Tomrick “Fancy Ras” Taylor, the man Klansman gang leader Andre ‘Blackman’ Bryan would use as a decoy for shootings done in the Shelter Rock community in Spanish Town, has been found guilty of being a member of the gang by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes in the ongoing trial matter.

Making the declaration Tuesday in relation to the count which charges all of the accused with membership of a criminal organization, the trial judge said he was satisfied that while no formal identification parade had been conducted for Taylor, the two crown witnesses had sufficient prior knowledge of him to be able to identify him in the court as they had done.

Witness one, a self-confessed high-ranking lieutenant in the criminal organisation, in identifying Taylor earlier in the trial, said he was the decoy.

“A lot of time when shootings were to take place in Shelter Rock, Blackman would send Fancy Ras to report to the station before the shooting take place,” the witness claimed, adding that Taylor, who was out on bail in a matter, had to report as a condition of his bond.

Pressed by the prosecutor leading the evidence to explain, the witness said Bryan would have Taylor report because there was a case against an individual called Chups involving him, and he did not want it to be said that he was part of the shootings when they happened.

According to the witness, Bryan was “sending a hitman to go and kill Chups” because Chups was testifying against him. He said the gang was planning to kill Chups to prevent this from happening.

– Alicia Dunkley-Willis