Tuesday, April 9, 2013
By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN alleging that his confession statement to a 2010 murder was forcefully obtained from him by police is presenting a final witness today in the Supreme Court. Billy Johnson intends to call attorney Dion Smith to testify on his behalf in today’s proceedings before Justice Bernard Turner. Johnson faces a charge of murder, which he denies, where it is claimed that he, on March 26, 2010 caused the death of Rodne Feritilien. Fertilien was found dead on Dowdeswell Street with multiple gun shot wounds about his body. Johnson was charged September of that year in connection with the murder after he reportedly confessed about the crime to police. The confession was brought to trial by the Crown. However it was disputed by the defence that alleged the statement was obtained from Johnson through police brutality. Particulars of the brutality allegations were put to Sgt 1908 Keith Rolle who denied that Johnson was forced to admit to the crime. Johnson alleged that he was hog-tied, slapped, punched, fish bagged, as well as beaten with a bat and had pliers attached to his genitals. The officer denied that this occurred and that Johnson came clean about the murder of his own volition. Today, defending attorneys Romona Farquharson-Seymour and Candice Hepburn will call Mr Smith as a witness. Public prosecutors deputy director Garvin Gaskins prosecutes for the Crown with Viola Barnett.
Comments
stand_up says...
Hi there, I'm in London working as a record producer and I just got a call from ,y son who wrok's on the our Lucaya beach resort as a water sports instructor.
He had his car sprayed by plain clothes police who followed him and then started opening fire.
he pulled up to a squad car thinking they would stop or drive off but they came out the car while changing clip to shoot again.
he drove off. further up the road they met them lying face down on the ground.
they arrested and charged him and his friends with knocking down a police officer which they did not do. he told me that the police was trying to break his back bumper off with his foot.
he said he looked up while lying face down on the graveled floor only to have his face stomped on the rocks by an officer's shoe.
Please help.
He said they came by his grandmothers home without a search warrant and as she was asking them to produce one they just barged pass her stating they came to search her premises.
My other son, Antonio's twin, who also works on the beach doing the same thing, started shouting at them for pushing his grandmother and they wanted to arrest him for protesting their heavy handedness towards his nan. she stopped them and both she and him and her other daughter who just had a baby were all arrested.
now i know this message is a bit long winded but i think it's important that you get the full story.
he and him friends are now on a $9,000.00 bail. He's enrolling in COB(while he works)to qualify to study law over here. I am an affiliate with the bahamas high commision. and I want to but i don't know how to bring this matter up to them. but if need be i will make it my life's work to bring this to the forefront of the world.
I don't blame the police when they allow the few bad apples that wreak havoc on a helpless public.
I blame the people who fail to make noise when wrong is being done by those sworn to defend the law.
Im really sad, upset but most of all im angry. to know that if you are poor and cant afford a lawyer, there is no means by which you can get representation.
CAN YOU HELP? IF NOT DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE CAN GO TO RECEIVE SOME ASSISTANCE? He's been through alot Mr. Darville. And his head is in the right place.
ambitious hard working and keeping his nose clean. Now this. Please Help.
Posted 16 April 2013, 7:53 p.m. Suggest removal
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