No rule for daily police diary entries, court told
Published:Thursday | June 2, 2022 | 12:07 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE INVESTIGATING officer in businessman Michael Issa’s case of indecent language, abusive language, and resisting arrest addressed concerns on Wednesday about the lack of entries in the police diary which recorded the defendant’s past report about his missing licensed firearm.
Detective Sergeant Michael Chisholm, who took the stand for a second time to continue his evidence-in-chief before the St James Parish Court, was speaking in reference to the sequence of events which led to Issa being charged with negligent loss of a firearm, from which his current charges stem. The firearm charge has been dismissed as the gun was reported found two days later.
The police diary had been requested by Issa’s attorney, Michael Hemmings, in order to compare entries with a statement submitted to the defence. The diary was entered into evidence on Wednesday.
Responding to concerns that there were no entries in the diary prior to December 17, 2021, which he had previously identified as the day Issa reported his firearm missing, Chisholm said that there was no rule that the preceding day before an entry for a given date must be recorded.
“ ... There is not a rule to say that, for example, the 16th of the month must be recorded. The entries must reflect the day when an incident occurred,” he told the court.
The matter did not progress much further as the clerk of the court indicated that she was not in a position to continue Wednesday’s sitting as she did not have any notes on hand to refer to and the prosecutor in charge of the trial was also absent.
Additionally, Hemmings indicated that he wanted a copy of another entry he had seen while perusing the diary before the book was entered into evidence.
Issa’s bail was extended to June 13, when the trial will continue.
Judge Kaysha Grant ordered the clerk to give him a copy of the entry before the next court date.
It is alleged that on January 13, 2022, Issa had visited the Montego Bay Police Station for an unrelated matter when Chisholm confronted him about failing to comply with instructions to bring in the firearm for testing, having reported that it had been found. Issa reportedly hurled expletives at the police and tried to pull away when they attempted to direct him into the station. He was subsequently arrested and charged.
Issa’s arrest occurred hours after the abduction and murder of his nine-year-old stepson, Gabriel King. It is understood that the loss of the firearm was not connected to the death of the child.