Prosecution clutching at straws - defence lawyers


Defence lawyers in the case involving Vybz Kartel in addressing the court yesterday described the prosecution's case as one that has many gaping holes.


Michael Lorne and Pierre Rogers, defence lawyers, made the comments when they addressed the 11-member jury in the Home Circuit Court.


Lorne referred to a crucial 15 minutes in the case when, according to the evidence, between 6:53 p.m. and 7:08 p.m. on August 16, 2011, the cell phone of the alleged dead man Clive 'Lizard' Williams was being used at the Caymanas cell site in St Catherine. He said at 7:08 p.m. there was a photograph of Kartel with a dog bite.


manipulation


There was manipulation and bungling in the case, Lorne said as he referred to the text messages. Lorne and attorneys-at-law Susan Dodd and Oliver Gardener are representing entertainer Shawn Campbell, also called 'Shawn Storm'.


"There is so much bungling that the impression, was given that 'Lizzy' was a name for Clive Williams and there was a contract to kill him. He said the jury should remember that during cross-examination, all the text message revealed was that 'Lizzy' was the daughter of the accused, Campbell, and he was 'just being a responsible father' asking the child's mother "how much fi deal wid everything for Lizzy".


He said the prosecution was clutching at straws to show that there was a plan to commit murder.


Rogers described the prosecution's case as a cabbage that was pretty on the outside but rotten on the inside.


He referred to the BlackBerry message attributed to Kartel's phone that 'Lizard' was chopped up 'fine, fine' as being created three hours after the police took that phone into their custody.


He said lead prosecutor Jeremy Taylor had failed to address the manipulation and tampering in the case. He said the main Crown witness said he hid a gun on the night of August 16, 2011, when he went back home from Havendale.


Rogers questioned why the police failed to investigate that and asked the jury to consider if that was the 30 pieces of silver paid for the witness' lies.


Roger's described the actions of some of the policemen in the case as 'unscrupulous and criminal'.


He will continue his address when the trial resumes today.


Kartel,whose real name is Adidja Palmer, Campbell, Jones, Shane Williams and André St John are charged jointly with the murder of Clive Williams, of Waterford, St Catherine. He was allegedly beaten to death at Kartel's house in Havendale, St Andrew, on August 16, 2011 over two missing guns.



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