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Girlfriend of alleged gang leader freed of one charge

Published:Wednesday | September 30, 2020 | 12:19 AMRomario Scott/Gleaner Writer

The woman who is said to be the girlfriend of alleged gang leader Uchence Wilson was freed of one charge by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes on Tuesday in the ongoing criminal case now in its final stages before the court.

Sykes, in his summation, said the evidence against Shantol Gordon was not sufficient to convict her of the charge of accessory after the fact in the carrying out of a serious offence by a criminal organisation.

Gordon, during the trial, denied transporting guns for the gang in her newborn baby’s bag while carrying the child as a cover.

“I would never place a firearm in my baby bag. I would never involve my baby in any harm or danger,” she said under cross-examination from the prosecutor on Tuesday while giving sworn testimony in the Home Circuit Court.

A Crown witness who is an ex-member of the gang testified that following the robbery of a taxi driver in St Catherine, the 28-year-old mother of two, who was acting on the instructions of her child’s father, came with her newborn and collected firearms from the gangsters.

Gordon is still before the Home Circuit Court on other charges.

On Monday, the court had to be adjourned early because a video link being used to stream the proceedings in another courtroom had broken down, preventing the accused in that room from hearing what Sykes was saying during his summation.

The court, like other institutions, has had to implement COVID-19 management protocols to curb the spread of the disease. Therefore, the number of persons sitting in one room has been limited.

Sykes will continue his summation of evidence today.

It is expected that he will finish his summation this week before Wilson and 15 co-accused will know their fate.

They are on trial for breaches of the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) Act 2014, commonly known as the Anti-Gang Legislation, between 2015 and 2017.

They are also being tried for breaches of the Firearms Act.

romario.scott@gleanerjm.com