Vanessa Kirkland Trial | Accused killer cop 'gets in the Spirit' in the dock

Nickoy Wilson, Gleaner Writer

The woman police constable who is among three cops charged with the 2012 murder of 16-year-old Vanessa Kirkland had to be escorted out of court to compose herself today after she 'got in the Spirit' following her unsworn statement from the dock.

"Hallelujah! Jesus! Hallelujah!" shouted constable Anna-Kay Bailey at the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston

Moments earlier, said told the court that she was 18 years old when she enlisted in the Jamaica Constabulary Force and had just turned 20 when Kirkland was shot and killed.

Bailey said she agreed with her colleagues’ account of incident with result in the death of the teenager.

She also said it was not their intention to kill Kirkland or hurt anyone else.

The defence has argued that Bailey and her co-accused, constables Durvin Hayles and Andrewain Smith, acted in self defence when they fired into a blue Suzuki Swift in which Kirkland was a passenger.

The car had reportedly featured in an earlier armed robbery.

Bailey said the gunmen who attacked them on the night of the incident should be blamed for Kirkland’s death.

The woman constable also said she had no choice but to return fire because she believed she was going to die. 

She told an almost full courtroom that she has been suffering for the past seven years having been put on interdiction resulting in her salary being cut in half.

Bailey said because of this, she had to drop out of law school as she could not keep focused.

Bailey, Hayles and Smith drove on to Norman Lane in St Andrew and opened fire on the Suzuki Swift which was parked along the left side of the road.

Kirkland, was shot and later died.

COMING TOMORROW: 'Don't buy it'... Prosecutor urges jurors not to be distracted by constable's spirited outburst.

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