Four phones tendered into evidence at Kartel trial

Laura Koch, Gleaner Intern

The prosecution tendered into evidence one iPhone and three BlackBerry cell phones at the murder trial of entertainer Vybz Kartel and his four co-accused yesterday.

It is expected that voice recordings on the phones will be played today, when the trial resumes in Home Circuit Court.

In opening the case, prosecutors had said the Crown was also relying on voice identification to prove its case against the men.

Det Sgt Patrick Linton, who was formerly attached to the Communication, Forensic and Cybercrimes Unit at the Organised Crime Investigation Division, said on October 3, 2011, Det Cpl Albert Pitt of the Flying Squad visited his office and made a request for the phones to be examined in relation to a case which was under investigation.

Linton said he collected the devices and proceeded to carry out a digital forensic examination and analysis of the phones.

One of Kartel's lawyers, Christian Tavares-Finson, objected to one of the cell phones being tendered into evidence on the basis that it was being used while in the custody of the police, so Linton could not speak to the integrity of that phone.

Prosecutor Jeremy Taylor said the objection was premature. Justice Lennox Campbell then ruled that the phone should be admitted into evidence.

NO TIMELINE FOR MURDER

Inspector Warren Williams, on being asked by defence lawyer Pierre Rogers as to what time the alleged murder took place, said no time was attached to it.

He was further asked if, by his theory, the incident was supposed to have taken place at 5.30 p.m. on August 16, 2011, the witness answered: "No timeline was given when the incident happened. I am interested only in the data."

He was asked if he was aware that evidence had been given in court that at 5:30 p.m., the main prosecution witness arrived at Havendale. He said he was not aware.

He admitted that from the data at 6:06 p.m., the phone attributed to Kartel was used in the cell-site area at Plantation Heights. He said that there is also an entry in the data that a cell phone attributed to Kartel was used at 5:28 p.m. at a Calabar cell site. He said the data showed that at 6:39 p.m., a cell phone ascribed to Clive 'Lizard' Williams, the murder victim, was used at Caymanas North cell site.

Asked if at 7:02 p.m. a number ascribed to Williams was used at Cedar Grove cell site in Portmore, the witness said: "Don't jump to conclusion that Cedar Grove is in Portmore." Questioned whether it was in Havendale or St Andrew, the witness said "Sir, I don't keep memory of cell sites in Jamaica."

The witness later said the cell phone ascribed to Williams was used at 7:26 p.m. at the Meadowlands cell site in Meadowbrook, which is close to Havendale.