Cop charged in connection with ‘Buju’ killing offered bail

 WESTERN BUREAU:

Constable Andrew Wilson, the policeman charged in connection with the controversial shooting death of Latoya ‘Buju’ Bulgin of Granville, St James, was granted bail when he made his second appearance in the St James Parish Court yesterday.

Wilson was offered bail in the sum of J$1 million with up to three sureties after the prosecution informed the court that it was now in possession of the case’s civilian evidence. The accused was previously denied bail during his first court appearance on June 3, due to concerns that he might interfere with civilian witnesses.

During Tuesday’s court sitting, Wilson’s attorney, Michael Hemmings made a fresh application for bail before presiding parish judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton, citing the prosecution’s statement that CCTV footage from a civilian-owned camera has been added to the case-file along with the arresting officer’s statement.

“On the last occasion, the Crown indicated that there was fear of interference as it relates to collecting the civilian statement, but I understand the Crown to be saying they are now in possession of same. In the circumstances, I believe that the fear indicated on the last occasion is no longer apparent, and in the circumstances, I would ask for bail to be favourable for Mr Wilson, who has no previous convictions and is not a flight risk,” Hemmings said in his bail application.

“I do recall that, on the last occasion, this was a document which played a significant role in whether or not the accused man would interfere with the course of justice. The prosecution has said that these items are now on file, and this reduces that risk of interference with the collection of the statement,” Fairclough-Hylton replied. “While I note that the strength of the case is still there, and the charge for which Mr Wilson is before the court is a serious one, I must balance that with the right to bail as afforded by the Constitution.”

Meanwhile, the clerk of the court indicated that she was not opposed to bail for Wilson, provided that certain reporting conditions are in place.

The court was also told that several documents remain outstanding from the case-file, to include the ballistic certificate, the post-mortem report, the forensic certificate, and a transcript from a question-and-answer session with the defendant and other police officers at the time of the incident.

As part of his bail conditions, Wilson is to reside at a specific address and report to a designated police station, neither of which were identified in open court due to safety concerns. He was also ordered to surrender his travel documents, and a stop order was put in place to prevent him from leaving the island. He is scheduled to return to court on July 10.

Wilson was arrested, charged and taken before the court on June 3, five days after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled that he should be charged.

CCTV footage, which was widely circulated on social media following the incident, shows a police officer firing into Bulgin’s vehicle. 

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com