State asks for witnesses in murder trial to be summoned

While eight more State witnesses are scheduled to give evidence in the trial of murder-accused Jamar Watson, none showed up in the No. 4 Supreme Court on Wednesday to testify.

Moments after the jurors took their seats for the resumption of the trial in the afternoon, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale S.C. said that when he and the marshals had checked, none of the witnesses “had availed themselves of the warning that they had to come to court”.

“It seems that they need a greater persuasion,” the senior counsel told Madam Justice Laurie-Anne Smith-Bovell before asking that summonses be issued to them.

Pointing out that all the witnesses were civilians, he revealed that several of them were public service vehicle operators.

“We may be able to just go over to the stand and serve them if it appears that they can ill afford to give up a few hours to come here. So we may have to be a bit more persuasive in a legal manner,” Seale said before apologising to the jurors for the inconvenience.

The trial was adjourned until Monday, February 19.

Watson, a 36-year-old resident of School Gap, Hindsbury Road, St Michael, is charged with the stabbing death of Kemar Gooding, of Ellerton, St George, on March 27, 2018, in the River Terminal.