Trial of 6 cops accused of murder in case that drew international scrutiny starts in Kingston

The murder trial of six policemen charged with killing three men in 2013 has started in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston. The prosecution's main witness, a senior politician, started giving evidence on Monday afternoon, and is expected to continue when the case resumes on Tuesday.

The seven-member jury was empannelled last week.

Justice Sonia Bertram-Linton is presiding.

Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Kathy Ann Pyke is leading the case for the State.

The incident drew international attention, including scrutiny from Amnesty International, a human rights group.

The case arose from the controversial fatal shooting of Matthew Lee, Mark Allen and Ucliffe Dyer along Arcadia Drive, St Andrew, on January 12, 2013.

Those on trial are Sergeant Simroy Mott, Corporal Donovan Fullerton and constables Andrew Smith, Sheldon Richards, Orandy Rose and Richard Lynch. Corporal Fullerton is also charged with making a false statement to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).

The defence team comprises attorneys Hugh Wildman, Althea Grant, Linda Wright-Ashley, Anthony Armstrong and John Jacobs. The accused officers had previously indicated that they acted in self-defence.

The charges were laid in August 2019 following an investigation by INDECOM and a ruling by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

INDECOM said then that its commission’s report on the incident was completed in May 2017, but the matter was delayed by court actions brought by the policemen.

At their initial court appearance in 2019, all six officers were granted bail.

In 2019, Amnesty International welcomed the laying of charges, describing the case as a critical test of accountability for alleged unlawful police killings.

“The victim’s family’s dignified pursuit of justice is an example of how to dismantle a culture of fear that has allowed the police to get away with unlawful killings for decades,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty's then director for the Americas in August 2019 after the cops were charged.

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