By Samantha Simon
Day three of the Bruce Greenaway trial concluded yesterday afternoon after Corporal Martin took to the witness stand following the conclusion of Corporal Walsh’s witness testimony in the morning proceedings.
Defence attorneys Wendel Robinson and Sherfield Bowen walked the witness through his recollection of the events leading up to the discovery of Greenaway’s body.
Martin disclosed that on the afternoon of April 13 2020, he along with Corporal Joseph and Constable Joseph of the Special Service Unit engaged in an island patrol of the coastline due to it being a national holiday.
Martin went on to explain that they allegedly came upon a grey Suzuki vehicle, which was occupied by three black males at approximately 3pm, which was past the then enforced hours of curfew.
The officer claims to have instructed the driver to stop the police vehicle on the single lane dirt road and he proceeded to question the men as to their reason for being out at that time. After they explained, he returned with them to Indian Creek, where one of the males, identified by the witness as an Ian Hector, pointed out an area to the west of the shoreline.
When asked if he knew anyone in the vehicle, the witness admitted to knowing one of the gentlemen, a Mr Williams. He continued later that while he could not recall Mr Horsford, who was also in the vehicle, he does recall having seen Hector at some point in the past.
Upon approaching the area, Martin and the accompanying officers and civilians came to a halt approximately 20 feet away from what appeared to be the swollen, motionless body of a black adult male clad in a long-sleeved blue shirt, blue long pants, and black rubber boots with a yellow trim at the top.
Martin then reportedly proceeded to call in the incident to the Dockyard Police Station and refrained from getting any nearer to the body to avoid contaminating or disturbing the area.
After making the call, Senior Sergeant George, Sergeant Cumberbatch, Corporal Vigilant and Constable Hodge from the Dockyard Police Station arrived on the scene.
He then reported his findings to Senior Sergeant George and handed over the scene to her.
Sergeant George and other officers’ arrival was followed by members of the Dockyard task force some time later, at which time Corporal Martin and the officers who arrived at the scene with him departed.
When asked by the defence if he chose to patrol that area due to the praedial larceny, he confirmed that he had not but that it was to show the other officers the areas as they were not familiar with the history of the Arawaks that lived there previously.
This statement was challenged by Bowen who pointed out that it had been recorded in the diary that the witness had in fact been at the Block House at Shirley Heights at approximately 14.35, at which point he would have had a view of the Indian Creek area.
Martin then expounded that they had been there at that time and had allegedly seen one person in the water at Indian Creek and proceeded to the area out of curiosity at which point he came across the Suzuki Grand Vitara travelling from south to north.
Martin’s testimony was cut short by technical difficulties with the court’s internal systems and the case was adjourned at 4.21pm to be resumed at 9am this morning.
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