Angry mob kills would-be robber
published: Saturday | August 20, 2005

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

An alleged robber, who escaped the wrath of residents of Cotton Tree in Trelawny Wednesday night when one of his cronies was chopped to death, suffered a similar fate in nearby Rock Spring on Thursday afternoon after he reportedly brandished a firearm at residents.

The dead robber, who residents say was nattily attired in suit and tie, has been identified as 27-year-old Rohan 'Paw Puss' Clarke, of Silent Hill, Manchester. His accomplice, 30-year-old Llewellyn Williams, who was killed in Cotton Tree on Wednesday night, is also from the Silent Hill area.

Reports reaching The Gleaner are that about 1:00 p.m. Thursday, the dapper Clarke accosted a resident in Rock Spring and brandished a firearm at him. The frightened resident raised an alarm and other residents ran to his assistance. Clarke was subsequently set upon and beaten and chopped to death.
The fatal drama involving the two men, started about 8:00 p.m. Wednesday when a quartet of robbers entered a grocery shop in Cotton Tree and held up the occupants at gunpoint. While executing the robbery, one of the men reportedly used a machete to inflict wounds to the proprietor and a patron.

Following the robbery, the men fled the scene in a white Toyota Corolla motor car. However, while speeding through the district, the car got out of control and crashed into a tree. The men jumped from the vehicle and fled into nearby bushes.

Residents, who responded to the news of the robbery, formed a posse and went in search of the men. Williams was found hiding in bushes and was set upon and beaten and chopped to death. The other men were not found until Clarke surfaced in Rock Spring.

Since the start of the year, Trelawny has had four cases of mob killing. The most pronounced case took place in Mendez Town, near Wait-A-Bit, in March when farmers killed Richard Dunkley and Anthony Fairclough, who were reportedly caught stealing yams. The residents celebrated their demise by drinking white rum and dancing.

While the Constabulary Com munication Network (CCN) could not provide the statistics for mob killings this year, the nation had 20 mob killings last year.