UPDATE: Trial of accused killers of businessman Bunny Francis postponed

Monday, September 29, 2014 | 2:53 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The case of the four men charged with the murder of Roderick ‘Bunny’ Francis, a high-profile player in the local fishing industry, was today taken off the trial list in the Home Circuit Court.

The matter was set to be tried today but the court was informed that some documents were still outstanding. As a result, the matter was taken out of the trial list and set for mention on October 29 for bail application.

The accused are, 42-year-old Carlos Batista of Allerdyce Drive, Kingston 8; 27-year-old George Gardner; Sheldon Watson, 36; and Newton Welsh, all of Kingston addresses.

Sixty-six-year-old Francis was shot dead by gunmen, pretending to have car trouble, outside his Queensway home in St Andrew in July 2011.

Francis’s death is believed to be a contract killing.

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UPDATE: Trial of accused killers of businessman Bunny Francis postponed

Canada body parts murder trial opens

29 September 2014 Last updated at 15:03 Police have said Magnotta filmed the murder of Jun Lin and posted it online The trial of a Canadian man accused of killing his lover and sending parts of his body in the post to political figures has begun in Montreal.

Luka Magnotta, 32, has pleaded not guilty to five charges related to the 2012 death of Jun Lin, a Chinese university student, including murder.

He faces a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges.

The trial start was delayed amid a crowded court calendar and difficulty selecting jurors.

Nearly 1,600 people were interviewed to fill a 14-person bilingual jury that includes two alternates.

Mr Magnotta’s lawyer, Luc Leclair, said he had sought jurors who were open-minded and willing to listen to the case, broadcaster CTV reported.

Canadian and European law enforcement hunted for Mr Magnotta across Europe

“He’s been waiting a long time,” Mr Leclair said. “There was a time that we never thought this day would come.”

Prospective jurors were asked during the panel selection whether they would be able to handle graphic and disturbing evidence.

Police began their investigation after finding a headless torso near Mr Magnotta’s Montreal flat in late May 2012.

Soon after, limbs were found in the post sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office and to the Liberal Party’s office.

Lin’s body parts were also later revealed to have been mailed to two British Columbia schools. His head was found in a Montreal park.

Investigators also found a video posted online thought to show Lin’s murder.

Mr Magnotta fled to Europe, prompting an international manhunt that ended when he was arrested in an internet cafe in Berlin.

He is charged with first-degree murder, committing an indignity to a body, publishing obscene material, mailing such material, and criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of parliament.

Mr Magnotta’s lawyer, Luc Leclair, said his client had been waiting for the trial for a long time

The prosecution may ask the jury to find Mr Magnotta guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter if they cannot prove Mr Magnotta intentionally killed Lin and planned the murder in advance.

The trial is expected to last four to six weeks. About 60 witnesses are expected to be called.

Lin, who was enrolled as a computer science and engineering student at Concordia University in Montreal, was from the city of Wuhan in China.

His father, Diran Lin, will attend the trial.

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Canada body parts murder trial opens

JP on false declaration charge to stand trial

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

Former Justice of the Peace Roy Stevenson, who is charged with making a false declaration, is to stand trial on January 15 next year.

When the case was called up in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate Court last Thursday, it was revealed that the file is now complete as a statement from the Ministry of Justice has been secured.

Attorney-at-law Lancelot Clarke Jr, told the court that the defence is ready for the trial.

Allegations are that Stevenson signed documents stating that he knew persons who were securing bail for a man. It was revealed that the accused failed to attend court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Investigations later revealed that the name of a dead person was used a surety.

Further checks revealed that the JP did not know the person for whom he was signing the documents. Following investigations he was charged. He has made numerous court appearances and maintained his innocence throughout.

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JP on false declaration charge to stand trial

Former Jamaica tourism minister to stand trial

Former Jamaica tourism minister Daryl Vaz (Image credit: Flickr)

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Friday September 12, 2014, CMC – Former tourism minister Daryl Vaz is due to go on trial early next year on corruption related charges.

Vaz, who will now appear in court on February 16, had been charged in April 2012, following allegations that he conspired with former Senior Superintendent James Forbes and businessman Bruce Bicknell, to quash a bribery charge against Bicknell.

Prosecutors alleged, that Vaz approached the arresting officer, Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn, and promised him “gold bars”…a code word for a promotion, if he withdrew the charge against Bicknell.

In July, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn, withdrew the bribery charge against Bicknell. She then argued that it would have been difficult to mount a successful case against him.

However, Forbes was convicted and fined J$800,000 (One Jamaica dollar =US$0.004 cents) for his role in the conspiracy.

