Cop, son freed of corruption
February 23, 2009
A police sergeant based at the Ocho Rios station and his son, who were charged with breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act, were freed last Friday.
Resident Magistrate Carol Edwards upheld no-case submissions at the end of the Crown's case in the St Ann's Bay Resident Magistrate's Court in St Ann.
Sergeant Noel Morgan and his son, Morelando Morgan, were freed following submissions by Howard Hamilton, QC, and attorney-at-law Errol Taylor that there was an irreconcilable breakdown of the identification.
The lawyers pointed out that the complainant had claimed it was Morgan who was held during a sting operation while the policemen confirmed that they held his son.
Tables turned
After the men were freed, the RM directed that the complainant, Maurice Robinson, a garage operator, be charged with larceny of the motor car, which allegedly resulted in the arrests of the Morgans.
The RM also directed that two policemen who were named in the statement which Robinson gave to the police be transferred from St Ann.
The Morgans were charged following a sting operation in St Ann in March last year in which it was alleged that money was paid for a larceny case against Robinson to be dropped.
The allegations were that on March 11, Sgt Morgan met Robinson at Reggae Beach in Prospect, St Mary, and arrangements were made for $150,000 to be paid to drop the larceny case against him. Arrangements were allegedly made for the money to be paid two days later at a gas station at White River, St Ann.
Police report
A report was made to the police and on March 13, 2008, a sting operation was set up and Sgt Morgan's son held when he allegedly went to collect money from Robinson....
Author: Barbara Gayle
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
