By Paul Henry—
DEPUTY Superintendent of Police Vernal Thompson shocked the court during the Vybz Kartel murder trial yesterday when he declared that he was not surprised at certain things that took place in the investigation of the matter because criminals were within the police force.
Thompson made the admission, which solicited audible reaction from the jurors and others in the court, while he was being cross-examined by defence attorney Pierre Rogers in the closely watched trial in the Home Circuit Court.
But questioned by Justice Lennox Campbell on the comment, he sought to resile himself from the criminal comment, using the word “unscrupulous” instead.
During a line of questions from Rogers, Thompson said he would be “very concerned” if Sergeant Patrick Linton from the Cybercrimes Unit left the key to his locker, where evidence are kept, atop the said locker. He said he never instructed anyone to use a cellphone that was confiscated in the case, adding that he heard it on the news and was “most concerned about it”. He said the use of the cellphone didn’t surprise him, but that he’s “concerned”.
“That’s not the kind of behaviour I expect,” he said, adding that there are “unscrupulous persons” in every organisation, including the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
Asked by Rogers if he was aware that data from the phone was being accessed at a time when it wasn’t supposed to be done, Thompson said ‘no’. Questioned further, he said he wasn’t “surprised if that had been done, because “there are a lot of criminals…”.
“Even in the police force?” asked Rogers, who appears for accused Kahira Jones.
“Even in the police force,” Thompson said.
At the end of Rogers’ examination, Justice Campbell sought clarification from the witness, asking if he’s to understand his testimony to be that criminals were within the JCF. To this, Thompson responded, “Unscrupulous persons.”
Asked by Campbell if any of the persons working on the case with him were unscrupulous, Thompson said ‘no’.
Moments before Rogers’ examination of Thompson, Chris Tavares -Finson, who appears with Tom Tavares-Finson for Vybz Kartel, tried with a line of questions to establish that there was a conspiracy against the accused men. But a critical question concerned Thompson’s previous testimony about an odour, “like dead animal”, that he said he smelt when he went to the Havendale house where Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams is believed to have been killed on August 16, 2011 over the disappearance of two illegal guns. A body has not been found.
Questioned by Tavares-Finson, Thompson said he had a section of the premises excavated, but said that nothing was found.
Thompson had testified on Tuesday that the Havendale house was burnt out after he went there on August 22 and that a section of the back of the home was demolished. Yesterday, Tavares-Finson asked if he sought to secure the premises by placing two constables there, but Thompson said that when he made the request of his superiors he was told that there wasn’t sufficient manpower.
Thompson was also cross-examined by Michael Lorne, Tamika Harris and Everton Dewar.
The prosecution is to call its final witness today, following the reexamination of Thompson.
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