Barbara Gayle, Staff ReporterTHE BRAETON murder trial continued yesterday with defence lawyers putting a civilian witness through rigorous cross-examination, taking him to task about four statements he had given to the police between March 14, 2001 and May 25, 2001.
The witness said he could not recall aspects of the deposition he had given at the Coroner's Inquest in January 2002, which prompted the defence lawyers to suggest that he was telling lies in his evidence at the trial and in the statements he made.
The witness, though, maintained throughout that he was not lying.
Six policemen have been on trial in the Home Circuit Court since January 17 for the murder of seven young men who were shot and killed in a house at Lot 1088 Fifth Seal Way in Braeton, St. Catherine, early in the morning of March 14, 2001. Justice Donald McIntosh is presiding at the trial.
UNCLE OF THE DECEASED
The witness is the uncle of Christopher Grant, one of the seven deceased. He had given his evidence on Wednesday.
Under cross-examination, it was suggested to the witness that in the four statements and his deposition at the Coroner's inquest, he did not say he was taken to the gate at 1088 Fifth Seal Way. The witness agreed with defence lawyer Patrick Atkinson , saying that he had not expressed that in any of the written statements.
On Wednesday, the witness testified that police took him from his home to the car park at Seal Way after they said Christopher Grant was wanted for murder. He said that after the shooting started at the premises, the police took him to the gate at 1088 Seal Way.
It was suggested to the witness that when he went to 1088 Seal Way at about 8 p.m. on March 13, 2001 to check on his nephew, he did not go inside the house because he knew illegal guns were inside despite saying that he did not know that illegal guns were in the house.
He said he did not recall saying in any of the statements that he had scolded the deceased Grant or had flogged him for keeping bad company.
