never confessed to her that he was involved in the robbery.

The defence attorney also asked him if he was not bothered by his conscience when he stole money from defendant Baker and he said no because he knew he was stealing stolen goods.

The witness further told the court that he was not aware that Baker had reported him to the police nor that he was being sought by police.

Furthermore, he said he went to the Matilda’s Corner police to inform them about the gang’s activities so the police would have arrested him, but instead, the police called the gang and reported what he had told them.

Tanesha Mundle