THE testy exchange that has marked defence attorney Linton Gordon’s cross-examination of Britney Clarke continued in court on Tuesday as the lawyer again suggested that she had no clue if anyone was staying in the basement of the family house on the night her father was shot dead by members of the security forces.

Gordon, who is representing Private Arnold Henry — one of three Jamaica Defence Force soldiers charged with murder in the May 27, 2010 shooting death of accountant Keith Clarke — told Britney Clarke that she never knew if anyone was in her basement, maintaining the defence’s argument that Keith Clarke had harboured then fugitive Christopher “Dudus” Coke and several of his cronies in the basement of the family’s house at 18 Kirkland Close in Red Hills, St Andrew.

However Clarke’s daughter, who is the second witness in the trial, insisted that she “knew no one was down there”.

“Did you look at any of the doors leading in and out of the basement?” Gordon asked.

“No, sir; I know my home and it was closed. I know who was in my home, just like other people know who is in their home,” Clarke replied.

Gordon again suggested that she never knew who was in the basement and that she came to court with a story on what she believed happened, in the hope that the jury would buy it.

His suggestion irritated Clarke who pointedly told him, “What you are doing is fabricating a story that the army has paid you millions of dollars to speak.”

Gordon then asked, “Who is in your basement now?”

“No one is there now,” Clarke replied.

The attorney told the witness that nowhere in her statement to the police did she say she looked inside the basement to see if anyone was there.

“I agree,” she responded.

Gordon then suggested that she was making up stories and telling them to the court to protect her father’s reputation.

“No, sir. I do not agree. That is not true,” Clarke responded.

“I am also suggesting to you, ma’am, that when you told the court that you knew nobody was in the basement, you are not in a position to say that truthfully. I am suggesting to you that you have not been truthful to the court in your evidence, making up speeches to impress the court that you are truthful,” Gordon stated.

Clarke shot back that she was not making speeches but merely responding to questions.

The attorney again suggested to Clarke that her father had pointed his licensed firearm at the soldiers and that it was at that time a soldier shouted “Gun!”, after which they started firing at Clarke.

“He most definitely did not do that, sir,” Clarke replied.

Gordon also repeated his earlier suggestion that Keith Clarke was not climbing down from on top of the closet in the master bedroom, with his back turned to the soldiers, when he was shot.

“It was a lie,” Gordon said.

That prompted Clarke to say she “did not know that a country or an army would go to lengths to cover up something like this”.

Keith Clarke was killed in his master bedroom at his house during a police-military operation aimed at capturing Coke, who was believed to be camping out in Clarke’s basement with seven to eight heavily armed henchmen.

It is alleged that the men engaged the security forces in a shootout before escaping in a heavily forested area to the back of the yard which leads to Red Hills Road.

In addition to Private Henry, the other soldiers on trial are lance corporals Greg Tingling and Odel Buckley.

The trial is scheduled to continue today.