By Latrishka Thomas
“You have no personal evidence to implicate [the defendants].” That was the loaded suggestion put to a senior police sergeant testifying in the Bruce Greenaway murder trial yesterday that garnered a surprising answer.
Police officer Jason Modeste and Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force soldiers Shakiel Thomas, Armal Warner and Aliyah Martin are on trial for killing 43 year-old Greenaway.
The Falmouth father-of-two’s body was found at Indian Creek on April 13 2020 – days after his family had reported him missing.
The highlight of yesterday’s hearing was the cross examination of police officer Judith George.
More specifically, lawyer Andrew O’Kola who represents Thomas asked the witness four times if she gathered any evidence that implicated any of them – and the witness’s response was a plain “no”.
In April 2020, George was stationed at Dockyard Police Station and had been there for about six to seven months.
She and a few fellow officers, after being contacted by another cop, went to Indian Creek where Greenaway’s lifeless body was found, she testified.
She said she met three officers at the scene and took over.
According to her evidence, she saw the swollen body of a black male lying face down on the sand at the shoreline next to a mangrove.
Modeste’s lawyer Wendel Robinson was the first to cross examine the witness. His interrogation brought to light the fact that the witness did not make any notes after having observed the crime scene but instead asked another cop to do so.
George indicated that she also did not verify the notes or sign off on them.
She further revealed that neither she nor her team combed the area for evidence.
Warner’s counsel Sherfield Bowen further got the witness to admit that, despite being in control of the scene and noticing that the ground was soft, she did not search for footprints and other clues that could have been DNA tested.
Bowen in his questioning insinuated that the witness, who has been in the force for 33 years, did nothing to assist in the investigation.
In addition, O’Kola got the witness to inform the court that she took no statements from the civilians at the scene. In fact, the witness did not recall that the two farmers who found the body were at the crime scene when she got there.
Martin’s lawyer Lawrence also put burning questions to the witness but the answer to most was “I do not recall.”
George was the second of the two witnesses who took the stand yesterday.
The first was a man who farmed alongside two others in the area where the body was found.
He and the two other men are livestock farmers who attend to their animals at least twice a day.
He told the court that on April 13 2020 they went to the farm once at around 12-12.30pm and the area was locked by a chain as usual.
He said they went about their normal business and it was when one of the guys moved their boat with the intention of going out to sea that he saw the body.
The witness said he was called over to see what was found and it evoked a quick flight response.
However, afterwards the men left to inform the police but met police on the way, he said.
He said they accompanied the three officers in a brown truck down to the creek and showed them the body.
More officers were then called to the scene, the most senior of which was George.
The trial will continue this morning.