Clarendon bloodbath #2

[Tuff Gong]

See Bloodbath #1 here!

Adams for Kraal To revisit death house, escorted, unarmed
published: Saturday | June 28, 2003

SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT of Police Reneto Adams has been granted permission to return to Kraal, Clarendon to revisit the house in which four persons were shot dead in an incident involving the now disbanded Crime Management Unit (CMU) which he headed.

A letter to SSP Adams from his immediate supervisor Assistant Commissioner of Police Arthur 'Stitch' Martin said Commissioner Francis Forbes has granted permission for him to go into the area.

However, The Gleaner understands that SSP Adams will be allowed this visit on Wednesday July 2, but only with police escort and without firearm.

SSP Adams had written to Commissioner Forbes for permission to revisit the scene to complete the former CMU's report on the incident.

'There are certain factors and circumstances we would want to observe relating to the incident, which would enable us to properly conclude our statements,' Mr. Adams said.

Pointing to the number of politicians, human rights activists, persons from other agencies and unauthorised persons who have repeatedly revisited the scene, SSP Adams said he and his men had gone there only once on a stressful operation and wanted to return to refresh their memories with a view to complete their statements.

But, the Commissioner on Monday told journalists it was the owner of the premises who would have to give that permission.

On Tuesday, when The Gleaner news team visited the district, many of its residents were still struggling to come to grips with the controversial shooting of Angella Richards, 45, Lewena Thompson, 38 and two men identified as 'Matthews' and 'Renegade'. The killings took place at Miss Richards' home. Since then a team of experts from United Kingdom's police force has been in the island assisting the police in the investigations.

North Central Clarendon Member of Parliament Pearnel Charles, who is looking after the estate of the victims killed in the controversial shooting, said Mr. Adams and his team will not be getting permission from the owner of the property.

'The residents are terrified that they are coming back down here. If they are not coming back on police duty, then what are they coming here for? If they are going back, then they must do so under the supervision of senior police personnel,' said Mr. Charles.

Since the news broke that Mr. Adams and his men were interested in revisiting Kraal, Mr. Charles said he had requested that the Commissioner 'keep them from there'.

Source

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter

SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT of Police, Reneto Adams, will be under the microscope of the team of Scotland Yard investigators when he revisits the district of Kraal, Clarendon, on Wednesday.

"He will be videotaped while at the scene," a senior member of the Police Force told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday. "It is a matter of being transparent."

SSP Adams sought and obtained permission from Commissioner of Police, Francis Forbes, to revisit the scene. He told The Sunday Gleaner news team Friday night, that he was elated that permission was finally granted to him and his men to revisit Kraal.

He spoke of his own plans to video- tape the scene where two women were shot and killed by members of the now disbanded Crime Management Unit (CMU) which he headed. There are reports, however, that he might not get an opportunity to look inside the small room, where the persons were killed. Reports are that the owner of the premises who has the keys, left the district about two weeks ago and there is some uncertainty whether he can be reached.

Member of Parliament for North Central Clarendon, Pearnel Charles, who is overseeing the estate of the victims, said Mr. Adams and his team were unlikely to get permission from the owners to enter the house.

Contacted yesterday, Assistant Commissioner Osbourne Dyer, told The Sunday Gleaner that SSP Adams has until tomorrow afternoon to respond to a letter, granting him permission to revisit the scene, but under specific conditions outlined in the letter.

"He must respond through Assistant Commissioner Arthur Martin that he has agreed to the proposals spelt out in the letter," said ACP Dyer.

SSP Adams had written to the Commissioner two weeks ago, seeking permission to revisit the scene, where Angella Richards, 45, Lewena Thompson, 38, and two men 'Renegade' and 'Matthews' were killed in controversial circumstances by members of the CMU.

"There are certain factors and circumstances we would want to observe relating to the incident, which would enable us to properly conclude our statements," SSP Adams said last week.

In the meantime, ACP Dyer said the package of items to be shipped to a crime laboratory in the United Kingdom, will be sent off later this week.

Source

[Magnum]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

***Bump***

Any more information?

Magnum

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

SSP Adams has since withdrawn his request to visit the scene.

[Magnum]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

Thank you Dr Dudd.

Respect
Magnum

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

They want to charge us with murder, says Adams
But Crawle probe not complete -- commissioner
Observer Reporter
Saturday, July 05, 2003

However, Police Commissioner Francis Forbes immediately dismissed Adams' claim, saying the investigations into the May 7 Clarendon incident that left two men and two women dead were not yet complete.

"I got an interim report from the investigators and they said they were going to be interviewing other witnesses, " Forbes told the Observer. "The investigations are not over, so I don't know where that came from."

