Clansman Gang Trial | Judge rules defendants have case to answer

Chief Justice Bryan Sykes has ruled that reputed gang leader Andre 'Blackman' Bryan is to answer a charge of leading a criminal organisation.

The judge also ruled that the 27 remaining defendants in the Clansman-One Don Gang trial all have a case to answer on a charge of being a member of a criminal organisation.

Sykes handed down his decision this morning in the Home Circuit Court.

Thirty-three defendants were initially indicted but five were previously freed.

Initially, there were 25 counts on the indictment but the Crown abandoned six of the matters.

The judge this morning also ruled that Bryan and some of the defendants have a case to answer in relation to seven of the 10 remaining murders that they are accused of committing.

The homicides include two double murders, one of which involved arson.

The Crown had previously abandoned four of murder counts and this morning added a fifth. This morning, the judge upheld no-case submissions for the other two matters.

At the same time, the judge, in delivering his ruling on the no-case submissions made by defence attorneys, found that the Crown had not presented sufficient evidence to ground five of the counts on the reduced 19-count indictment.

As a result, a formal not guilty ruling was handed down against some of the defendants who were indicted in those matters.

The counts that were dismissed include the case of the murder of a bus driver, the killing of a man called 'Ice', and the murder of a man at a hardware, all in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

An illegal possession of firearm and ammunition charge against two defendants with respect to the seizure of one of two illegal weapons which police had collected from the alleged gang was also dismissed.

The trial has been adjourned until Wednesday when defence lawyers will continue to present their cases.

This afternoon, the reputed gang leader completed his case after giving an unsworn statement from the prisoner's dock.

Bryan said that he is not a part of any gang and has never given any order for anyone to be killed.

He also said that he did not do the things that he is being accused of.

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