The trial of alleged members of the One Don faction of the Clansman gang continued Thursday with a second Crown witness testifying that many top-tier members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) supplied alleged gang leader, Andre ‘Blackman’ Bryan, with information.
The witness, who claimed he was the second-in-command of the One Don gang, said, on several occasions, he attempted to provide a statement to the police but opted against doing so, due to Bryan’s alleged connections within the JCF.
“Blackman say him nuh deal with ‘fryers’ police weh can’t give nuh orders,” the man testified at the trial being presided over by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes.
The witness testified that on one occasion, he went to a station in the St Catherine Police Divison to give a statement but a police officer advised him to speak with the Police High Command instead.
In another instance, the man told the court, he was directed to the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) to give a statement.
However, he was fearful and drove away without doing so.
“I know Blackman have top-tier police who have rank and can give him suitable information, and I don’t know dem face,” the witness said when quizzed as to why he was fearful of making a statement.
After many failed attempts, the witness gave a statement to the police in November of 2018. This was done as he wanted members of the One Don faction of the Clansman gang to be brought to justice for their crimes.
Earlier, the witness testified that a threat was made against his life when he refused the alleged gang leader’s instructions to become a don for Lauriston, St Catherine.
During his testimony, the man also detailed what alleged gangsters did when they were not carrying out criminal acts, which included engaging in telephone conversations with their cronies, mostly about violence.
He said one alleged gangster, now defendant Jason Brown, was a feature in several cellphone conversations, where he allegedly revealed his desire to commit murders.
Brown was described as being “very evil”, however, the witness said he only spoke to him on the phone.
Meanwhile, the second witness suggested that the lone female accused, Stephanie Christie, was a pastor based in St Thomas.
According to the witness, Christie, on one occasion, invited him to her church located in the south-eastern parish. She also allegedly made an offering to him of a guard ring.
However, the witness said he refused both the invitation and the ring.
Meanwhile, the prosecution’s first witness, the self-styled former banker of the gang, is to be called to the witness stand one final time on Monday to answer questions relating to the role of defendant Brian Morris.
He was without representation, but a legal aid attorney was on Wednesday appointed for him.
The trial is to continue on Friday with further testimony from the prosecution’s second witness.
Bryan, 31 other men, and Christie are being tried in the Home Circuit Court under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations Act), 2014, better known as the anti-gang legislation, on an indictment with 25 counts, for allegedly being part of a criminal organization, in the judge-alone trial.
Bryan and his co-accused have all pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
The men and the woman have been charged with multiple offenses, including being part of a criminal organization, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, facilitating conspiracy to murder, and facilitating arson.
The offenses allegedly occurred between January 1, 2015, and June 30, 2019, in St Catherine.
