INDECOM, police examined apartment separately, court hears

The chief crime scene examiner from the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) testified yesterday that he was unaware that the police had visited and processed Constable Noel Maitland’s apartment before his team’s official examination in the wake of the disappearance of social media personality Donna-Lee Donaldson.

During cross-examination by defence attorney Chadwick Berry, the witness said he did not know that officers had gone to Maitland’s Chelsea Manor apartment in St Andrew on July 15, 2022.

He also denied knowledge of a second visit on July 21 by another police team, reportedly accompanied by members of the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine.

“You are not aware of what was done on the 15th of July, similarly on July 21?” Berry asked.

“I don’t know,” the witness responded.

Berry went on to question whether INDECOM operated independently of the police force. The witness confirmed that it did and gave a similar response when asked if the agency was also separate from the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine.

“That means they don’t have to follow your instruction?” Berry pressed.

“We work together,” the examiner replied, maintaining his position despite further questioning from the attorney.

When asked whether INDECOM was also not obligated to follow police directives, the examiner again responded, “We work together.”

Maitland is currently on trial for the alleged murder of Donaldson, his 24-year-old girlfriend. He is also charged with preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.

MOTHER’S TESTIMONY

Donaldson, who was also a swimwear entrepreneur and customer service representative, was reported missing on July 13, 2022. Her mother, Sophia Lugg, previously testified that Maitland picked her daughter up from their home on July 11. Lugg said she last spoke to her daughter the morning of July 12 but was unable to reach her afterwards.

The crime scene examiner, in his evidence-in-chief, testified that he and his team visited Maitland’s apartment on July 28. There, he observed several stains resembling blood on a pair of drapes and on the wall to the left of the living room. Similar stains were also seen on a cream-coloured cushion cover placed on top of a barrel.

He told the court that he photographed the stains. The cushion cover was collected and sealed in an envelope, and the drapes were wrapped in brown paper and labelled before being submitted to the Government Forensic Laboratory.

Under further cross-examination, the examiner was asked whether a record had been kept of everyone who entered the apartment.

In response, he stated that he wrote down the names of some individuals present in his notebook. He admitted, however, that those notes were not handed over to the police.

The trial continues today before Justice Leighton Pusey in the Home Circuit Court.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com