But Adams appeared to suggest that a case had steadily been built against he and his men, some of whom, he said, have been asked to change their original statements on the shootings.

He charged that former members of the CMU were being approached by persons connected to overseas agencies with promises of rewards of British visas and employment in the United Kingdom in exchange for changing their original statements. At least one member of the former unit, he alleged, had been swayed by the offer.

"One man was told that to save himself he should change his statement and whenever he wished to do so he should contact them," Adams said, adding that another member of his former team had changed his statement and was now holed up in a Caribbean island.

The Adams-led CMU was scrapped last month in the wake of the Crawle shooting which was just one of several controversial incidents involving the unit.

Human rights groups have long been vocal in their opposition to the squad which they have accused of extra-judicial killings, including the death of seven youths in Braeton, St Catherine in March 2001.

After last month's scrapping of the CMU, the 54 year-old Adams was relegated to a desk job and his men underwent counselling as Scotland Yard, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations were called in to help probe the shooting. Outside help was sought, Commissioner Forbes said, to ensure transparency in the investigations.

But yesterday an obviously riled SSP Adams, armed with what he said was information that he and his men would be arrested and back door deals were being made, contended that the investigation was far from transparent.

"If what I have just said is true, if what I have heard is true, then where is the transparency?" he asked. "Where is the decency that we have been asking for?"

According to Adams, he and his men would welcome transparency.

"We have nothing to hide," he said. "... If we are arrested, we will deal with it diligently as we are facing the justice system and know that justice will be meted out."

But last night's statement from the CCN maintained that the police force had taken steps to ensure that the ongoing investigation was transparent.

"In an effort to ensure transparency, a management team of which (Political Ombudsman and head of the Peace Management Initiative) Bishop Herro Blair is a member is overseeing the investigation and a close liaison is maintained with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions," the CCN statement said

Meanwhile, Pearnel Charles, Jamaica Labour Party member of parliament for North Central Clarendon, who has been sharply critical of the CMU's actions in Crawle, yesterday advised Adams to do less talking.

"Mr Adams seems to be very nervous. I would advise him to shut his mouth," Charles quipped "His conscience is bothering him and he is seeking the public's sympathy for his deeds."

In the days following the shooting, Charles accused the CMU of planting a Winchester rifle and a Nine mm pistol at the scene and of killing the four occupants of the house in cold blood.

Lewena Thompson, Angella Richards, Kirk Gordon and a man known only as Renegade were shot dead in what the CMU has described as a shoot-out. According to initial reports from the Unit, they had gone to the area in search of wanted men who had attempted to extort money from the community's Ausjam gold mine.

However, that claim was later refuted by the police hierarchy and Ausjam management.

Adams denies fearing arrest
Sunday, July 06, 2003

"I have no fear of being arrested," Adams told the Sunday Observer during a telephone conversation he initiated to counter the lead paragraph of yesterday's Daily Observer lead story.

"If they believe that I am to be arrested, let them do that," he said.

Yesterday's story, Adams said, gave the wrong impression of the reason for his Friday news conference.

He said he spoke to some journalists because of the information he had that back door deals were being made with some former members of the Crime Management Unit (CMU) and civilians to misrepresent the facts of the shootings.

Adams, a senior superintendent, was head of the controversial CMU from its inception in September 2000 until it was scrapped in June, just under a month after its involvement in the shooting deaths of four persons in Crawle, Clarendon.

That incident is being investigated by detectives from Scotland Yard and the Canadian Royal Mounted Police.

Yesterday, Adams repeated his charge that "certain politicians" were involved in "offering deals, incentives, rewards, visas and jobs" to former members of the CMU and civilians to give statements that do not represent the facts.

"The rewards have been very handsome," he said, adding "nothing by way of money has been offered as far as I know."

He reiterated that he and his former CMU members had nothing to hide and said that if the matter goes to court "I will abide by whatever comes after".

Source

[Magnum]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

Thanks for returning and keeping me informed.

Respect!
Magnum

[Magnum]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

Hmmmm. Interesting. I just tried to re-read the previous thread "Clarendon Bloodbath" that Tuff Gong linked at the start of this thread. I want to direct a friend to the information and the discussion.

I got the reply that the topic does not exist. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

I then searched and got the same URL, including the forum and topic number that TG posted(f=11;t=001183).

The full URL supplied by the jamaicans.com internal search engine is below.

http://www.jamaicans.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=001183

On that URL, I got the same reply - " FYI You have requested a topic that does not exist! ". I then replaced the "php" in the URL with "cgi" with the same result. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Is there a reason why this topic is not available?

Respect
Magnum

[SistahD]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

(((Magnum))) Here's another link to a variety of stories on the above...