Vaz, who is the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament for the constituency of West Portland, appeared in court on Thursday when the trial date was set.

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Former Jamaica tourism minister to stand trial

Former DCP under pressure to testify at Al Miller's trial

Former Deputy Commissioner of Police Jevene Bent could find herself in trouble with the law if she refuses to give testimony at the trial of Reverend Al Miller, head of the Fellowship Tabernacle.

Reverend Miller is to stand trial for harbouring former Tivoli Gardens area leader Christopher “Dudus” Coke, during the islandwide manhunt for the then fugitive in 2010.

But when the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday morning, Mr Miller’s attorneys told the court that they want subpoenas to be served on outgoing Police Commissioner Owen Ellington and his former Deputy, Jevene Bent, to be called as witnesses.

The court was told that a subpoena was served on DCP Bent in November last year, but that she has failed to attend court.

Defence attorney Jacqueline Samuels Brown told the hearing that she recently wrote to Ms Bent seeking to collect a statement from her, but that she is refusing to cooperate.

Warrant

Magistrate Simone Wolfe Reece adjourned the matter until Thursday to check whether the former DCP was excused from the subpoena, hence her lack of cooperation. The magistrate hinted that a warrant could be issued for the arrest of the former Deputy Commissioner if it is determined that she disobeyed the subpoena.

Reverend Miller is insisting that the he was in negotiations with the Police High Command for the surrender of Christopher “Dudus” Coke and was honouring an agreement when Coke was found in his vehicle along the Mandela Highway. His attorneys insist that the two senior cops be called to testify to his claim.

Reverend Miller was charged in 2010 with harbouring a fugitive and attempting to pervert the course of justice, after he was caught transporting “Dudus” in his vehicle. He said, he was taking the fugitive to the US Embassy, when he was intercepted by the police.

Talks with High Command

It’s alleged, that Reverend Miller decided to take the fugitive in, after holding talks with members of the Police High Command.

Lawyers for Reverend Miller recently requested that the High Command disclose telephone and attendance records, to show he visited the Police Headquarters and held talks with the Commissioner during the manhunt for Coke.  

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Former DCP under pressure to testify at Al Miller"s trial

Men on trial for fight over ackee

A man who reported that he was injured during a fight about ackee is to go on trial in a cross-case against another man who refused to apologise in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Marvin Harris who has been charged with unlawful wounding and Kevin Johnson who has been charged with wounding with intent, are to return to court on August 18 for trial.

Injured

It is alleged that after a dispute about ackee, both men reported to the police that they were injured.

In court on Thursday, Harris who sustained the greater injury begged for leniency and asked for the matter to be disposed.

“Your Honour, me a beg fi some leniency because a ackee we did a fight over,” Harris said.

However, when Johnson was asked to apologise to Harris who sustained the more serious injury he was reluctant and gave an apology that wasn’t accepted.

“I am sorry, Your Honour and I apologise for the incident, but it is his fault,” Johnson said.

Harris who was in disagreement that he was the instigator in the dispute then changed his mind about discontinuing the matter and asked the court to proceed with the case.

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Men on trial for fight over ackee

Women brawlers to go to trial

Christopher Thomas, STAR Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A St James teacher who got into a fight with another last month, will stand trial in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court on September 23.

Shanel Clarke, from Montego Bay, had previously pleaded guilty with explanation to assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Samoya Lightbody, and both were ordered to attend mediation sessions. However, the case was set for trial after mediation was unsuccessful.

It is alleged that sometime last month, Clarke scratched Lightbody’s face and bit her, causing injuries. Yesterday, Lightbody told presiding magistrate Wilson Smith that she was not satisfied with the suggestions that Clarke had made regarding restitution, at the mediation sessions.

“I wanted her (Clarke) to pay $30,000, she said she could only pay $20,000, and she wants to take two years to pay me my doctor bill. I am not comfortable with that,” said Lightbody.

But Clarke disputed the claim, saying they had come to an agreement at mediation. It was subsequently revealed that the agreement entailed Clarke paying a monthly sum of $1000, which RM Smith promptly shot down.

“I agree with her (Lightbody), to pay $1000 a month is crazy,” said RM Smith. “The matter is set for trial on September 23. In the meantime, if you can find money to pay, then you can come to a different settlement.”

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Women brawlers to go to trial

JUTC driver on trial for stealing $650

A Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) driver is to face trial on June 30, after he was accused of stealing $650.

Jermain Welch, who appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court last Friday, pleaded not guilty and had his bail extended.

Allegations are that during a random inspection of tickets on a bus that Welch was driving, revenue officers found several discrepancies involving the bus tickets that he was issuing to passengers.

