By Nagra Plunkett, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
TWO OF the six men who were acquitted of charges arising from last year's violent stand-off in Canterbury, St. James, have instructed their attorney-at-law to take legal action on their behalf against the Government for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution. Attorney-at-law Clayton Morgan told The Gleaner on Friday that the men, Junior Jackson and Oniel Cooper, will be seeking financial compensation for the seven months that they spent in jail, accused of illegal possession of firearm, wounding with intent and shooting with intent.
"My clients have advised me to look into the probability of filing legal action against the police who arrested them, as well as the Crown. I don't know if the other attorneys will be suing as well," Mr. Morgan said. "How soon, I can't say, because we are still making an assessment on the amount of damages before filing the suit in the Supreme Court."
"I will not reveal all of our briefs. I will only say that Jackson's hands were swabbed and no gun powder residue was found. Cooper's hands and clothing were tested and nothing was found, plus they had perfect alibis," said Mr. Morgan. "They were not even called upon by the judge to state their defence after no case submissions were made on their behalf."
NET FISHING EXERCISE
The attorney said that the police went on "a net fishing exercise" in Canterbury after the incident and picked up all the males between the ages of 17 and 21 years and took them to the St. James Police Divisional Headquarters. "We are also taking into consideration that their incarceration was aggravated by the fact that the judge repeatedly denied them bail," Mr. Morgan said. "Jackson contracted chicken pox while in custody and he was without any proper medical care. In the recent prison riot, he received a nasty wound to his left foot."
The disturbance, to which he referred, occurred on May 9 at the St. James Divisional Headquarters lock-up when prisoners rioted against the police. Fourteen policemen, including a senior officer and two prisoners, were reportedly injured in the melee.
The charges against Morgan's clients, as well as Terron Francis, Delano Taylor, Damion Nicholson, and Orlando Williams, were dismissed in the Western Regional Gun Court last Thursday. The evidence presented by the Crown proved insufficient to convict the men.
Francis' attorney, Dalton Reid, said he has not had any discussions with his client regarding a lawsuit.
The six were detained following a gun battle in the inner-city community of Canterbury on October 15, 2003. When the shooting subsided, the police held 18 men in connection with the eight-hour unrest. After several identification parades, charges were levelled against six. The police said that a search of the area turned up eight AK-47 assault rifles, several handguns and an assortment of ammunition. The seized weaponry was reportedly valued at $1 million.
