A “shoemaker” and a “warehouse attendant” who are among the 28 remaining defendants being tried for crimes allegedly committed by the notorious Klansman Gang on Thursday brought the curtains down on the volley of unsworn statements heard by the court this week.

Unsworn statements essentially allow the accused to give his/her version of the facts without taking an oath and without being subjected to cross-examination.

Thursday’s testimonials by the two accused followed on statements from a musician, baker, welder, labourers, tiling apprentice, chef, car wash operator, stone mason, graphic designer and furniture maker who, between Monday and Wednesday, addressed the court. Of the 28 accused, 24 gave unsworn statements, two made sworn statements, and two chose to “remain silent”.

On Thursday morning, Ted Prince, alias Mawga Man, who stands accused of murder and being part of a criminal organisation stridently denied those allegations, insisting that he, though from the Jones Avenue community where the gang is headquartered, knew nothing of its operations.

“I am not a member of any gang, my work is shoemaking your honour, mi build shoes with mi father a Greendale your honour. When ni naw build shoes me a work a waan construction site your honour,” Prince said stoutly.

Witness Number One had alleged that Prince was the triggerman in a failed triple hit allegedly ordered by reputed leader of the gang Andre “Blackman” Bryan in which the real targets had been missed and a bystander shot instead. He also alleged that Prince was the shooter in the murder of a man in the vicinity of a hardware store in Spanish Town in 2018.

The accused, however, told the court that he did not know the witness, a former gang member turned Crown witness.

“Mi nuh know nutten bout this witness your honour, nutten bout no shooting nor no suspicion of no shooting nor nutten this witness talking bout your honour.

“Mi is a hard-working man, Your Honour. When mi not working, Your Honour, mi might deh right out in a di lane a play some card or something. Mi nuh know nutten this man a talk bout, no shooting, from mi born. This man come inna court an tell lie pon mi seh mi all get shot. From mi bawn mi nevah get a shot, Your Honour,” Prince said harshly.

“Mi nevah drive inna a car go nowhere with this man fi go burn down nowhere, Your Honour. This man just mecking up stories. First of all, this man come a seh him see me juss kill or shoot man outta Phil’s Hardware, mi nuh know dis man from nowhere, Your Honour. Him tell all those lies on me, Your Honour. That’s my story, Your Honour,” he ended gruffly.

Also on Thursday, Dylon McLean, the man who was said to have guarded the alleged gang leader with a gun, in giving the final unsworn statement said: “Sir, I am innocent of all these charges that was led against me.”

“I used to work as a warehouse attendant. I am 26 years old. I am from Spanish Town, Jones Avenue, St Catherine,” said McLean, alleged to be a member of the posse that shot Jermaine Bryan and his date, Cedella Walder, to death on their first night together in New Nursery, St Catherine, in 2017 and setting fire to their dwelling afterwards.

In denying the allegations made by the witness, he said, “This man even come telling lie that I have a gun in my roof. I don’t have a board housetop, Sir, all of my house is concrete, Sir. This man even say I am a lookout for the gang and bodyguard for a man [said to be Andre Bryan], which, Sir, sometimes, if I am at home, I would be on my Wi-Fi, Sir and a lady in front of the house would see me all the time. I am hardly a youth that would come outside my house, Sir.

“I don’t know what this man talking about. I have never owned a gun or fired a gun yet, Sir, and this man say I have a Intratec submachine gun, Sir, and I don’t even know about that gun, Sir,” he said, sighing heavily and shaking his head as if nonplussed.

According to McLean, he was not familiar with any of the Crown’s two main witnesses who told the court they had both been high-ranking members of the gang. The two testified via live video link in the course of the trial.

“All a dem man weh come pon di screen, fuss mi a si dem, dis man a seh him know mi, seh mi go burn down place and have gun. Mi never get convicted of any crime, Sir, that alone mi haffi seh, your honour. Juss look through everything, Sir,” McLean ended.

The statements by the two come even as the court prepares to hear the last of evidence from witnesses being called by the defence ahead of the verdict which is expected to be handed down by the end of July, according to the trial judge, Chief Justice Bryan Sykes.

The matter resumes on Monday morning at 10 in the Supreme Court, downtown Kingston.