Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter
THE CROWN closed its case yesterday after calling 44 witnesses at the trial of Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams and five other policemen charged with murder.
Lawyers began making submissions in law in the absence of the jury and will continue today when the trial resumes in the Home Circuit Court.
Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe has released the 12-member jury until Monday.
Submissions in law are made in the absence of the jury based on a ruling by the United Kingdom Privy Council which is Jamaica's final appellate court.
The policemen are charged with the murder of four civilians at Kraal on May 7, 2003.
Policemen from Scotland Yard assisted in the investigations and items such as the clothing of the deceased were sent abroad for testing.
The Crown has led evidence at the trial which began on October 31 that a police party headed by SSP Adams, former head of the disbanded Crime Management Unit went to Kraal in search of Bashington Douglas otherwise called 'Chen Chen' and 'Shortman' who was wanted for various offences.
Evidence was given that persons, including Douglas, were on the verandah of a house at Kraal and some of them were playing cards.
The Crown is alleging that the policemen were not acting in lawful self-defence when the four persons were fatally shot.
Defence lawyers cross-examined the witnesses thoroughly and suggested to some of the witnesses, including Constables Donovan Thompson and Tyrone Brown, that for various reasons, they were not speaking the truth as to what took place at Kraal.
SEARCHING SUSPECT
Prosecution witness Donovan Thompson said he was among the police party which went to Kraal. He said some of the policemen left the minibus and he and Sgt. Que Facey remained in the vehicle. After the shooting subsided, he got out of the minibus and went into the house where he saw a man. He said he was searching the man when he heard an explosion and the man fell.
Tyrone Brown had testified that on the afternoon of March 7, 2003 he and other policemen went to a premises in east Kingston. One of the policemen was given a gun and on the way to Kraal, shots were fired from the gun and the spent shells recovered. The firearm was handed to SSP Adams who placed the gun and spent shells on the floor of the room at Kraal where the four civilians were killed.
SSP Adams had given a radio transmission at 6:08 p.m. on May 7, 2003, that gunmen opened fire at the police party and they returned the fire. He reported at 6:16 p.m. that he recovered a telescopic rifle and ammunition and at 7:08 p.m., he reported that a Taurus 9mm pistol had been recovered.
Ballisics expert Daniel Wray said he went to Kraal on May 7, 2003 and examined the premises. He said he saw bullet holes in the front door and it was his opinion that gunshots had been fired from outside to inside while others had been fired from inside to outside.
