Mandeville lawyers shun suspects
December 24, 2006
Mandeville lawyers, apparently troubled by the abduction of Richard and Julia Lyn, a popular business couple, have abandoned cherished legal tradition and are refusing to represent three persons being held in connection with the foul deed, the police have complained.
As a result of unwillingness of the attorneys based in the mid-island town to take the case, police said they would transfer the accused persons to Kingston this week to seek legal representation.
Green. we hope they get counsel in Kingston
"The detainees will be taken into Kingston on Wednesday so we can get them interviewed. We hope to get attorneys in Kingston," head of the Major Investigation Task Force, Assistant Commissioner Les Green, told the Sunday Observer. "We hope they get counsel in Kingston."
All accused persons in custody must be questioned in the presence of a lawyer or legal aid council and their conversations with the police without a lawyer present cannot be used in court.
Last week, Green had told the Sunday Observer that local lawyers were reluctant to get involved with the case. "We have a problem at the moment trying to find an attorney for them. There seems to be a reluctance on the part of local attorneys from being involved and we have to look further afield."
The Lyns have been missing since December 10 and the police have now concentrated their search around a landfill at Martin's Hill in Manchester. The cops say two barrels they believe to be at the dump can provide them with evidence....
Author: Karyl Walker
Source: Jamaica Observer
