A superintendent, who was crime officer at the Half-Way-Tree Police Station in St Andrew in July 2022, on Tuesday told the court that he had no knowledge that Kathy-Ann Smith, a former district constable who is the mother of Constable Noel Maitland’s child, had left the island.

Maitland is on trial in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston for murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse after his 24-year-old girlfriend, Donna-Lee Donaldson, went missing on July 12, 2022.

Donaldson, who was a social media influencer and entrepreneur, was last seen at the Chelsea Manor Apartment complex in New Kingston, St Andrew, where Maitland lived. During cross-examination by King’s Counsel (KC) Larry Smith — who is one of Maitland’s five attorneys — the superintendent, whose name is being withheld, was asked whether Maitland’s “babymother” gave a statement in relation to the case.

The senior policeman said Maitland’s child’s mother had initially agreed to give a statement, but later declined, claiming that she received advice from an “Uncle Cable” not to do so.

“I am not aware that [the child’s mother] left the country during the period of the investigation into the matter,” the superintendent told the court.

He said that Maitland was always cooperative through the investigations and provided unimpeded access to investigators who combed his apartment and his motor vehicle for evidence.

The superintendent said Maitland also made a Toyota motor vehicle belonging to his child’s mother available for inspection during investigations.

The superintendent told the court that Maitland even complied with a request to make his licensed firearm available as part of the probe.

When asked by Smith if in a statement he had given in relation to the case he had described by colour a settee that was removed from Maitland’s apartment, the superintendent said he did not.

“In my statement I didn’t describe the settee as brownish, burgundy. I agree that today is the first time I’m saying that,” the cop told the court.

During cross-examination the superintendent told the court that on July 14, 2022 he received information and the next day, based on the information he received on the previous day, he called Maitland and told him about the information he had received and explained to him that it was believed that he could assist in the investigation of a missing person’s report having to do with Donaldson.

“I told him I wanted a statement and he gave no objection. A statement was recorded from Mr Maitland. Arrangements were made to have Constable Noel Maitland’s apartment processed by the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch [C-TOC]. The apartment was processed. I spoke to Mr Maitland again the following Monday and I told him that I wanted to have his BMW motorcar and the Toyota motorcar belonging to Kathy-Ann Smith processed by [C-TOC]. He responded by saying yes and the cars were made available.”

The superintendent told the court that after he gave instructions for the cars to be processed, he tasked one of his subordinates to go to a location to identify a truck and truck driver. The truck driver was then taken to a location where he indicated that he had taken a settee.

“The location was a car wash,” the superintendent said.

In addition to KC Smith, Maitland’s four other attorneys are Christopher Townsend, Sanjay Smith, Chadwick Berry, and Kaysian Kennedy Sherman.

The trial continues on July 23.