It is alleged that while the accused was being inspected, he ran from the bus with the cash and was chased by JUTC officials.

When asked why he ran from the bus with the cash, Welch told the court that he was intimidated by the JUTC officials. “It was not strange for them to find those tickets on me, but I was intimidated, and one of the supervisors came over me and said dat if him find a dollar over, me a go prison,” the accused said.

Senior Resident Magistrate Judith Pusey, who was listening keenly to the accused, said because he ran, that raised suspicion.

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JUTC driver on trial for stealing $650

Cop accused of fabricating evidence in Vybz Kartel trial

BY PAUL HENRY Co-ordinator — Crime/Court Desk henryp@jamaicaobserver.com

Monday, February 03, 2014    

PROSECUTION witness Sergeant Patrick Linton was last Friday accused of fabricating evidence in the Vybz Kartel murder trial. He was tackled on a number of issues, including inconsistencies in his statements and his failure to verify information from a BlackBerry cellphone with its maker Research in Motion (RIM).

Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer; Andre ‘Mad Suss’ St John; Shane Williams; Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell; and Kahira Jones have been on trial in the Home Circuit Court for the alleged August 16, 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams over the disappearance of two illegal guns.

On Friday, Linton was told by attorney Michael Lorne, who is representing Campbell, that the information he got from a BlackBerry phone in the matter was made up. However, this was denied by the former Police Cybercrimes Unit boss.

But Lorne continued, suggesting that messages discussing arrangements for an accused in the matter to go to Cuba and other places were made up by Linton and his colleagues, to which the sergeant responded, “No, My Lord.”

At another point, Lorne asked Linton if he had gone to RIM to verify information he got from the phone, but Linton said that RIM wouldn’t have given out the information due to privacy issues. However, Lorne pointed out that the information could have been had with a warrant, and when asked if he was familiar with the company’s privacy policy Linton said ‘no’.

Lorne then suggested that Linton did not seek to verify the information with RIM (which is now known as BlackBerry) because he knew that “some of the information” he provided to the court wasn’t found on the phone given to him. But Linton said that all the information was “extracted” from the phone.

The attorney suggested that the messages with the name ‘Shawn’ in them were also made up and designed to implicate the accused man, but Linton denied the suggestions. Linton said, however, that the ‘Shawn’ name isn’t mentioned anywhere in his digital forensic report of November 2011.

On another point, Linton said he didn’t record on his list of items the SD card off which he lifted the information.

Also on Friday, the jurors reacted in apparent surprise when Lorne brought out that Linton had said in a statement that he had used a particular machine, that was not designed for law enforcement purposes, to lift the information from the SD card. But Linton said he had made a mistake when he said he used that machine and that he had corrected it in his further statement.

“At least 10 times, Mr Linton, you made a mistake in your report?” Lorne asked.

“Yes, counsel,” Linton replied.

But Lorne suggested that Linton sought to change his statement regarding the machine because some of the data he said he took from the phone could not have been lifted using the machine he said he used in the first statement. However, Linton said that the machine named in the further statement was the one he used. (Reporters have been asked not to name the machine used in the matter.)

Meanwhile, Linton was questioned at length by attorney Tamika Harris, who is representing St John, as to whether he could say for certain that markings he saw on the arms of a person on a video were really tattoos and not body paint. Harris’ probing of the issue was meant to show that a person cannot really be identified by tattoos.

The trial continues tomorrow with Linton’s cross-examination by Harris.

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Cop accused of fabricating evidence in Vybz Kartel trial

Juror ill, Kartel trial adjourned

Thursday, January 23, 2014 | 3:11 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Proceedings in the Vybz Kartel murder trial being held in the Home Circuit Court  downtown Kingston came to a premature end Thursday after a female juror fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital.

On the resumption of the afternoon session, Justice Lennox Campbell made the announcement and informed the court that an early adjournment was inevitable.

In the morning session detective Sergeant Patrick Linton, a cybercrimes forensic expert, gave testimony about video footage he extracted from a Blackberry cellular phone. It was expected that the video would be shown to court during the afternoon session.

Depending on the juror’s health the case is expected to resume on Friday at 10:00am.

