Lengthy inquest looms - Lawyers say West Kingston Enquiry may affect proceedings

By Lynford Simpson, Staff Reporter

CONCERNS THAT a clash of dates between the inquest into the killing of seven men in Braeton, St. Catherine, and the Enquiry into the West Kingston violence which left 27 people dead, were raised in the Spanish Town Coroner's Court yesterday.

At the same time, the local human rights watchdog, Jamaicans For Justice, urged great care in the selection of jurors for the case.

"Given the gravity of suspicions raised about police action ... every effort must be made to ensure an impartial investigation and inquiry into the incident," the group said. "Of great importance is the empanelling of an impartial coroner's jury."

Jamaicans For Justice called on the Coroner "to select that section of the jurors' list which is to be used for summoning the jury". The group said that in the interest of transparency, provisions should be made for the jury summonses to be served by bailiffs and not by the police.

"It is absolutely crucial in the case of the Braeton seven that 'justice should not only be done, but is manifestly and undoubtedly seen to be done'. Nothing less will help to restore any faith in Jamaica's justice system," the group said in a statement.

When the Braeton case came before Coroner Andrea Pettigrew-Collins yesterday, she set Wednesday, September 19, as the new mention date. However, attorney-at-law Oswest Senior-Smith, who, along with Ian Ramsay, Q.C. will represent members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) who were implicated in the March Braeton shooting, sought to get a longer adjournment. He explained that some of the officers involved in the Braeton incident will also be required to appear before the Commission of Enquiry probing the July bloody conflict in parts of West Kingston.

The West Kingston Commis-sion, which is headed by Justice Julius Alexander Isaac, will begin its probe next Monday and will sit five days per week.

Despite Mr. Senior-Smith's arguments, the Coroner noted that a firm date can be arrived at on September 19, at which time the representative of the office of the Director of Public Prose-cutions (DPP) should be present in court.

Following the shootings which drew widespread publicity, DPP Kent Pantry ruled that the matter be sent to the Coroner's Court to determine whether anyone was criminally responsible for the deaths of the seven young men. They were killed when about 60 members of the Reneto Adams-led Crime Management Unit went to premises at Fifth Seal Way, Braeton, St. Catherine, on March 14, reportedly to serve summonses on wanted men.

As the police approached the two-bedroom concrete house, the lawmen said they were shot at by the men. The fire was returned and all seven were killed on the spot, the police said.

Those killed were Tamoya Wilson, 20; Lancelot Clarke, 19; Andre Virgo, 20; Ronald Beck-ford, 15; Christopher Grant, 17; Dane Whyte, 19; and Curtis Smith, 20.

The inquest has attracted a number of high profile attorneys, including constitutional lawyer Dr. Lloyd Barnett, who will watch proceedings on behalf of relatives of Dane Whyte, human rights advocate Dennis Daley, Q. C. who will appear for the relatives of Ronald Beckford, Kathrine Phipps, who will represent the family of Lancelot Clarke, and Richard Rowe, who will watch proceedings for Tamoya Wilson.

While the post mortem findings were not ready to be presented in court yesterday, at least 58 civilian and police witnesses are expected to be called.

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