King Valley Gang Trial
Defence to make no-case submissions
Published:Thursday | January 30, 2020 | 12:20 AMNickoy Wilson/Gleaner Writer - -
Defence attorneys will this morning begin making no-case submissions on behalf of alleged members of the Westmoreland-based King Valley Gang, who allegedly wreaked havoc in Grange Hill and its environs for a number of years.
This comes after the prosecution yesterday closed its case against the eight men who are on trial.
Earlier in the proceedings, the prosecution made an application to have two counts of the 11-count indictment amended.
The application for the amendment to count four was rejected. However, count seven was varied, the charge recrafted from “facilitating serious offence by a criminal organisation to wit: aid and abet rape” to read “facilitating serious offence by a criminal organisation to wit: rape”.
Before the amendment, however, attorney-at-law Abina Morris, who is representing Carlington ‘Tommy’ Godfrey, objected to the amendment, arguing that the change would be unfair and prejuidice her client.
Russell Stewart, the attorney representing Lindell Powell, held similar views, citing that the change would be highly prejudicial.
However, he conceded, but not without stating his discontent with how the Crown was seeking to have the indictment amended at this stage of the trial.
The self-proclaimed former gang member-turned-Crown witness was also recalled during the proceedings, in which he identified two masks he said were worn by gangsters when they perpetrated crimes.
He also identified the photo of a man named Juan who was said to have been chased by alleged gang members and subsequently killed.
Powell, Godfrey, Rannaldo McKennis, Christon Grant, Derval Williams, Hopeton Sankey, Copeland Sankey, and Sean Suckra are on trial for breaches of Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organisations) 2014, commonly called the Anti-Gang legislation, in relation to crimes committed between 2016 and 2018.