Witness feared cops had case against him before he turned on gang
THE PROSECUTION’S first star witness disclosed on Tuesday that he had suspected that the police had a criminal case against him before he came forward with information on the One Don Gang.
The witness had previously testified that he voluntarily went to the police with information on the gang because he wanted to help Jamaica and to stop the gang killings.
He had further told the court that he was spurred into action after he reportedly heard members of the gang plotting to kill a policewoman while they were in custody in a cell at the Supreme Court, claiming that the woman was responsible for their arrest.
The former businessman had also insisted in court that no one had offered him anything in exchange for his statement on the gang’s activity. He strongly denied suggestions from defence attorneys that his decision to testify was to save himself from prosecution.
But when he returned before the Home Circuit Court on Tuesday to face crossexamination from Brian Morris’ lawyer, Denise Hinson, the witness admitted that he had come to the conclusion that the police had a case against him when they had arrested him in June 2019 for being part of a criminal organisation.
The ex-gangster, who was chiefly the personal driver for reputed leader Andre ‘Blackman’ Bryan and the gang’s banker, further testified under crossexamination that he had formed that view after he found himself among cronies who were detained after the police had released other members.
The witness, during cross-examination, said that he and other alleged members of the gang had suspected that one of their own had been talking to the police.
When asked by Hinson if he was aware that the other ex-member of the gang had gone to the police, he said he suspected that someone close to the organisation had supplied the police with information, but could not identify the source of the leak.
“Everybody was surmising, but we never sure who it was,” he said.
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes then intervened, asking him why he thought that someone had gone to the police.
“Due to how they come for me at my house, I think it was somebody who was close to the gang, because not everybody know about me and everybody start get locked up, so we surmise that somebody was talking that knows us,” he replied.
According to the witness, when he was locked up, the police sought to interview him but he declined, insisting that he first had to secure a lawyer.
However, he said when he approached the police after he was released on bail, he spoke to them willingly without a lawyer.
Earlier during the cross-examination, Hinson grilled the witness about whether he had communicated with the other witness before giving his statement to the police, or whether the police had shown him the other witness’ statement or had told him about its contents.
But the former top-tier gang member said that was not the case. He said that he had not spoken to his former crony since he was arrested and denied having his telephone number.
However, despite the witness’ denial, similarities have been detected in their evidence.
Both indicated that they did not go to the police at first because they did not trust law enforcers.
They have also both testified that they were forced into the gang by Blackman and that they did his bidding out of fear that they would be killed.
Additionally, the prosecution witnesses have also claimed that discrepancies between their statements and court testimony was linked to them offering more details the second time around.
The witness, who prematurely cut short his re-examination on Tuesday after complaining of not feeling well, is to return to court on Thursday.
Bryan and 32 others are being tried on an indictment with 25 counts under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organizations) Act and the Firearms Act, to which they have pleaded not guilty.