SOSJamaica.org

[Magnum]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

Thank you SistahD.

Respect
Magnum

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

Wanted man 'Chen Chen' turns himself in

Observer Reporter
Friday, July 25, 2003

BASHINGTON Douglas, alias "Chen Chen", said to be one of Jamaica's most wanted men, and who was allegedly involved in a shoot-out with members of the now disbanded Crime Management Unit in Crawle, Clarendon in May, yesterday handed himself over to the police.

Four people, including two women, were killed by the police in the controversial Crawle shooting.

Chen Chen, of Homestead in Spanish Town, St Catherine, has since been charged with the May 1996 murder of Leroy Dixon of Madrid Avenue, also in Homestead, and two counts of shooting with intent, allegedly committed in December 1993 and September 2001. The police said other charges could also be laid against Chen Chen.

According to the police, Chen Chen, who was wanted on several arrest warrants for murder, shooting with intent and illegal possession of firearms, had eluded them for almost eight years.

In the Crawle incident, the police said they went to the Clarendon district in search of wanted men who were extorting money from officials at the Ausjam gold mine in the area, when they were fired on by four men, one of whom was later identified as Douglas. In the alleged shoot-out, the four people were shot dead and two guns were allegedly found at the scene. One man has subsequently been arrested and is before the court, while a warrant was taken out for Chen Chen.

Jamaica Labour Party member of parliament Pearnel Charles yesterday told the Observer that when he discovered that the police wanted Chen Chen for eight years, he contacted him, discussed the warrants with him and showed him that it was in his own interest to surrender to the police.

But he said Chen Chen could not be persuaded to go to the police alone because he feared for his life.

"So today (yesterday) we arranged for a lawyer to be with him, then we advised the police high command of his willingness to turn himself in. But we told the high command of his fear of going by himself. So the (police) high command arranged for certain special police officers to be sent to a point in Crawle to meet Chen Chen and they escorted him to the police station," Charles said.

The official police release said that Chen Chen handed over himself to the May Pen police where he was arrested and taken into custody and charged with the murder of Leroy Dixon of Madrid Avenue, Homestead, Spanish Town, committed on May 10, 1996 and two counts of shooting committed on December 1993 and September 30, 2001.

Meanwhile, the police said yesterday that management team overseeing the Crawle probe met yesterday, and expressed satisfaction with the report. A second interim report, the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) said, would be submitted within a week.

At the same time, the CCN said all the policemen involved in the Crawle operation have submitted statements to the investigators.

"Forensic analysis is still being carried out, locally and abroad. On receipt of the findings , expected by late August or early September, the directive of the director of public prosecutions will be sought," the CCN said.

Source

Article #2

Kraal suspect surrenders to cops
published: Friday | July 25, 2003


AN ALLEGED gang leader, who was the main target of Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams and former members of the Crime Management Unit's controversial visit to Kraal district, Clarendon, on May 7, turned himself in to the National Firearm and Drug Intelligence Centre (NFDIC), downtown Kingston, yesterday.

Bashington Douglas, alias 'Chen Chen', was charged but will be asked to give a statement which may be used as testimony in the shootings at Kraal in which four persons were shot and killed by the police.

"Douglas has been charged with two counts of shooting and one count of murder," head of the Centre, Assistant Commissioner, Osbourne Dyer, told The Gleaner yesterday. The crimes for which he has been charged are alleged to have occurred eight years ago in Spanish Town while Douglas was living there.

Douglas is expected to appear in court next week. According to police reports, members of the disbanded Crime Management Unit (CMU) had gone to the district in search of a group of gunmen who they believed were hiding at a house in the community.

The police said that on their arrival they were greeted with gunfire from the house and that, during the exchange of gunfire, four persons were shot and killed. But, residents denied that there were any shoot-out and claimed the victims were executed by the police.

Speaking on the progress of the investigations, Deputy Commissioner, Lucius Thomas, who is also head of a committee monitoring the probe into the matter, said the police were now only awaiting forensic and ballistic reports to send the file off to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Kent Pantry, for a ruling.

The police are also awaiting the return of Scotland Yard detectives who, two weeks ago, took back to the United Kingdom several items that they had removed from the scene at Kraal. Reports are that the items, which include doors, windows and clothing, were to undergo further processing at a crime laboratory in the UK

Source

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

PUBLIC AI Index: AMR 38/013/2003

UA 137/03 Threats/Harassment 15 May 2003

JAMAICA Inhabitants of Crawle, Clarendon

Killed: Kirk Gordon (m)
Matthew James (m)
Angela Richards (f), aged 44
Lewena Thompson (f), aged 33

The community of Crawle in Clarendon, Jamaica have complained of police
harassment and threats following what appear to be the extrajudicial execution
of four persons on 7 May. Police officers have reportedly constantly visited
the community in unmarked vehicles in an effort to intimidate them and several
eyewitnesses to the killings have stated that they are only willing to testify,
if their safety can be guaranteed.

