Shrewsbury murder trial deferred to next year

WESTERN BUREAU:

The much-anticipated Shrewsbury murder trial, which has been delayed multiple times since two policemen were charged for the controversial 2013 killings of three relatives in the Westmoreland, has again been hit with another delay, this time until October 2021.

When the case against constables Kenroy Hines and Damane Campbell, who are charged for the shooting deaths of brothers Andrew and Triston Brydson and their cousin Kingsley Green, came up in court on March 4, the accused men were given the new court date and had their bails extended by High Court Judge Sharon George.

The date was agreed on following case management discussions between the prosecution and the defendants’ lawyers, concerning statements to be agreed upon for the upcoming trial. Those discussions had been delayed on at least two previous occasions due to the lawyers’ absence from court.

It is understood that the lengthy delay is in accordance with a new system that was put in place last March by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes to ensure clear dates for cases to be tried. The new system enables the possibility of trial certainty, where trials are to take place on the day they are scheduled to begin, in order to reduce backlogs in the parish courts.

To date, the trial of Hines and Campbell has been delayed six times since its first trial date was set for November 14, 2018. The case has also experienced several delays dating back to March 7, 2014, including several occasions when the defence lawyers were absent, despite the prosecution’s readiness to proceed to trial.

The Brydson brothers and Green were killed in Shrewsbury, Westmoreland, on March 15, 2013, by members of a police team who reported that the men had engaged them in a shoot-out.

However, the police’s account of the event was strongly rejected by the men’s relatives and other residents, who mounted roadblocks across three parishes and protested for several days while demanding justice.

Hines and Campbell were subsequently arrested and charged by the Independent Commission of Investigations.

-C.T.