Man arrested, charged after changing story in court

A St Andrew man who was shot seven times and pointed out his attacker to the police then went to court and changed his story has been arrested and charged, law enforcement sources have disclosed.

Rameal Gentles was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice shortly after he gave evidence in the Home Circuit Court on Thursday, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) confirmed.

His alleged conduct caused the murder trial of Dwayne Grant to collapse.

Grant was also on trial for illegal possession of firearm, shooting with intent and wounding with intent, arising from an incident on Red Hills Road, in St Andrew, in which five people, including Gentles, were shot.

One person was killed in the attack.

But the trial reportedly ended abruptly after Gentles’ alleged reversal forced prosecutors to offer no further evidence against Grant.

“He is the only one out of the five persons who was able to point out and identify the accused,” one law enforcement source said, indicating the basis on which the trial was aborted.

Another murder trial

Grant, who has another murder trial pending, was immediately released from custody because he was already granted bail in that case.

Gentles remained in police custody up to late yesterday and is scheduled to appear before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on May 31.

The country’s top prosecutor, Paula Llewellyn, said her team has been instructed to be “bold” and seek to have criminal charges laid in cases where there is clear evidence either of creating public mischief or attempting to pervert the course of justice.

“The prosecution has to be decisive and strong in the public interest to deal with these kinds of matters,” Llewellyn told The Gleaner yesterday.

According to law enforcement sources, Gentles gave police investigators a statement accusing Grant of being the person who shot him.

He also pointed out Grant as his attacker during an identification parade conducted by detectives, sources disclosed.

But according to one investigator, Gentles went back to the police late last year and gave another statement saying Grant was not the person who shot him and claimed he was pressured by investigators to give that account.

When he took the witness stand on Thursday, it’s reported that Gentles gave evidence that he did not see the person who shot him and claimed that it was detectives who showed him a video recording of Grant.

Llewellyn said her office has also seen cases where witnesses opt to go to a justice of the peace to recant their initial statement to the police.

She said the proper procedure for witnesses who want to change their statements is to go back to the investigating officer in the case.

“You never know, it could be out of fear or it could be corruption, or just total apathy. So, the police would have to carry out their investigations,” said DPP Llewellyn.