Clive Simpson,
Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU: CONSTABULARY COMMUNICATIONS Officer for St. James, 31-year-old Constable Peter Salkey, is to be tried for unlawful wounding, in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on February 12.
He was on Wednesday, January 21, granted bail in the sum of $90,000 by Acting Senior Resident Magistrate for the parish, Ms Valerie Stephens, when he appeared before her on an indictment by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The case outlined by Clerk of the Courts, Mrs. Sandria Wong-Small, is that on August 6, 2001, Cons. Salkey, who lives in Bethel Town, Westmoreland, drove on to the KFC compound along Howard Cooke Boulevard in Montego Bay with his wife and two other persons in the car. He felt an impact to the rear of his car and realised that he had been hit from behind.
Cons. Salkey got out of his car to speak to the driver of the other vehicle, Ainsley Graham of Cambridge, St. James, and his service revolver, which was in his waistline, fell through his pants, hit the ground and discharged, accidentally hitting Mr. Graham in the right side his chest.
Mr. Graham was taken to hospital suffering from gunshot wound and admitted for over a week. A report was submitted to the DPP who ruled that Cons. Salkey be charged. He is being represented by attorney-at-law Clive Mullings.
Mr. Mullings asked the court to recognise that the matter was clearly an accident and to take into consideration that Cons. Salkey was a hardworking, well-known member of the Police Force and had no previous conviction.
