By Latrishka Thomas
As a loose barricade of police officers blocked ‘Justice for Jungle’ protestors at All Saints Magistrate’s Court yesterday, the quartet charged with the alleged murder of Bruce ‘Jungle’ Greenaway filed covertly into the court for their first hearing.
The smartly dressed Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF) soldiers – 25-year-old Shakiel Thomas, Armal Warner, 20, and Aliyah Martin, 20 – and police officer 44-year-old Jason Modeste were remanded to prison by Magistrate Ngaio Emmanuel Edwards.
Defence lawyer Lawrence Daniel had asked the magistrate to consider remanding the four to Camp Blizzard in Coolidge for their “security and protection”, in light of their positions as law enforcement personnel.
However, police prosecutor Dane Bontiff said Daniel should formally submit his request to the Superintendent of Prisons.
The magistrate, along with lawyers retained by Greenaway’s family, Gale Christian and Kendrickson Kentish, agreed with the prosecutor.
The magistrate remanded the quartet until September 23 when they will return to court to find out if there is sufficient evidence for the matter to be committed to the High Court.
Meanwhile, another of the defence lawyers, Wendel Robinson, is calling on the public to refrain from making statements that could prejudice the case. Greenaway’s death has seen an outpouring of outrage among the community and vociferous calls for justice for the 43-year-old.
Robinson said that now the matter is before court, certain comments relating to the case must be tempered to avoid prejudicing a juror. Anyone deemed to have done so is liable to be held in contempt of court.
Robinson also reiterated that, in the eyes of the law, a person is innocent until proven guilty and he who alleges must prove.
The murder-accused officers may have to face a judge and jury in connection with the death of Greenaway whose body was found on April 13 at the shoreline of Indian Creek. According to reports, the Falmouth father-of-two was seen in the presence of soldiers shortly before he went missing four days prior.