Blackman vowed to kill traitors, court told

Reputed leader of the One Don Gang, Andre 'Blackman' Bryan, had reportedly promised that he was going to get rid of all his cronies who had turned against him while he was in prison.

An ex-member of the Clansman-One Don Gang who had secretly recorded conversations with alleged members of the gang was heard Thursday during one of the recordings that “everybody weh fi get fix a go get fix”.

“Different t'ing, you know. Man say when him come a road, him nah pet nobody,” the confessed gangster-turned-prosecution witness said during the intriguing 77-minute long conversation that he was having with St Thomas pastor Stephanie Christie, a liaison and money handler, and 'City Puss', the gang's alleged second-in-command.

City Puss has not been formally identified.

“Yeah, man, di man say as you name call, him get it. Di man say him nah play wid nobody.

“Di man say just like how him do it when him take it over, a so him a go drop it back pon dem,” the witness was heard saying as he and the others ranted about some of their alleged cronies' disloyalty to the alleged leader.

“Yeah, a suh me like hear when him talk,” chimed in City Puss, who was in support of the reputed don's stance.

“If him play wid dem, him a problem, man, and me tell him all di while, you know,” said the gangster, who has been described by the witness as the most evil among them and earlier during the conversation was heard saying, “It easier fi we jus' have dem siddung and feed dem and mash dem up.”

The self-professed minister was also agreeing that if Bryan “come back and ramp wid dem”, he would end up back in a similar situation.

The alleged commander also voiced his intentions to trick the disloyal gangsters and kill them.

“Dem just gone missing. Nobody nuh know bout dem. A just dem kind a programme deh we haffi work pon,” he suggested, with the woman believed to be Christie saying, “True.”

“Yeah, man. We no wah no friend from them,” the witness added.

Earlier in the conversation, he, too, was heard saying that two of the defendants and their brother “haffi go”.

When asked by the prosecutor what he meant, he said for them to be killed.

However, he said he was just playing along as he wanted the members to have confidence in him.

Blackman, who seemed uneasy at times during the playing of the recordings, was observed at that moment nodding his head at the comment before turning around and smiling.

The three alleged gangsters, including Christie and City Puss, whose responses were laced with expletives, spoke at length about the traitorous behaviour of some alleged cronies.

According to them, some had turned their backs on Bryan and had started forged alliances with a community don, while others only pretended to be with the gang.

The witness recalled that two alleged members had sent threats saying they were going to cut off Bryan's head when he was released.

City Puss also accused the gang's financial controller, the prosecution's first witness, of stealing the gang's money and giving him the runaround when he asked for extortion funds.

Added to the infighting, the alleged members also spoke about the financial woes the gang was experiencing after Bryan's arrest, with City Puss lamenting that the gang could not even find money to bury their deceased members.

“We nuh have nuh cash, we nuh have no dis, we a go by faith,” said Christie, who shared that they were struggling to find food.

“All you hear dem bout a money and sitten (something) and a nuff time a sugar and bl*******t hot water and crackers mi nyam,” City Puss added.

The alleged top commander during the conversation accused many of his alleged cronies of being hustlers who were only “scraping for money” and was not loyal but was solely depending on the extortion money.

City Puss told further told them that the gang needed to recruit youngsters who they could groom, as the older men were corrupt and were displaying “crab-in-a-barrel” behaviour.

He charged that the gangsters were not treating the “hustle” as a “career” or as a serious livelihood.

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.

The trial will continue today in the Home Circuit Court where the recordings will continue to be played.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com