MONTEGO BAY, St James — Supreme Court judge, Justice Bertram Morrison has chided the police for what he says are some members’ high-handed approach when trying to get information or support from citizens.

Justice Morrison made the comment in the St James Circuit Court on Tuesday during his summation of the trial of Gregory Roberts who is accused of killing 15-year-old Shineka Gray in 2017.

“I need to comment here because the police, in their ongoing investigations, cannot abuse a person’s human rights. You are to treat people civilly. These sort of rough, rough tactics are not condoned, or ought not to be condoned, by civil society,” he said.

“Those are my comments, because how will you win over the cooperation of citizens of this country if you are using brute force tactics on people? It simply doesn’t work,” added Justice Morrison who noted that this is an existing problem and that he was not pointing the finger at any particular individual.

His comments came as he went over a section of the case in which the mother of Roberts’s ex-girlfriend claimed she was abused by the police.

On January 11, the woman — whose name is being withheld — told the court that she was beaten by the police who came to her house. She said she did not report the matter to the Independent Commission of Investigations.

The woman also spoke glowingly of Roberts, claiming he was a good man and not someone prone to violence. She also said she had never seen him being violent towards her daughter and that she believes he would not hurt her child.

However, on Tuesday, Justice Morrison pointed out to the jury that this was the same woman who received text messages from Roberts in which he threatened her daughter, in an attempt to scare both women into repaying money he said his ex had fleeced him.

“Is this the same person? This is a question you will have to ask yourself,” Justice Morrison told the jury.

Gray, who was a grade 10 student, was found dead three days after being reported missing. She was last seen alive in Montego Bay while on her way home from the funeral of a schoolmate.

Roberts and his co-accused, Mario Morrison, were later taken into custody in connection with the killing.

Morrison pleaded guilty in September 2022, after entering a plea deal with the State, and was sentenced to life in prison a month later.

Justice Morrison will continue his summation on Wednesday when he is expected to start looking at the defence witnesses.