Disgraced JCF Cop … Found Guilty Of Murder

Constable Collis ‘Chucky’ Brown, of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), accused of being part of a Death Squad was charged for murdering three unharmed civilians, conspiracy and wounding with intent has been found guilty by a six member jury in the Home Circuit Court,

(High Court) on all counts as per the indictment last Friday November 15, 2018 The case had the potential to be sensational and it lived up to expectations.  Convicting police officers in any society is like pumping water uphill. Extremely difficult indeed.

These alleged crimes were committed as far back as 2009.  The charges were levied by INDECOM and prosecuted by a fiat from the DPP’s office.  Ms. Carolyn Hay, former Deputy director of public prosecutions marshalled the evidence on behalf of the Crown.

Investigations were conducted by the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), the police oversight body who investigates among other things fatal shootings by the security forces … stressing “respect for life.”  INDECOM naturally frowns on extra-judicial Hamish Campbell led the investigating team in this high profile death squad case.

There have been rumours and innuendos circulating for some time of a death squad operating out of May Pen police division.  There were three mysterious killings in the said police division and fingers began pointing at the police.  Suspicion is one thing but to get a conviction these allegations had hurdles higher than Mount Everest to overcome. The burden of proof as you are aware is beyond any reasonable shadow of doubt … an extremely high threshold indeed … especially when prosecuting lawmen.  First world investigating techniques were employed and the results are what they are.  It was an iron clad case.

A former Senior Commander at May Pen police division was mysteriously poisoned … no suspect so far has been arrested. Was there a connection with the death squad saga?

Former Police commissioner Owen Ellington apparently retired in the wake of the death squad revelations.  We have no evidence that Ellington is implicated in any death squad plot or his departure was connected in anyway to the death squad plot.  Were these events just mere coincidence?

These trials are jury driven.  Juries seem to be most reluctant  to convict lawmen, tending instead to give the lawmen the benefit of the doubt if there is the slightest possibility that an error may have been made.  The conviction threshold as stated before is exceptionally high.  Therefore convictions tend to be extremely low. Juries tend to place a lot of credibility on statements made by lawmen.  Do bear in mind that these officers risk their lives on our behalf.  This seems to be in the back if the minds of juries.

Constable ‘Chucky’ Brown, now a convicted criminal awaits his fate as sentencing is set for December 20, 2018.  He could get up to 25 years minus time served.  Will the prosecution opt for a plea deal so as to get convict Brown to snitch on fellow officers and give Brown a lesser sentence so as to secure more convictions …  others high up the police chain of command have been implicated in the death squad saga?  This was alluded to by Constable Brown in open court in evidence.