Barbara Gayle, Justice Coordinator

Supreme Court Judge Lloyd Hibbert yesterday told the jury in the Rushon Hamilton murder case not to have any prejudice against the 24-year-old police constable who is charged with the murder of 14-year-old Jhaneel Goulbourne.

The judge, who began his summation to the jury yesterday, said that over the years, people have said all sorts of bad things about police personnel.

He said if the jurors had any prejudice against police officers they should not allow that to influence their decision in Hamilton's case.

Justice Hibbert warned the jury that if they were influenced by prejudice they would be breaking their oath to return a true verdict according to the evidence.

Goulbourne was standing at her gate in Harbour View, St Andrew, on October 24, 2008, when gunmen abducted her.

The Crown is alleging at the trial in the Home Circuit Court that at the time when the girl was abducted, Hamilton was charged with carnal abuse of the girl.

No body found

The girl's body has not been found. Crown witnesses have testified that Hamilton confessed to them in custody that he shot the girl and threw the body in the sea.

Justice Hibbert told the 12-member jury that the prosecution was relying on what Hamilton had allegedly said while in custody.

The judge said the jurors had to ask themselves the question as to whether Hamilton used the words (in the alleged confession) and if he did, whether he was speaking the truth.

Justice Hibbert reminded the jury that the prosecution was asking them to say that Hamilton was speaking the truth in the alleged confession and that was why he spoke of the body.

The judge said that the prosecution was asking them to find that the girl was killed because she was a witness in the case.

Earlier, Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Lisa Palmer Hamilton, in addressing the jury, called on them to reject the evidence given by the prisoner who testified for the defence.

The prisoner had said that while he was in prison, he heard two civilians plotting to frame Hamilton for the murder of the girl.

She described the prisoner as a con artist and asked the jury not to believe his testimony.