Lawyers plead in defence of four Vesuvius suspects

October 23, 2012 4:54 PM

BELAIR--The third day of the Vesuvius trial at Belair Community Centre Monday, consisted of a full day of pleas on behalf of four of the seven suspects in this case.

 
Attorney-at-law Geert Hatzmann was the first to present the defence of his client C.E.F. (37). The Prosecutor's Office has charged C.E.F. with involvement in the attempted murder or manslaughter of Kennedy Fergus and Omax B. near the former Tan Tan supermarket on A.Th. Illidge Road in Dutch Quarter on April 20, 2011.
 
He also was charged with membership in a criminal organisation and firearm possession. For these crimes, Prosecutors Gonda van der Wulp and Bart den Hartigh demanded that the Court of First Instance sentence C.E.F. to eight years.
 
Hatzmann started his plea stating that his client's role in the Tan Tan shooting should not be overestimated. "He didn't fire any shots and also was not in the shooter's car," Hatzmann said.
 
C.E.F.'s lawyer admitted that his client had been in the possession of a firearm, but said this was in sharp contrast with the large stash of arms, which allegedly included machineguns and hand grenades, found with co-suspects A.O.W.J. (35) and A.S.D.
 
The lawyer applauded investigators for their excellent work, but said he disagreed with their conclusion that his client had been a member of A.O.W.J.'s organisation.
 
Hatzmann claimed there was no evidence that his client had been involved in drugs and rip deals, the core business of the group led by the "Pablo Escobar of St. Peters," likening "drug baron" A.O.W.J. to the late Colombian drug kingpin.
 
The lawyer also refuted claims that his client had been a member of the gang because he had a "Coming in Deadly" (CID) tattoo similar to a number of other group members. According to Hatzmann, his client had had this tattoo already years before the organisation existed.
 
Hatzmann stated there was no evidence that A.O.W.J. had given his client any orders, or that his client had been involved in car theft, preparing shipments, caching weapons, spying or liquidations.
 
Attorney-at-law Peggy-Ann Brandon stated that the accusations against her client E.D.W.L. (29), who is facing 10 years, were unsubstantiated and based only on unfounded "blogger's comments" concerning rip deals, drug transports and drug deals.
 
She said the results of the large-scale and costly investigations in this case were "very poor." According to Brandon, information derived from selected telephone conversations between suspects had been used to fabricate evidence.
The lawyer also objected to the use of statements provided by protected and threatened anonymous witnesses, because these were not heard by the defence.
 
Brandon further contended that a private conversation between her client and another suspect in a stranded police car in Aruba had been recorded illegally.
 
(The Daily Herald)
 

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