Former cop accused of 2007 murder granted $500,000 bail

A former police constable who had been on the run for nearly two decades in connection with the 2007 fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man in Kingston was granted $500,000 bail in the Gun Court on Wednesday.

Morris Lee, 67, was granted bail on a murder charge in connection with the killing of Ravin Thompson, following an application by his attorney, Chadwick Berry. Attorney Christopher Townsend is also representing the former policeman.

Thompson was reportedly shot while being transported to the Kingston Public Hospital in a service vehicle after sustaining a gunshot wound.

The official police account at the time reportedly stated that Thompson had been killed during a shoot-out between members of the security forces and gunmen in the St Andrew South Police Area.

According to police reports, on July 27, 2007, a team comprising six soldiers and two police officers went on an operation after receiving information that a man armed with a gun had been seen in the vicinity of Alexander Road and Ashley Road.

When the team arrived, its members reportedly saw a man matching the description standing outside a premises with two other men.

The man allegedly pulled a handgun from his waist and pointed it towards the patrol, prompting one of the soldiers to fire 11 rounds.

The man and another individual reportedly ran through a gate towards the back of the premises, while Thompson, who had sustained a gunshot wound, fell to the ground.

Thompson was placed in a patrol vehicle to be transported to the Kingston Public Hospital. His aunt, who helped lift him into the vehicle, also travelled with him.

However, conflicting accounts emerged about how the aunt was removed from the vehicle during the journey. She was reportedly either pushed from the moving vehicle by a soldier or pulled from the stationary vehicle by a police officer.

The patrol vehicle continued towards the hospital but later stopped on Darling Street, near the railway station, after a request was made for the vehicle carrying Thompson to pull over.

During the stop, Lee and another police constable reportedly exited their vehicles and spoke to each other. One of the soldiers later reported overhearing the other constable telling Lee, “Yuh haffi deal wid it.”

Lee then reportedly made a telephone call to ask someone what he should do.

The allegations further state that Lee handed over an M16 rifle, which was subsequently placed in Thompson’s hands before he was allegedly shot by the two constables.

Following the fatal shooting, the matter was referred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in December 2007. In June 2008, the office ruled that Lee and his colleague should be charged.

However, both men had fled Jamaica, and several attempts to execute the warrants were unsuccessful. Lee reportedly left the island a month after the incident, while the other officer, Mark Russell, was extradited in 2012.

Lee was arrested at the Norman Manley International Airport on May 28 this year after being deported over immigration-related issues.

When cautioned for the offence, he reportedly responded, “It was not me.”

As part of his bail conditions, Lee must report to the police twice weekly and surrender his travel documents. A stop order has also been placed against him at all ports of entry and exit.

Meanwhile, Russell was tried and convicted of Thompson’s murder in 2017 and sentenced to life imprisonment, with 24 years to be served before becoming eligible for parole.

However, in October 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed Russell’s conviction and set aside his sentence, citing factors including extraordinary delays in the judicial process and issues surrounding the trial evidence.

Lee is scheduled to return to court on November 25.

- Tanesha Mundle

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