‘Reluctant’ truck driver returns to the stand in Maitland murder trial
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A clearly peeved delivery truck driver was recalled as a witness in the constable Noel Maitland murder trial on Wednesday in the Home Circuit Court in downtown, Kingston.
The truck driver returned to the witness stand to assist with the clearing up of certain details linked to the July 12, 2022 disappearance of 24-year-old Donna-Lee Donaldson, a social medial influencer.
Donaldson was last seen at the Chelsea Manor Apartments in St Andrew where Maitland lived at the time. Maitland is on trial for murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse in relation to Donaldson’s disappearance.
Audio recordings of conversations between Maitland and the driver were played in court on Wednesday. The conversations were recorded by the witness, who was very concerned after police seized his truck.
On Maitland’s request the driver had picked up settee from the constable’s apartment and taken it to a carwash on Lyndhurst Road in St Andrew.
He was heard in the recordings telling Maitland that his truck had been seized after he picked up the settee from the apartment.
On the recordings, Maitland was heard asking the delivery truck driver if he wasn’t going to help him move the settee from the carwash to another location.
The driver replied asking Maitland on the phone call,” A who this? A do police youth this?” Maitland replied, “Yea bro”.
The driver then complained to Maitland that police seized his truck after dropping off the settee.
Maitland, who appeared puzzled, asked the driver why cops seized the vehicle. “Suh why dem tek away the truck?” Maitland said on the recording.
“How me fi know? Police took the truck and all kinds of things,” the court heard the driver reply.
Maitland then told the driver that he called him because someone had told him that he – the driver- was in trouble with the police.
The witness repeatedly told Maitland that he needed to know what the whole situation was all about.
“Mi nuh want nobody involve me in no form of thing. I’m a big man who works hard. This thing is getting out of hand,” added driver.
Maitland repeatedly laughed at the witness who failed to recall the correct name of the constable. He sometimes referred to Maitland as ‘Leighton’ among other names. Before he left the courtroom, the witness had a statement to make.
He told the prosecution team that he hoped they had no further reason to call him back to the stand.
“Mi tired a oonuh now,” he said, explaining that having to attend court was impacting his business negatively.
The trial continues on Tuesday.