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Juror ill, Kartel trial adjourned

Raheem Sterling faces trial in September for assaulting girlfriend

News

Friday, August 09, 2013 | 11:03 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaican born Liverpool winger, Raheem Sterling will stand trial in September for assaulting his girlfriend Shana Halliday after he pleaded not guilty to the charge following his arrest on Thursday night.Sterling appeared at the city’s magistrate’s court on Friday to answer the charge after he was arrested at 10.30pm in Page Moss, Merseyside, England.According to DailyMail News online a Merseyside police spokesman said “Raheem Sterling, 18, of Woolton, was charged with Section 39 common assault. Sterling was remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today.”It is believed the couple had earlier been celebrating her 20th birthday with a meal out and a row is understood to have taken place afterwards.Sterling is due to travel with his team to Dublin on Friday for Saturday’s friendly against Celtic at the Arriva Stadium.“Raheem has denied the charges and as the case is ongoing, we will not be making any further comment at this time,” a Liverpool spokesperson said.The charge could lead to imprisonment should Sterling be found guilty.

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Raheem Sterling faces trial in September for assaulting girlfriend

Verdicts expected in Turkish coup plot trial

News

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Some 275 people — including military officers, politicians and journalists — yesterday were facing verdicts in a landmark trial in Turkey over an alleged conspiracy to overthrow Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.The ruling caps a five-year trial that has been a central drama in tensions between the country’s secular elite and Erdogan’s Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party.The defendants are accused of plotting high-profile attacks that prosecutors said were aimed at sowing chaos in Turkey to prepare the way for a military coup.The prosecutions have helped Erdogan’s government reshape Turkey’s military and assert civilian control in a country that had seen three military coups since 1960.The defendants are accused of being part of an alleged ultranationalist and pro-secular gang called Ergenekon, which takes its name from a legendary valley in Central Asia believed to be the ancestral homeland of Turks.In thousands of pages of indictment, prosecutors maintained that the gang was behind a series of violent acts — including one in 2006 on a courthouse that killed a judge — that were made to look as though they were carried out by Islamic militants, in a bid to create turmoil and provoke a military intervention.Prosecutors say the gang also plotted to kill Erdogan, Nobel laureate author Orhan Pamuk and other high-profile figures.The defendants have rejected the accusations.Prosecutors have demanded life prison terms for 64 of the defendants, mostly on terrorism charges. Others face up to 15 years in prison for possession of firearms or membership in Ergenekon.The case has polarised the country between those who see it as an opportunity to unravel a shadowy network of ultranationalists known as the “Deep State” that allegedly acted behind the scenes with impunity, and those who believe it is a government attempt to muzzle Erdogan’s secular-minded foes and undermine Turkey’s secular legacy.Police on Monday blocked hundreds of demonstrators from reaching the courthouse in Silivri, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Istanbul, in a show of solidarity with the defendants.Protesters clash with riot and paramilitary polices as they fire tear gas and use water cannons to disperse them outside the Silivri jail complex in Silivri, Turkey, yesterday. Some 275 people — including military officers, politicians and journalists — are facing verdicts in a landmark and divisive trial in Turkey over an alleged conspiracy to overthrow the government. The court has acquitted 21 people accused of plotting to overthrow the Islamist-rooted government in the fiveyear “Ergenekon” trial and sentenced of up to 47 years or life terms in jails some of the other 254 defendants. (PHOTO:AP)

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Verdicts expected in Turkish coup plot trial

Brazil plane crash trial begins

8 August 2013 Last updated at 10:08 The BBC’s Leonardo Rocha explains the factors involved in the crash

A former director of the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency has gone on trial in Sao Paulo over the deaths of 199 people in a plane crash six years ago.

Denise Abreu and two TAM Airlines senior employees have been accused of neglecting air transport safety by allowing the jet to land in heavy rain on the recently resurfaced runway.

The Airbus A320 passenger jet overshot the runway at Congonhas airport.

It caught fire as it hit a petrol station and a TAM warehouse.

The plane crossed a busy avenue before hitting the building in a built-up area of Brazil’s largest city.

All 187 people on board flight JJ3054 were killed instantly. Twelve other people died on the ground, in the deadliest accident in Brazilian aviation history at the time.

Defence lawyers for Denise Abreu and the two former TAM directors – Marco Aurelio dos Santos and Alberto Fajerman – say their clients have no responsibility for the accident.

The prosecution says it was unsafe for the plane to land on the notoriously short runway as the cutting of grooves to channel away excess rainwater had not been completed.

The airport had reopened 20 days before the accident, which took place on the evening of 17 July 2007.

TAM is the country’s largest airline. It merged with Chile’s LAN a year ago.

‘Complex investigation’ Congonhas airport is located in a built-up area of Sao Paulo

The six-year investigation has also looked into possible pilot error and mechanical failure.

Prosecutors say the A320 alarm system failed in the crucial moments before the crash and said the pilots had not been properly trained to deal with emergency landings.

