Witness says he didn’t benefit from being a don

The ex-member of the One Don Gang yesterday told the Home Circuit Court that although he had been the don of a St Catherine community, he had never owned a gun nor had he benefited from the “donmanship”.

The prosecution’s second star witness – during cross-examination yesterday from attorney-at-law Venice Brown, who is representing Dylon McLean in the ongoing gang trial – admitted that a don held certain powers, including having a say about who would be killed or whose lives would be spared and would also be consulted about any happenings in the community.

But when asked if he had, in fact, made any order as to who should be killed, the witness denied doing so.

When the lawyer suggested that he had made such an order as he was the don, the witness replied, “That’s your opinion, Ma’am.”

Brown further suggested to the witness that he had benefited from being the don in his community by obtaining power and money.

But this was denied by the ex-gangster, who had joined the gang in 2016 and claimed he rose to the level of being the gang’s second in command.

“I did not benefit in any way,” he said.

He also told the court that he could only recall getting money twice and, as such, did not enjoy any financial benefits.

“You would know about all the looting, shooting and killings?” Brown then asked.

“Sometimes after it happens, I know about it,” he claimed.

Responding to further questions from the attorney about his former role as a community don, the witness rejected suggestions that the police had had an interest in him after people started calling his name in relation to criminal activities.

“My name was not being called in any criminal activities. Believe me,” he said.

The witness also rejected suggestions that he had made the decision to testify against the gang to save himself and to escape prosecution after making up a story about the “so-called gang”.

The married ex-gangster, who had been employed for most of his tenure in the gang, also disagreed with the suggestion that he had called the reputed leader Andre ‘Blackman’ Bryan’s name in the gang because he was aware that the police had an interest in him.

When asked further if he had told the police everything that he knew about the gang, the witness said, “I wouldn’t reach here if I tell them everything I know. I tell them as much as I could remember at the time.”

Earlier while being cross-examined by lawyer Shadae Bailey, who is representing Pete Miller (also called Smokey), the witness said that while he was a top-tier member, he never owned a gun as he was not into the “badness”.

“Didn’t you testify that you were sent to kill people?” she asked.

“No, Ma’am. Sent to run road,” he replied.

Bailey then asked him if that was not part of the “badness”.

“Ma’am, it’s part of the badness. All of us in court are gangsters, but I was never sent to pull the trigger,” he replied.

During further questions, the attorney suggested to the witness that he had been wrong about a burial site that he had tipped off the police about in Rivoli, St Catherine, where two men from Denham Town had been killed and buried, reportedly by members of the gang, including her client.

But the witness quickly asserted that the police had not found the site when he first accompanied them to the area, but made the discovery on their second visit.

The site, which was found in June of last year with the remains of two bodies, is believed to have been an unofficial burial site for the gang.

The witness will undergo further cross-examination on Monday, when the trial resumes.

Bryan and 32 other alleged gang members are being tried on an indictment with 25 counts under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organizations) Act and the Firearms Act.

The One Don Gang is a breakaway faction of the Clansman Gang.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com