Defense lawyers in the case involving the Parker family exchanged verbal blows with the prosecution, yesterday, in an attempt to have the case thrown out of court.
Two lawyers, Bowen and Daniel, presented a no case submission to Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh at the St. John’s Magistrates’ Court for their three clients – Hezekiah Parker, Mary Cynthia Parker and notorious criminal, Hezekiah Parker Jr.
In 2016, the police charged the accused kidnapper, Parker Jr, for possession of a firearm and ammunition and his mother Mary Cynthia Parker for maliciously damaging an officer’s shirt, obstructing and beating investigating officers.
Hezekiah Parker Sr, a retired policeman, was also charged with resisting arrest, obstruction and battery.
While the police are accusing the parents of trying to obstruct them as they tried to arrest their son, the family said the officers were not dressed in uniform, were driving an unmarked vehicle and never identified themselves when they approached Parker Jr outside his home three years ago.
At the time of the incident, lawmen told OBSERVER media they were pursuing the suspect based on information received and acted on when they reached his home. They said two vehicles were in pursuit of Parker’s – one was unmarked with plain-clothed officers within, and a marked vehicle with policemen in uniform.
They said when the suspect saw them, he ran from the vehicle onto the gallery where a brawl between the family and three officers took place.
Young Parker reportedly had a loaded 9mm pistol on his person.
Yesterday, the defense claimed that the evidence and stories presented by the police were “flimsy” and “tenuous” and has therefore made the case inconclusive.
They also argued that their submission should be upheld on the grounds that the police had no warrant to enter the premises where the incident took place, they changed their story several times, did not announce that they were arresting the defendants before doing so along with several other mitigating factors.
The prosecution refuted all of the claims saying that the case was simple and that the facts were “inescapable”.
Chief Magistrate Walsh will deliver her verdict tomorrow, Wednesday 15th May.