WESTERN BUREAU:
A KEY prosecution witness in a case against a Montego Bay policeman charged with breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act gave conflicting statements when the case continued on Wednesday in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court.
Gary Taylor, the second of three witnesses called so far, told the court that the accused man, Constable Leroy Lowe, had told him to "call your father" after his taxi was impounded by the traffic cop in August last year.
Under cross-examination, however, it could not be found anywhere in Taylor's statement that he gave to the police where he had said that. He insisted he had said so, however, and it was left out.
Taylor's father, Keith, had testified on Tuesday when the case started that Lowe had asked for $10,000 on both occasions when his and his son's vehicles were impounded.
The elder Taylor told the court that the officer had told him he had to "touch me with $10,000" for the vehicles to be released from the Traffic Authority pound which they were taken to.
Taylor said he had paid Lowe $7,500 in the first instance and it was after the second occasion that he went to the Bureau of Special Investigations (BSI) and a sting operation was set up.
The younger Taylor told the court that he did not tell anyone that Lowe had asked him for money.
Inspector Winston Milton, who was the sub-officer in charge of traffic in St. James at the time of the incident, and who had prosecuted both men, also took the stand on Wednesday.
Allegations are that Constable Lowe, who is assigned to the Traffic Department, attempted to take a bribe from the Taylors in two separate incidents during a one-week period in August 2003.
He was taken into custody on August 29, and following a ruling by the Director of Public Prosecutions, he was charged in September last year with two counts of breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act.
In addition to the corruption charges, Lowe is also facing a charge of assault after he reportedly attacked one of the arresting officers. Attorneys-at-law George Thomas, Dalton Reid and Raymund King are representing Lowe.
The case was adjourned until May 19 when it will continue and Lowe's $200,000 bail was extended until then.
