BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS the ongoing assessment in the Vybz Kartel murder trial nears to a long-awaited close, one of the defense attorneys urged the jury to say no to what he described as "corruption and conspiracy" in the trial with a not guilty verdict in favour of the five accused men.
According to the Jamaican Observer, Attorney Tom Tavares-Finson, in a enthralling address to the jurors that spanned approximately two hours, tore into the prosecution, saying that the robe has been ripped from its case, laying bare the "corruption for all to see" while he asked jurors to "deliver a verdict that says, 'Do better next time'."
"I'm asking you to bring a verdict of not guilty to each and every one of these five men and recognise that in doing so you are not only doing a service to the justice system but to your country," said the attorney who, at times, had the jurors laughing with his quips.
“If you accept this type of slackness... what you are saying to the authorities is gwaan, do whatever you want to do...,” the newspaper reported.
It was also stated that the attorney said “he wasn't afraid to say that the police acted corruptly in the matter, while pointing to circumstances that he said are proof of his claim”.
“At other points he told the jurors that the prosecution wanted to ‘trick’ them and was contemptuous of them because it didn't explain how critical evidence such as the control CD to verify the information that it had presented and the four original statements of the star witness — got lost”, the news entity said.
It was further reported that the attorney told jurors to "turn your backs on this slackness", stating that with their verdict, they can say to the authorities "wheel and come again and put your house in order".
"I need to remind you that there is another name in this case, and his name is Clive Williams," Taylor said before asking the clerk of the court to show to the jurors a picture of Williams, who was allegedly murdered on August 16, 2011.
"I have circulated that picture so we don't forget that there is a real person at the base and foundation of this trial.” it was reported.
The defence attorney told the jurors that "incompetence was the hallmark" of the prosecution's case, saying that the conspiracy against the accused men has been exposed.
He listed a number a of things which he said spoke to a conspiracy, including the disappearance of the control CD, the disappearance of witness statements, the creation of the "mince meat" text and the taking out of context of a message having to do with Campbell's daughter that the police said had to do with Williams.
The Dancehall superstar is jointly charged with fellow entertainer Shawn Campbell also known as Shawn Storm, Kahira Jones, Shane Williams and Andre St. John for the August 16, 2011 murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams.
