‘Chucky’ Brown Trial Recap | Defence suggests INDECOM, accused had agreement

As the trial for murder accused Constable Collis 'Chucky' Brown continued into day eight last Monday, defence attorney Norman Godfrey insisted that a letter that his client is alleged to have given assistant commissioner of the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), Hamish Campbell, was not written by him.

During the cross-examination of INDECOM's chief investigator Warren Williams, at the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston, Godfrey said that the letter being ascribed to his client does not bear his signature.

Attorneys Vincent Wellesley and Althea Freeman are now appearing for the defence in the trial.

Godfrey also said that at no time did Brown volunteer the document and further suggested that Campbell saw the letter in question on Brown's bed in his cell at Up Park Camp and took it up without his client's permission.

Williams, however, said he saw when Brown handed a document resembling the hand-written letter to the INDECOM assistant commissioner.

On day nine, Godfrey suggested that Brown's wife and child had been relocated to a St Andrew hotel following his client's arrest at the expense of INDECOM.

In response, Williams said: "I can't recall at this time. I don't deal with things like those."

The defence attorney also suggested that the arrangement for Brown's family to relocate was done pursuant to agreements with his client and INDECOM before he was taken into custody.

Under examination by lead prosecutor Caroline Hay, the investigator said that he was the one who operated the recording device during the interview with Brown at the INDECOM office on August 10, 2013.

He testified that he cautioned Brown on several occasions when he conducted the interview.

"Based on what was being said and even prior to commencing the interview, Mr Campbell had said certain things to me. Hence, I ensured I cautioned Mr Brown," Williams said.

The witness also told the court that he found it "troubling" how relaxed Brown was while he disclosed information about the 'special' police squad and its activities.

He also told the court that Brown smiled on a number of occasions during the interview.

INDECOM's crime-scene examiner received blood samples for the deceased.

 

BLOOD SAMPLES

 

Last Wednesday, crime-scene examiner at INDECOM, Kathrina Graham, testified that she was present at the autopsy of Dwayne Douglas and Andrew Fearon on December 24, 2012 at a funeral home in Clarendon.

Graham said that she received reference blood samples for both of the deceased, as well as two bullets taken from Fearon's body, and that she also took photographs of the bodies.

A reference blood sample is used to compare with blood collected from the site of an incident.

The trial was adjourned until today, after the prosecution revealed that their two final witnesses were not available last week.

Brown is being tried for the January 10, 2009 murder of Robert 'Gutty' Dawkins and the December 13, 2012, murders of Douglas and Fearon. He is also facing one charge of wounding with intent and one charge of conspiracy to commit murder.