Police photographer testifies in Blue Martini murder trial

Dec 04, 2019 News

The trial of Shawn Harris who is accused of the February 5, 2017 murder of Sunil Singh commenced yesterday before Justice Jo Ann Barlow and a jury. Harris, who is being represented by lawyer, Maxwell McKay, has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Police Constable Collis Duke was yesterday called to testify by State Prosecutors Sarah Martin and Shawnette Austin.

Shawn Harris

He told the court that during February 2017, he was stationed at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters and attached to the Crime Laboratory.
Duke is a police photographer, finger print technician and crime scene photographer. According to him, on the day in question, he was performing duties when a request was made by a rank of Brickdam Police Station, for ranks to visit the scene of an alleged murder at Blue Martini at Lamaha Street, Georgetown.
Constable Duke said he armed himself with a digital camera and headed for the location. Upon arrival there, he said he took several photographs among them being of the interior and exterior of the Blue Martini Nigh Club. The police rank also testified to returning to the Crime Laboratory where he printed the photographs. He said that some of them were handed over to another rank for them to be placed in the crime file, while he kept the remainder.
Prosecutor Austin’s request for the photographs to be tendered and marked as an exhibit in the trial was accepted by the trial Judge. Thereafter, Constable Duke gave a brief description of what each photograph was depicting.
Singh, a homeless man, was killed while trying to prevent a robbery from happening at the Blue Martini Night Club. Reports surrounding the killing indicate that Singh wrestled a bandit and his accomplices to prevent them from carrying out an early morning attack at the night spot.
It was then he was repeatedly stabbed about his body. According to the reports, Singh, a 42-year-old labourer succumbed to his injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital. At the time of the robbery, a police release stated that the three men had visited the club after a police patrol went to enforce the 2am curfew.
Singh, after observing the men acting suspiciously outside the night club alerted a bartender, who refused the men access to the club by telling them it was closed. An altercation ensued between the bartender and one of the men, who stabbed the bartender to his left arm. Singh intervened and was struck to the head.
An injured Singh reportedly then ran north into Owen Street, Kitty, a short distance away from the club and was pursued by the suspect, who caught up with him and stabbed him several times.
A resident of Owen Street, Kitty, stated that Singh collapsed in front of a house in the area and was transported to the hospital by public-spirited citizens.

This trial is continuing.