BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE case against Devon Williams, who was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, ended in a hung jury yesterday (May 23) at the Basseterre High Court of Justice and was traversed to the September 2011 Criminal Assizes.
After three days of testimony and three hours of deliberations, the jury returned a six to six decision and was asked by His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas if there was anything he could have done to assist the panel in arriving at a conclusive decision.
In response, the foreman told the court that the jurors wanted to again hear the evidence about the amount of persons who disembarked the vehicle after the accident occurred, and also who was seen driving it.
His Lordship told them that there were discrepancies in the evidence given by witnesses who said they saw persons exiting the vehicle after the accident occurred.
“Some persons said they saw two exited the vehicle while others said they saw all three,” Thomas said.
He also reminded them that none of the witnesses who testified in the case had identified the driver of the vehicle or stated that they saw Williams driving.
The jury deliberated for a further half an hour and again returned with an inconclusive verdict – eight to four.
The case began on May 18, and, according to the prosecution, Devon Williams of Sandy Point, who also resides at St. Johnston Village, did hit Keith Brombill on August 11, 2009 while driving on the Island’s Main Road in Sandy Point.
According to previous reports carried by this media house, Brombill was struck by a motorcar bearing registration number R173 which was first reported to be driven by Jevon Allen of Old Road.
Brombill was pronounced dead on the scene.
At the hearing, the prosecution team, led by Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Paulina Hendrickson, called on 13 witnesses to give evidence in support of its claim, while Williams was self-represented.
After the prosecution rested its case, Williams chose to give evidence under oath, in which he said that he was not driving the vehicle that killed Brombill and injured another. His testimony, however, contradicted his original statement given to the investigating officer, Constable Orlando Hughes.
During his summation, Justice Thomas recapped the evidence given by the witnesses and also that of Williams.
Thomas said Williams claimed that on the day of the incident he was in the rented vehicle with Allen and Mikale Kelly.
According to Williams, Kelly, who did not have a licence, gave Allen money to rent the car and the two of them ended up arguing about who should be driving.
Williams’ testimony revealed that Kelly was driving the vehicle while on their way to Sandy Point.
He also testified that Kelly was driving the vehicle when the accident occurred.
Williams further told the court that Kelly, whom he had met for the first time on that day, had threatened and warned him after the accident not to say that he was the driver of the vehicle.
He said that following the accident, anywhere Kelly saw him he would approach and ‘rough him up’. This, Williams said, caused him to feel threatened, and because of fear he told the police that he was the driver of the vehicle.
Originally, all three persons in the vehicle were charged with causing death by dangerous driving. However, after the preliminary inquiry, the charges against Kelly and Allen were dropped.
Allen was allegedly seen driving the vehicle after the accident, and early police reports stated that the three men had fled the scene in the vehicle in an attempt to avoid the authorities.
