Ex-convict cries in court

An ex-convict was moved to tears when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday, as he lamented being wrongly accused of threatening to kill two policemen.

The man told parish judge Jacqueline Wilcott that he spent eight years in one of the country's penal institutions. He said that he is now a Christian.

He said on his way to work on June 7, he was accosted by the police as a person of interest in a robbery. He denies ever being involved in a robbery.

"I was at a restaurant getting some food before I go to work when him (one of the cops) drive down pon me, and point a gun on me seh I'm a suspect of a robbery. Him carry me to the station and a policeman seh it couldn't be me do the robbery because the man dem catch on camera is a Coolie man. I asked if dem could take me to the parade quick, and they asked if I had a lawyer and I told dem I don't, because I can't afford one. They kept me until the 13 (of June) and carried me to Kingston Central to do the identification parade," he told the court.

The accused said that after completing the identification parade, he did not fit the description of the robbery suspect and thought that he would be released.

"When the parade done and the jeep come for me from Central, three people was already in there. I sit behind the three man in the vehicle and they were talking about some gun ting in the vehicle, some gun argument. One a dem turn to me and ask me the name of the arresting officer and me tell him seh is Mr (the name of the complainant, and I tell him that is (another complainant) that arrest me. I seh to them that me just a work with the policeman dem because I respect dem, and me know dem from the community.

"Your Honour, from me come from prison me just go work and a try look bout my house. One a di man dem seh 'who, dem man deh fi get gunshot'," the accused said.

He said one the drivers stopped the vehicle and asked why he was in the vehicle issuing threats to the policemen.

"Me seh no, no, a nuh me. The other inmate start correct dem and seh a him threaten the policeman. All I was saying was that they tear up all up my clothes weh me buy when me just come from prison, dem tear up my chair dem. So, all me was saying is that them carry me in, I don't rob anybody of nothing, and dem tear up my things dem.

"I never threaten nobody, Your Honour, a life and death ting dat," the man said, in between tears.

He bemoaned that his previous conviction was as a result of his ignorance of the legal system. He said that he went to prison for something he did not do.

"Me go prison, Your Honour, go do my education and come back bright. Me do my church ting and now me hear seh me threaten (the complainant). Me never rob nobody from me born. All me do a call dem name, me never threaten nobody, You Honour," he said, before wiping tears from his eyes.

He told the court that he is being threatened by policemen while he is in lock-up. He also claimed that he is being forced to walk around the police station at nights, apologising to the police on duty. He begged the judge to be transferred to another jail.

The accused, who remains behind bars, is set to return to court on August 4. A fingerprint order has been made.