PICTURES from the Cool Square surveillance camera on the night of March 2, 2010 when a Canada-based Guyanese Rawle Harding was fatally shot during a robbery were shown at the trial on Monday to support the evidence of a star witness for the prosecution.

It is alleged that Junior Bourne of Lot 687 East Ruimveldt murdered Harding.
Justice James Bovell-Drakes is presiding.
The star witness, Mr. Andrea Patterson, manager of the Cool Square bar in West Ruimveldt, said that after he heard the explosion, he learnt that Harding was killed. He carried out an inspection and then consulted his cameras.
According to him, “I was able to recognize two men who participated in the alleged robbery murder – a fair skinned man who I can recognize if I see him again and the accused Junior Bourne, the man accused of the killing of Rawle Harding.”
Patterson said that Cool Square had been in operation for the past 16 years.
He said that about 09:30 pm on the night in question he arrived at Cool Square and went into the Bar area where he saw Mr. Harding with two friends drinking. He said that he had a conversation with him and then went upstairs and retired to bed.
The witness declared that while he was in bed at about quarter to eleven he was awakened by an explosion. He went downstairs to see what had happened. He saw Harding and observed that there was a hole in his chest but he did not see any blood.
Patterson said that he went back upstairs and reviewed the camera footage. From the review, he saw two men entering the Bar and then they called on the waitress who was working at the time. They bought a drink and began sipping at it. Later they launched an attack on Mr. Harding and both men were armed with firearms. After they attacked Mr. Harding they began relieving him of his jewellery.
Another shot was fired and then Mr. Harding fell. One of the men jumped over into the Bar area and opened a drawer and took some cash, the camera disclosed.
The witness told the judge and jury that the accused sitting in the dock was one of the men who had entered the Bar that night and killed Mr. Harding.
In answer to defence counsel Mr. Huckunchand, the witness said that he did not make a mistake. He had viewed the film over and over again and had recognized the accused by his face.
The video was shown to test the validity of the witness Patterson.
But neither the prosecution nor the defence asked Patterson any question at that stage.
But at a later stage, State Prosecutrix Miss Natasha Backer questioned the witness about the effect of the video shown in court.
The witness explained that the production shown in court was the product of a copy which, according to him, was a copy of the original and was not as persuasive as the original from the camera.
The hearing is continuing.

(By George Barclay)