Richard and Julia Lyn. - Contributed

Attorney-at-law Donald Gittens has withdrawn an offer to represent two suspects being held in connection with the disappearance of Mandeville couple Richard and Julia Lyn.

The couple has been missing since December 10.

The two suspects, Kevin Powell and Lennox Swaby, were to be transferred to Kingston after what Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Les Green claimed was a reluctance by attorneys in Manchester to represent them.

In the meantime, Swaby and his 50-year-old mother, June White, have been charged with illegal possession of ammunition.

No reluctance

But Mr. Gittens, who is vice-president of the Southern Bar Association, has rejected claims by the police that attorneys in Manchester had been reluctant to represent the suspects.

According to him, several attorneys have indicated that they were not approached by the police to represent the men.

Mr. Gittens and other members of the bar association - Howard Lettman, Norman Godfrey, Marcus Greenwood, and Debayo Adedipe - told The Gleaner yesterday that they found ACP Green's comment "offensive".

The association is made up of lawyers practising in Manchester, St. Elizabeth and Clarendon.

Mr. Gittens, who is also deputy chairman of the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights, said none of the lawyers, although some practice only chains away from the Mandeville Police station and the court house, were ever contacted by any member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

"The conduct of ACP Green is capable of causing the public to believe that as a group we are now shamed into coming forward (to offer our services)," he added.

ACP Green told The Gleaner that senior attorney-at-law Owen Crosbie, whose office is only yards away from the Mandeville Police Station, was present when the men were questioned yesterday. However, he did not say to what extent the interview was conducted or what information was derived.

Correspondent Angelo Laurence contributed to this story