Crown, defence get more time to agree on jail records for ‘Clans’ case | Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The trial of the 28 remaining alleged members of the One Don faction of the Clansman gang has been pushed back to next week to allow the prosecution and defence more time to agree on documents to be used throughout the remainder of the proceedings.

The trial was expected to resume on Tuesday after Chief Justice Bryan Sykes tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

However, when the matter resumed, the trial judge was absent, despite the accused persons, their attorneys, the prosecutors and other court staff being present.

Sykes is reportedly in “good spirit”, but the matter has been set to resume on Monday, July 18.

Further consultations aimed at reaching an agreement between the defence and prosecution relative to several custody records for prisoners that are to be used as evidence in the trial.

Last Wednesday, the prosecutors were expected to reveal whether they would agree to admit the records of several logbooks from both the Horizon Remand Centre and the Spanish Town Police Station into evidence, given the difficulties to locate five police officers who initially made the entries from the police station.

Subpoenas have been issued for two of the lawmen who are on suspension, and three others whose whereabouts cannot be definitively established.

Defence attorneys are trying to use the relevant records to prove that four of the defendants – Pete Miller, Kalifa Williams, Tareek James and Donovan Richards – were in police custody when the criminal acts that they are accused of committing were carried out.

The trial, which began last September, was expected to conclude by the end of the judicial term this month.

The delays mean that the matter could stretch into the next judicial term, commencing in September.

The 28 accused are being tried under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations Act), 2014, better known as the anti-gang legislation, on an indictment containing several counts.

The offences were allegedly committed between January 1, 2015, and June 30, 2019, mainly in St Catherine, with at least one murder committed in St Andrew.

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