Cop won't speak on integrity of Kartel tapes
Published:Thursday | January 30, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Barbara Gayle, Justice Coordinator
A policeman from the Cybercrimes Unit said under cross-examination yesterday at the Vybz Kartel murder trial that he could not speak to the integrity of the two compact discs which Detective Sergeant Patrick Linton, the former head of his unit, had given him to analyse.
Constable Kemar Wilks, a digital forensic examiner and crime investigator, said Linton gave him the discs on November 24, 2011. He said he recorded what was on the discs in his statement. One of the discs had 40 voice notes, while the other was a video, and he prepared a statement from the voice recordings.
The transcript of the recordings were tendered into evidence despite objections from the defence lawyers that Linton had said earlier in his testimony he could not vouch for the integrity of the contents of the CDs.
Wilks was asked to read the notes which referred to someone saying that 'Lizard' and 'Wee' had called to say they could not find two new shoes which they said they had locked in a house. The video recording had several voices and one voice said: "Hold 'im down and mek mi cut 'im throat."
The Crown is alleging that Clive 'Lizard' Williams was beaten to death on August 16, 2011, at Kartel's house in Havendale, St Andrew, over two missing guns.
Cross-examined by defence lawyer Pierre Rogers, Wilks agreed that videos and voices could be manipulated. He said he did not see the face of anyone who was speaking in the video.
Wilks said each person at his office had a secured storage area and his own personal key.
Questioned as to whether he left his key on top of his storage area, the witness said, "No, sir".
Cross-examined by defence lawyer Miguel Lorne, the witness said he could not vouch for the integrity of the items he received from Linton.
UNAUTHORISED USE
Linton admitted yesterday under cross-examination by Rogers that a cellular phone attributed to Kartel was used to make several calls on October 9, 2011, after it was handed over to him by a policeman from the Flying Squad on October 3, 2011. He said he had locked up the phone but had left the key on top of the locker in his office.
Linton was asked if he recalled telling the court that if the phone was left for unauthorised persons to use, then it would be worthless. He said he did not remember saying so.
Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is on trial in the Home Circuit Court along with entertainer Shawn Campbell, also called 'Shawn Storm'; Kahira Jones; Shane Williams; and André St John.