Twelve jurors empaneled to hear a murder case against a St Michael man have been urged to focus only on the evidence given in the High Court.
Principal Crown Counsel Alliston Seale made the appeal in his opening remarks to the jury of six men and six women selected for the trial of Andrew Harclyde Pollard, of Mahaica Gap, Green Hill, St Michael. The Crown is alleging that Pollard, who is in his 30s, murdered Onicka Gulliver between March 11 and 14, 2014 in Vaucluse, St Thomas.
The accused, who is being represented by attorney-at-law Sydney Pinder, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In putting forward his case Seale, who is prosecuting the matter along with Crown Counsel Kevin Forde, told the jury that his side was also alleging that Gulliver was the “girlfriend or at least a friend” of the accused and sometime around March 11, 2014 she left her residence in Station Hill, St Michael in his company but never returned home.
The prosecutor said as result, a missing persons report was issued and police investigations started.
The prosecutors further alleged that during the probe the accused made “certain statements” which the police followed and were able to discover Onicka’s body in St Thomas.
“Did anyone see him kill her? I tell you empathetically no,” Seale said.
He added, “It is not any ‘I see’ witness
. . . but there is circumstantial evidence strong enough that you can make a reasonable inference from all of the circumstances.
“You should focus on the evidence and only the evidence that comes from the witness stand.”
However, he told the jury the case was being tried as a non-capital matter given the amendment legislation and as such there was no death sentence involved.
The Crown expects to call 16 witnesses to give evidence in the case which will be tried in the No. 2 Supreme Court before Justice Randall Worrell.
The matter will continue on Thursday February 13. Before that the two sides will make submissions in the absence of the jury beginning tomorrow.
