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Colin Jones, co-accused discharged on shooting matter

May 01, 2012 News

 

 

Colin Jones and three of his alleged associates will have one less matter to worry about. The matter of discharging a loaded firearm at the East La Penitence Police Station against Police Constable Carl Marks was discharged yesterday.
The ruling which was made by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court came after it was found that sufficient evidence to uphold the charge against the men had not been presented by the prosecution.
The police had claimed that on November 4, 2009 Colin Jones, Randy Mars and Jahfar Sampson discharged a loaded firearm at the police constable with the intent to maim, disfigure or disable him.
When the prosecution closed their case against the accused, Attorney–at-law George Thomas who had been representing the four men, made submissions based on the evidence the police had produced.
He argued in defense of his clients that there was no evidence to substantiate the charge. The lawyer in a comment to this publication claimed that while the charge said that the men discharged the firearm at the police rank it was still not proven that they had committed the act.
Thomas said that the caution statements taken from the defendants had not been tested for its voluntariness, and no circumstantial evidence was provided to suggest guilt on the part of the persons.
The court agreed with Thomas. The pre-trial hearing came to a close when the court said that a prima facie case had not been made out against the accused because enough evidence was not given to facilitate a trial in the Supreme Court.
During the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) it was found that the caution statement of victim conflicted with his actual testimony. The officer claimed that he had not seen the persons who were shooting. But in the caution statement it was alleged that the accused approached the station and were seen in the act.
The locations where the incident occurred also proved different when evidence was given in the matter. While the charge alleged that the incident was committed at one police station the police evidence had provided that it occurred at another.
The accused along with Basil Morgan and Anthony Watson also saw the matter of attempted murder allegedly committed against Clayton Westford being withdrawn against them by Special prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Fazil Karimbaksh. It was reported that Westford had failed to produce himself to the court on numerous occasions.
Westford had however been associated with the alleged Colin Jones gang when a series of charges were brought against Jones.
Apart from the attempt murder of Westford and the police constable, Jones was charged with attempting to murder two other police officers on the same date. He was also charged with setting fire to the High Court, a matter in which Westford was also implicated.
Jones is already facing eight years behind bars which was given to him by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry when he was slapped with charges ranging from murder to arson to possession of guns and ammunition to escaping from lawful custody and cultivating cannabis.

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