Tearful cabbie in sex worker saga retracts claims against cops
Published:Thursday | April 28, 2022 | 12:09 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
The taxi man who is at the centre of an alleged case of misconduct and corruption by three policemen broke down in tears on Tuesday and retracted his statements in which he had accused the cops of recording him in a compromising position with a male prostitute.
The witness’s meltdown on the stand resulted in a premature adjournment of the trial, which started on Monday in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.
The witness, while being cross-examined, told the court that he had lied about the details that he had given in his three statements.
He was also heard saying that he was forced to give evidence in the trial and expressed frustration and hurt over the way his life has changed since he got involved in the case.
A June 2 resumption date was scheduled, at which time the prosecution is to inform the court whether it will proceed with the trial.
Corporal Trevan Small and Constables Jason Harris and Andrew Parchment, who were assigned to the Half-Way Tree Police Station, were arrested and charged with misconduct in a public office and breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act in connection with the allegations.
The witness, a Corporate Area taxi man, completed his evidence-in-chief on Monday before Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks.
The court had, however, accepted an application from the prosecution for the cabbie to give his evidence in private.
The incident reportedly occurred on the night of July 31, 2019, in a parking lot in New Kingston.
The taxi man, in his statement, had detailed that on the day in question, about 8 p.m., he was in a St Andrew community when he was approached by the accused. The policemen reportedly told him that they were aware that he was operating an illegal taxi and questioned what he could do for himself.
The taxi man claimed that he told the policemen that he would have to continue working to accumulate money, and they left.
About 11 p.m., the taxi man reportedly got a call from one of the policemen, asking him to meet them.
He reportedly complied, and the policemen allegedly transported him to a New Kingston parking lot, where they demanded that he pay them $50,000.
According to the cabbie, who claimed that he did not have that sum, a cop called a gay sex worker who was passing and instructed him to put a condom on the taxi man’s organ.
It is alleged that the policemen recorded the act and ordered the cab driver to pay them or they would release the video.
The taxi man, in his statement, further claimed that he told them that he needed to go home for the money but could only find $3,000.
As a result, he said the policemen put him back in the car, but he escaped and reported the matter.
The three accused were subsequently arrested and charged following a ruling from the director of public prosecutions.
They, however, denied the allegations and maintain that the cab driver concocted the story after they caught him in a compromising position with the male sex worker.
A closed-circuit television recording that was captured on the night of the incident and that was played on Monday in the trial showed the taxi man, however, arriving at the location on his own at 4:18 a.m. and the cops pulling up five minutes later.
Attorney-at-law Christopher Townsend is representing Small, while Shane Williams is representing Parchment. Harris is being represented by John Jacobs.