Clansman Gang Trial | Case adjourned as defendant tests positive for COVID-19

The Clansman-One Don Gang trial has been put on pause until June 13 as one of the defendants has contracted COVID-19.

The case was adjourned this morning after Chief Justice Bryan Sykes informed the Home Circuit Court that lone female defendant Stephanie Christie contracted the virus.

As a result, the hearing was then adjourned to give the defendant time to recover.

The prosecution was expected to continue responding to the no-case submissions from defence attorneys.

The remaining 28 defendants are being tried on an indictment with 19 counts under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organizations) Act and the Firearms Act.

Initially, 33 defendants were charged on a 25-count indictment however the counts were reduced to 19 after six were abandoned by the prosecution.

Four defendants, Damaine Elliston, Rushane Williams, Revaldo Hylton, and Owen Ormsby were found not guilty by Sykes and freed after the Crown indicated that it did not have sufficient evidence to prove its case against the men.

While the fifth defendant, Dwayne Salmon, was freed after the judge upheld a no-case submission by his lawyer Kemar Robinson while rejecting an application from the prosecution to amend the indictment so that he could be charged with an additional count of knowingly providing a benefit to a criminal organisation. 

Sykes, in rejecting the application, said that the amendment would cause severe injustice to Salmon. 

The 31-year-old construction worker, who was alleged to be the gang's gunsmith and supplier, was initially charged with being a member of a criminal organisation and illegal possession of firearm but the gun charge was conceded by the prosecution. 

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.