Cop held in Donaldson probe to be questioned today

Embattled police constable Noel Maitland, who has been detained in relation to the probe into the disappearance of Donna-Lee Donaldson, will spend the weekend in custody after his legal team’s bid to argue a habeas corpus application in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court hit a snag on Friday.

This after a senior judge upheld an application from investigators put before the court on Thursday for the policeman to be further remanded for 10 days.

Maitland is expected to face a question-and-answer session today at 1 p.m.

Maitland, who is Donaldson’s boyfriend, was arrested on Wednesday.

Donaldson, a popular social media personality, was last seen alive by her relatives when Maitland reportedly picked her up from her home on July 11. Her mother, Sophia Lugg, reported her missing two days later.

Donaldson was reportedly taken to Maitland’s apartment on Chelsea Avenue in St Andrew.

Yesterday, Christopher Townsend told The Gleaner that he was compelled to make the habeas corpus application because “we have not heard anything from police”.

Habeas corpus is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, to bring the prisoner to court, to determine whether the detention is lawful.

Townsend expressed shock that the matter was brought to court on Thursday without him being notified.

He has, however, agreed to his client being questioned later today.

The attorney also told The Gleaner that he has lost count of the number of times his client’s apartment has been subjected to a search by investigators.

“It could have been a third or a fourth. We really don’t know. We have lost count, but I know there was a search on his apartment yesterday (Thursday),” Townsend said.

At least one police forensic team has visited the apartment.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey said there is adequate evidence to link the policeman to Donaldson’s disappearance.

The case has sparked national outrage with several protests on the streets of Kingston. There have also been protests in New York, United States, and London, England, to bring attention to the case.