TAM Airlines has admitted that two thrust reversers – used to reduce speed on landing airplanes – had been deactivated because they were defective.

The plane was travelling from Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil, and footage appeared to show it landing at a higher than usual speed.

The hearing of prosecution witnesses has begun in Sao Paulo, but defence witnesses are not expected in the stand until November, says the BBC’s Julia Carneiro.

“The investigation has taken so long because the case is very complex. But we now demand a swift and fair trial,” said Dario Scott, president of an association of families of victims of the accident.

“If that plane had not landed at Congonhas airport this tragedy would not have happened,” he told O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Mr Scott lost a young daughter, Tais, in the plane crash.

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Brazil plane crash trial begins

Fort Hood shooting trial set to open

5 August 2013 Last updated at 22:27 ET A military judge has blocked Maj Hasan’s “defence of others” strategy The military trial of a former US Army psychiatrist who killed 13 and injured more than 30 in a 2009 rampage at a Texas army base begins on Tuesday.

Major Nidal Hasan, who is defending himself, has admitted the killings, but argues he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

However, a military judge has already rejected his “defence of others” claim.

If convicted on 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder, the 42-year-old faces the death penalty.

The killings are viewed as the deadliest ever non-combat attack on an American military base.

Witnesses say that on 5 November 2009, Maj Hasan entered a crowded Fort Hood medical building, where deploying soldiers were awaiting check-ups and vaccines.

He then climbed on to a desk, shouted an Islamic benediction and opened fire with two handguns, pausing only to reload, witnesses said.

His trial will take place at the same military base, near Killeen, Texas, where he carried out the attacks.

‘Workplace violence’

A jury of 13 – nine colonels, three lieutenant colonels and one major – will consider evidence in the case.

Maj Hasan was about to be deployed to Afghanistan when he carried out the attacks.

The prosecution is expected to present evidence of the US-born soldier’s radicalisation, including internet searches for “Jihad” and “Taliban” hours before the shootings.

Retired US Army Staff Sgt Shawn Manning is among the wounded who will testify at the trial

The Pentagon has treated the case as workplace violence, rather than an act of terrorism, a legal distinction that has angered victims and family members, says the BBC’s Nick Bryant at Fort Hood.

Many of those wounded in the attack are expected to testify.

Maj Hasan will represent himself at the court martial, which means he will have the opportunity to cross-examine his own victims.

He uses a wheel chair after being paralysed when he was shot in the back by a base police sergeant who responded to the shootings.

Judge Colonel Tara Osborn has denied him the “defence of others” strategy, in which he would have argued that he was protecting insurgents fighting American soldiers in Afghanistan.

She ruled there was no evidence of “any immediate threat to others” from US soldiers on base.

Judge Osborn has also said he will not be able to make speeches about his beliefs or try to testify himself when he is questioning witnesses.

The trial has been delayed by a series of requests for preparation or other issues, including an objection to Maj Hasan’s beard, which was ruled to violate military regulations.

Analysts say the military prosecutors are being extra cautious in order to avoid anything that could lead to a reversal of a guilty verdict.

If found guilty and sentenced to death, Maj Hasan would have multiple automatic appeals available to him.

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Fort Hood shooting trial set to open

Jury selection begins in Kartel trial

News

Thursday, July 11, 2013 | 12:51 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jury selection has begun for embattled dancehall artiste Adijah Palmer, popularly called Vybz Kartel, and co-accused Lenburgh McDonald and Nigel Thompson, to be tried in the Home Circuit Court.The men have all pleaded not guilty to the murder of Barrington ‘Bossie’ Bryan.Bryan, a businessman, was reportedly shot dead while among a group of people in Gregory Park, St Catherine on July 12, 2011.Kartel is also charged with the murder of Clive Williams.

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Jury selection begins in Kartel trial

Vybz Kartel trial faces further delay

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The murder trial of dancehall DJ Vybz Kartel failed to get underway Wednesday for the third day in a row.

The often-postponed trial is now expected to start Thursday, July 11.The trial scheduled to begin on Monday was postponed to Tuesday because of issues pertaining to the location of Kartel’s case files.On Tuesday the trial was again postponed, this time because of the unavailability of a courtroom.It failed to proceed further on Wednesday due to the involvement of the presiding judge, Justice Bryan Sykes in another trial.The entertainer whose name is Adijah Palmer is, along with Lenburgh McDonald and Nigel Thompson, charged for the July 2011 murder of St Catherine businessman, Barrington ‘Bossie’ Bryan.Bryan was reportedly shot to death while he was standing with friends in Gregory Park, St Catherine.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Vybz Kartel trial faces further delay