By Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
Inspector John Terry (right) from the Scotland Yard Police in London and Justice of the Peace Nicholas Bachelor (second right) watched on June 4, 2003, as local personnel from the Police Transport and Repairs Department cart away one of the doors to the house in Kraal, Clarendon where four people were killed on May 7, 2003. - File
ONE OF the Crown witnesses whose evidence was vital in the murder case of Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams and the other five policemen charged with the murder of four civilians at Kraal, Clarendon on May 7 last year, was shot and killed earlier this month.
Crown Counsel Gail Walters made the disclosure in court yesterday when the policemen appeared in the Home Circuit Court where a September 23 mention date was set.
INVESTIGATION
Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Granville Gause told The Gleaner yesterday that on July 16 the witness, Sophilita Clayton was walking with a friend on the roadway in Kraal, when one of two gunmen came up and shot her dead. The friend was not harmed. Acting ACP Gause said that the police were making progress in the investigation as someone had been named in the murder.
Clayton is the fourth Crown witness to have been killed since the start of the year according to police reports.
Although the Crown witness in the policemen's case was shot dead there is provision in the Evidence (Amendment) Act for her statement to be read at the trial.
NOT UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Last week the Court of Appeal threw out an appeal in which an appellant Steven Grant who was convicted of murder was seeking to have the Evidence (Amend-ment) Act struck down. The Court ruled that the 1995 amendment to the Act was not unconstitutional and pointed out that Parliament was compelled to "take action" and amend the Act because "the country had gained the unenviable reputation of having a murder rate which was one of the highest in the world. Hapless members of the public were being murdered with impunity on a daily basis. The criminal justice system was seriously threatened with witnesses to crime being terrorised or as happened in many cases themselves killed before testifying in court."
Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn had said when the policemen first appeared in court in April this year that the Crown would be relying on evidence from civilians, two policemen who were present at the scene, the pathologist report and evidence from the ballistics and forensic experts to prove its case against the policemen.
When the policemen appeared in court yesterday Miss Walters said it was expected that before the next mention date the documents, which were voluminous, would be photocopied and given to defence lawyers.
EARLY TRIAL
Two of the defence lawyers, K. Churchill Neita and Valerie Neita-Robertson, told Mr. Justice Basil Reid that as soon as they got the statements from the Director of Public Prosecutions they would co-operate fully to ensure that an early trial date was set.
The other five policemen charged are Corporal Patrick Cooke and constables Shane Lyons, Roderick Colleyard, Lynford Gordon and Devon Bernard.
The Crown is alleging that on May 7 last year a police party led by SSP Adams, former head of the disbanded Crime Management Unit (CMU), went to Kraal in search of Bashington Douglas, otherwise called 'Chen Chen'. The policemen went to a house in the district where they allegedly killed Lewena Thompson, Angella Richards, Kirk Gordon and Matthew James during a shoot-out.
The policemen are on bail and one of the conditions of their bail is that they must report to the Commissioner's office on Fridays.
Adams is being represented by Mr. Neita and Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, while Colle-yard is being represented by Ms. Neita-Robertson. Lyons is being represented by Oswest Senior-Smith, while Gordon is being represented by attorneys-at-law Earl Witter and Debra Martin. Mr. Neita is also representing Bernard, while Witter is also representing Cooke.
