Troy residents protest arrest of man in mob killing of convicted sex offender

WESTERN BUREAU: More than 100 residents of Troy, Trelawny, took to the streets on Wednesday, demanding the release of a man arrested in connection with Tuesday's mob killing of convicted sexual offender Delroy Coke.

Waving placards and chanting for justice, the protesters occupied the community's main square for about 90 minutes, insisting that Maxwell Henry should not be held criminally responsible.

Henry was taken into custody as police intensified investigations into the reprisal attacks that followed the discovery of the body of 10-year-old Shani Coke in the community on Tuesday.

The partially nude body of Shani, affectionately called ‘Kaidra’, was found with her throat slashed on a dirt track in bushes in Tyre district near Troy. She was believed to have been raped and killed.

Delroy Coke was attacked and beaten to death after residents accused him of raping and killing the child. His father, Maxwell Coke, was also attacked, but his condition is not known.

Kaidra was a student at Troy Primary.

Highly placed sources within the Jamaica Constabulary Force told The Gleaner that Henry remains in custody as a suspect in the killing of Delroy Coke, the beating and hospitalisation of his father, and the burning of the family's house.

Police have also identified two other residents of Troy as persons of interest in the fatal mob attack and are urging them to report to investigators.

The demonstrators vowed to continue lobbying for Henry's release, arguing that his arrest was unjust.

"We will have to support the man who has been arrested. We will not rest until he is released," one resident told The Gleaner.

The protest remained peaceful and concluded after approximately an hour and a half.

Henry's arrest has heightened tensions in the rural community, where emotions remain raw following the rape and murder of the child.

Police have cautioned that while community members believed Delroy Coke was responsible because of his criminal history, the investigation into Shani's murder remains active.

Investigations into both cases are ongoing.

- Janet Silvera

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