KRAAL TRIAL: DAY 13 - Eleven-year-old girl testifies
November 17, 2005
AN ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl testified yesterday that on May 7, 2003, while she and a man called 'Bulpy' were on the verandah playing cards, a bus with policemen drove up to the house in Kraal, Clarendon, and began firing shots.
Shanice Stoddart, the daughter of Lowena Thompson, who was one of the four civilians fatally shot at Kraal, was testifying at the trial of Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams and the other five policemen charged with murder.
A female representative of the Victims Support Unit sat behind Shanice in the witness box following a ruling made yesterday by Chief Justice Lensley Wolfe.
The Chief Justice questioned her as to whether she understood the oath before she was sworn. When the Chief Justice asked Shanice which school she attended she replied with great confidence, "I don't wish to tell you sir."
Shanice said in the Home Circuit Court that when the police began firing, 'Shortman' was at the house and 'Shortman' said "police, run". He ran down the cocoa walk at the back of the house. Bashington Douglas was the person referred to by the witness as 'Shortman' and he is also called 'Chen Chen'.
The witness said that before the police arrived, she and other persons including her mother, 'Shortman', two men from Spanish Town and Kemar Miller, were at the house of Angella Richards. She said she and her mother were playing cards with 'Bulpy'. After a while her mother finished playing and she (Shanice) and Bulpy continued playing the card game until the police arrived.
RAN UNDER BED...
Author: Barbara Gayle
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
