A pivotal police corruption trial in Jamaica faced significant hurdles this week as a detective corporal testifying against six colleagues admitted to the loss of his original investigative notebook. The seven-member jury heard how the witness, who served as the first responder to a fatal 2013 police shooting, could no longer locate the primary source of his notes.
The case centers on the January 12, 2013 deaths of Matthew Lee, Mark Allen, and Ucliffe Dyer on Acadia Drive in St. Andrew. The accused officers—Sergeant Simroy Mott, Corporal Donovan Fullerton, and Constables Andrew Smith, Sheldon Richards, Orandy Rose, and Richard Lynch—face murder charges, with Fullerton additionally charged with providing false statements to the Independent Commission of Investigations.
Senior Prosecutor Kathy-Ann Pyke’s examination revealed critical memory gaps in the detective’s testimony. When questioned about basic details from his morgue visit—including the victims’ clothing and serial numbers of allegedly seized firearms—the witness repeatedly stated he could not recall. His testimony relied entirely on secondary records from the Constant Spring Police Station diary, which he claimed were transcribed from his now-missing notebook.
The evidentiary crisis deepened as Pyke pressed the witness on contradictory accounts of the alleged gun battle. The detective previously testified that Sergeant Mott handed him two firearms at the scene: a Mac 10 semi-automatic with four 9mm rounds and an Arcus 9mm pistol with six rounds. However, without his original notes, he could not verify the accuracy of subsequent diary entries documenting the defendants’ accounts.
Proceedings grew contentious as defense attorney Hugh Wildman objected repeatedly to Pyke’s line of questioning, accusing the prosecution of improperly conducting “cross-examination” during direct testimony. Trial Justice Sonia Bertram-Linton intervened, noting that the prosecutor was “going over all of this” previously explored territory. The defense team—including Anthony Armstrong, Linda Wright-Ashley, John Jacobs, and Althea Grant-Coppin—maintained that the questioning exceeded permissible bounds for examination-in-chief.
The trial continues with heightened scrutiny on both the missing evidence and prosecutorial tactics in this closely watched police accountability case.