Case adjourned until Sept

THE TRIAL of reputed gang leader Uchence Wilson and his alleged 17 cronies has been adjourned until September 18, following yesterday’s ending of the Easter term of the downtown Kingstonbased Home Circuit Court.

As the trial continued yesterday, however, attorney-at-law Kerry-Ann Wilson, who is representing accused Machel Goulbourne, asserted that the prosecution’s evidence against her client has fallen short.

Presenting closing arguments, she further asserted that Goulbourne’s relationship with co-accused Sheldon Cripps, who is his stepson, does not make her client a criminal.

When Goulbourne took the stand two weeks ago, he said that the reason the self-proclaimed former gang member associated him with the criminal organisation was because of malice.

He told the court that Scott, with whom he was close, and the selfproclaimed former gang member had a run-in and this was his way of getting back at the alleged deputy gang leader.

The attorney described her client’s explanation of what the witness said as credible.

Earlier in the trial, the second former gang member-turnedwitness told the court that he had known Goulbourne and even communicated with him over the phone.

But attorney-at-law Wilson yesterday indicated that the Crown has not presented one piece of evidence to support this preposition.

She also disputed the dock identification of her client, citing that the cogency of this method was questionable as the witness had not pointed out her client on an ID parade.

Throughout the trial, which began on March 4, the court has heard testimony from alleged former gang members, who gave evidence that the criminal organisation carried out robberies across several parishes.

They told the court that the gang would dispose of the loot by taking them to a pawn store in the Corporate Area.

Victims of robberies and police personnel from the police’s CounterTerrorism and Organised Crime Division also gave testimony.

The 18 accused gangsters are on trial for breaches of the Firearms Act and the Anti-Gang Legislation between 2015 and 2017.