PLAGUED BY car thefts, residents of Cornfield in Gordon Town, rural St. Andrew, yesterday morning attacked five would-be-robbers, resulting in the death of one. This action is the latest manifestation of vigilante justice, a criminal offence.
The dead man has been identified only as 'Diamond', a 22-year-old taxi operator from Westminster Road in Kingston.
According to police reports, just after 3:00 a.m. yesterday, five persons were in the process of stealing a car when they were surprised by residents, who demanded their blood.
Two members of the group were held and beaten severely. 'Diamond' died on the spot, while the other man was taken to the University Hospital of the West Indies, where he was admitted. An 18-year-old female accomplice was also apprehended.
About seven cars have been stolen in the past few months in the district along the Irish Town main road, according to the police. One man lost two vehicles within a week.
Last week, residents of Whitehouse, Westmoreland, slaughtered two of four men who attempted to rob a Super Plus supermarket in their community. In April, another mob killing took place in Wait-A-Bit, Trelawny, when residents stoned and chopped to death two men after they were allegedly caught stealing yams in the farming community of Mendez Town.
SIGNAL OF A FAILING STATE
Reacting to the rising level of mob killings, Justice Minister A. J. Nicholson noted "the necessity for all institutions in the society to give their backing to the forces of law and order". He argued that "when mixed signals are sent by groups, inside and outside of our society, constantly denigrating the forces of law and order, citizens are encouraged to break the law".
Said sociologist Peter Espeut: "When people have lost confi-dence in the justice system, they seek to get justice themselves ... and this is a signal of a failing state."
Dr. Carolyn Gomes, executive director of human rights watchdog, Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ), also blamed the justice system. "It is very distressing, this seemingly increase in mob killings. It is wrong and abhorrent and it speaks to the lack of faith that persons have in the justice system."
Number of mob killings:
Year - Killings
2005 (to date) - 13
2004 - 21
2003 - 20
