Death Squad Trial | Witness insists cop visited his house on fateful day
Published:Saturday | May 18, 2019 | 12:00 AMNickoy Wilson/Gleaner Writer
A Crown witness yesterday admitted to not mentioning the name or giving a description of accused Constable Jerome Whyte in his statements to the police.
However, he denied only making mention of the policeman at the preliminary enquiry held in September 2014.
Whyte, along with Detective Corporal Kevin Adams, are on trial for the murder of Anthony ‘Toby’ Trought on February 13, 2012, at 1st Street, Terrier Town, Clarendon.
The court has so far heard that the witness gave a statement to cops on the day of the shooting and another statement on September 10, 2014.
As the trial continued at the Home Circuit Court, attorney-at-law K. Churchill Neita asked, “You never gave a description of Mr Whyte?”
“No, sir. I was scared,” the witness said.
Churchill Neita, who is representing Whyte, also asserted, “You did not give a description of Whyte.”
“I cannot recall, sir,” the witness said.
The attorney added, “In fact, you did not know his name, sir?”
“No, I did not know his name, sir,” the witness agreed.
There was also the question of whether the witness told the police that he knew the two accused before the day of the incident.
Referencing a statement the witness gave to the police, the attorney suggested that the witness said he only knew of the men before.
“Yes, sir,” the witness said in agreement.
“You were speaking the truth then?” Churchill Neita enquired.
The witness replied, “Yes, sir.”
The attorney also suggested that the first time the witness made mention of Whyte being at his house was at the preliminary enquiry in September 2014, just two weeks after giving the additional statement to the police.
The witness said, “No, sir.”
“My suggestion to you is that Mr Whyte was not at your house that afternoon at all,” the attorney asserted.
“That is not true, sir,” the witness retorted.
A relative of the deceased yesterday also began giving testimony.
She told the court that she saw when the police vehicles stopped at the deceased’s house on the day in question.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Monday.