Paul A. Reid and Roy Sanford, Staff ReportersWESTERN BUREAU:
MONTEGO BAY businessman Francis Young, who is facing double murder charges, was yesterday freed of additional charges when he appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's court.
The businessman was arrested at his Westgate Hills home earlier this week in a police raid, after a shotgun and a quantity of ammunition were found there.
In a strange twist, however, the illegal possession charges that he was initially held on were not mentioned in court yesterday, after it was determined before hand by his attorney, Trevor Ho-Lyn, that the shotgun was "licensed in proper order".
Young's passport that was also seized was returned, after the court was told there was "nothing fraudulent about the document" and the businessman was in lawful possession of it. There were concerns that Young should not have had the document, after he was charged with the two murders arising from a shooting incident on a party boat in August last year.
The court heard that there were no conditions attached to his bail that had asked that his travel documents be surrendered.
Resident Magistrate, Paulette Williams, told Young that "pursuant to arguments made by your attorney, there is no case for you to answer so you may go."
Meanwhile, Superintendent Newton Amos, who is in charge of the St. James police, was represented in court as it was learned that he was in the Supreme Court. A subpoena had been issued for him, after he had failed to show up in court on Thursday when the case was first mentioned.
Resident Magistrate Williams on Thursday had questioned the motive behind Supt. Amos' absence. "Is this the way the new superintendent is going to regard this court?" she had asked.
Young is currently before the St. James Circuit Court facing two counts of murders. He was charged following a fracas on the Sharky's party boat on August 19, during which he allegedly pulled his licensed firearm and fired in the direction of David Ellis. It is reported that Ellis had used a champagne bottle to hit Young in the face. During an ensuing melee, Paul Haynes was shot and killed and Ellis is reported to have fallen overboard. His body had never been found. Young's murder trial starts on March 31.
