THE 15 individuals, including a woman, who have been convicted as being members of the St Catherine-based Klansman gang will, beginning today, be handed their prison sentences by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes, bringing the curtains down on what is known to be the longest-running gang matter in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Of the 15, several have rap sheets from previous run-ins with the law.

Convicted Klansman leader Andre Bryan — otherwise called Blackman, General, G, and Teacha — will be sentenced for the offences of leadership of a criminal organisation and seven counts of facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation. It is his first conviction. However, Bryan was arrested in 2010 for the June 2008 murder of then head of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) Douglas Chambers, but was acquitted after a 6-1 majority verdict of not guilty was handed down in the Gun Court Division of the Home Circuit Court in 2016, following his trial there. He was 30 years of age at the time. Convicted felon Tesha Miller is serving 38 years at hard labour for orchestrating that slaying. He is, however, appealing the conviction.

Stephanie Christie, alias Mumma, who has been convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation in the current trial, has five previous convictions. She was convicted in February of 2016 for obtaining money by false pretence and was again convicted in October 2017 for forgery, uttering forged documents, fraudulent conversion, and possession of forged documents.

Defendant Ted Prince, o/c Mawga Man, who has been convicted for the offences of being part of a criminal organisation and facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation, has four previous convictions. Prince, in 2013, was convicted for housebreaking and larceny and sentenced to imprisonment of two years and hard labour. In 2018 he was convicted for illegal possession of firearm and illegal possession of ammunition, and imprisoned for eight years at hard labour. In April of this year he was convicted of contempt of court for urinating in the Supreme Court building during a court session in the current trial. For that he was sentenced to 60 days at hard labour.

Defendant Jahzeel Blake, o/c Squeeze Eye, was convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation and two counts of facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation. Blake was in 2012 convicted for carnal abuse and sentenced to three years, suspended for two years at hard labour.

Andrae Golding, o/c Rae Tae Blacks, who has been convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation, has had two previous convictions. In 2013 he was convicted for larceny of a motorcycle and imprisoned for 12 months at hard labour. In 2014 he was convicted for possession of ganja and sentenced to 40 hours of community service.

Tareek James, o/c CJ and A Mess, who has been convicted for the offences of being part of a criminal organisation and four counts of facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation, has one previous conviction. In 2018 the now 24-year-old man was convicted for the offence of malicious destruction of property.

Joseph McDermott, o/c Papa, who has been convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation, has no previous convictions, but the probation officer’s report to the court has flagged him as “high risk to society”.

Tomrick Taylor, o/c Fancy Ras, who has been convicted for being part of a criminal organisation, is among those who have no previous convictions.

Meanwhile, Michael Whitley, o/c Stennett, who has been convicted for the offences of being part of a criminal organisation and facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation, also has no previous convictions.

Dylon McLean, who has also been convicted for the offences of being part of a criminal organisation and two counts of facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation, has no previous convictions.

Lamar Simpson, who has been convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation, also has no previous convictions

Fabian Johnson O/C Crocs, who has been convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation, also has no previous convictions.

Roel Taylor, who has been convicted for the offences of being part of a criminal organisation, illegal possession of firearm, and the illegal possession of ammunition, also has no previous convictions.

Jermaine Robinson, who has been convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation, also has no previous convictions.

And Brian Morris, who has been convicted for the offence of being part of a criminal organisation and facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation, has no previous convictions.

The convicted gangsters were all tried under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act 2014. The Act in the Second Schedule indicates that, in relation to a conviction on indictment in a Circuit Court for the offence of leadership, management or direction of a criminal organisation, the sentence is to be imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 years. For a conviction in relation to membership of a criminal organisation, the schedule provides that, for a first offence, imprisonment should be for a term not exceeding 20 years. There is no mandatory minimum sentence in relation to either of the offences.

The Crown, in opening its case on September 20, 2021 with an initial 33 accused on trial, had said the individuals comprised the “Blackman faction” of the gang and had various roles in which they acted as killers, drivers, lookout men or watchmen, gunsmiths, and foot soldiers.

The 17 who were acquitted over the course of the trial were Jason Brown o/c Citypuss, Marco Miller, Pete Miller, Ricardo Thomas, Carl Beech, Chevroy Evans, Kemar Harrison, Donovan Richards, Dwight Hall, Daniel McKenzie, Kalifa Williams, Kevaughn Green, Damaine Elliston, Rushane Williams, Rivaldo Hylton, Owen Ormsby, and Dwayne Salmon.

One accused, Andre Smith, who was out on bail during the trial, was murdered.