In a police statement, officers of the Crime Management Unit claim to have gone
to a house in Crawle to arrest wanted persons. Upon approaching the house, the
police claim to have come under gun fire, which they returned. When the firing
ceased the officers discovered the bodies of Angela Richards, Lewena Thompson,
Kirk Gordon and Matthew James. All four were pronounced dead upon arrival at
hospital. The police also claimed to have recovered several guns from the
house.

The local residents however, vehemently denied the police version of events. In
numerous statements to the media and Jamaican human rights groups, residents
stated that the police arrived in an unmarked white bus with tinted windows and
drove past the house of the deceased. The vehicle returned a short time later
and came to a sudden halt. "The police then came out [of the bus] and began
firing wildly at everybody in the yard. One of them chased and fired several
shots at me. I had to run through the bushes" one resident told the media.

According to other eyewitnesses the police shot and killed Kirk Gordon and
Matthew James before dragging their bodies into the yard. The officers then
went into the house were Angela Richards and Lewena Thompson were hiding, along
with Thompson's eight-year-old daughter. The daughter was reportedly removed
from her mother's arms and told to wait outside. Shots were then heard and the
police later removed their bodies from the house. Members of the community
claim the police then removed what appeared to be guns from the bus and placed
them in the house. The Commissioner of Police has however, publicly denied that
the guns were planted by the police officers.

Community members are extremely concerned for their safety and according to one
report, have cancelled a wake for the deceased because of fears over police
brutality.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Amnesty International continues to hold grave concerns around the numerous
unlawful killings committed by the Jamaican police force. Despite assurances
from the Government that there is no impunity for police officers implicated in
extrajudicial executions, the laying of charges against officers is extremely
rare and trials almost unheard of. The last officer to be convicted of an
unlawful killings committed while on duty was in 1999. Despite overwhelming
evidence of extrajudicial executions in numerous cases, only one officer has
been tried (and acquitted) since then.

The Crime Management Unit in particular have been implicated in numerous
violations of human rights.

It is commonplace for officers to threaten witnesses to unlawful killings and
the relatives of the person killed. Amnesty International has continually
received reports of the harassment of those who have sought justice for the
killing of their relatives.

For further information on the situation in Jamaica please see Jamaica:
Killings and violence by police: How many more victims? AMR 38/003/2001 and
Jamaica: The killing of the Braeton Seven - A justice system on trial, AMR
38/005/2003 Source

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

ID parade for 'Chen Chen' postponed

Observer Reporter
Wednesday, July 30, 2003

THE identification parade scheduled for Bashington Douglas, alias "Chen Chen", who has been accused by the police of murdering Leroy Dixon in 1996, was postponed yesterday.

Douglas' attorneys, Tom Tavares Finson and Peter Champagnie, turned up for the identification parade at the Kingston Central Police Station and were informed that the parade would be postponed as the sergeant who was assigned to conduct the parade was away on court duties.

According to Champagnie, the parade has tentatively been set for next Monday and his client could undergo as many as five identification parades.

"We have tentatively agreed on Monday," Champagnie told the Observer.

Chen Chen was taken in to the May Pen police by his legal counsel last week and has been slapped with murder and gun-related charges.

He was accused of firing at the police during a shooting incident in Crawle, Clarendon in May, in which four persons, including two women were killed in an operation conducted by members of the former Crime Management Unit. Two guns, a shotgun and a pistol, were allegedly found by the police after the shooting.

Chen Chen, of Homestead in Spanish Town, who was said to be one of the island's most wanted, had eluded the police for eight years.

Source

[Magnum]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

**Bump**

Any more information?

Anybody have any idea why the earlier Clarendon Bloodbath thread #1 has disappeared? (See my post of 23 July).

Respect
Magnum

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Clarendon bloodbath #2

Originally posted by Magnum:
[qb] **Bump**

Any more information?

Anybody have any idea why the earlier Clarendon Bloodbath thread #1 has disappeared? (See my post of 23 July).

Respect
Magnum [/qb]

No more information yet.

About the disappearance ask the moderators. I don't want to speculate but you can find older topics that are still available in this forum.

Most people in Jamaica and of Jamaican background have still not been able to face up and deal with the truth about our Country, the repressive nature of our State Agencies the un-civil war we call politics in Jamaica.

Even when they are free of the Island their mentality is one of continued self-denial.

I think I may have copied it I am not sure.
Anyway will update as I get information.
How was your vacation?

Peace!