The witness, who was testifying in the trial of Dorsette Mc Cammon indicted with the murder of Cort, told Justice Winston Patterson and the mixed jury the accused, under caution, had replied, ‘Cort shoot me at a wake house, and I shoot he back’.

Paul stated earlier that he had gone to the New Amsterdam Hospital Emergency Unit where the accused was admitted as a patient on February 11, 2007.

According to the witness, who was the divisional inspector attached to Central Police Station in Berbice, at approximately 01:30h on the same day, he was on duty at the Esplanande Ground during the Carib Soca Semi Finals when, as the music played loudly, he observed persons running in various directions.

The detective recalled moving to the south western side of the stage, where he saw Police Constable Micah Cort lying on his back in the centre of the ground, unconscious, and bleeding profusely.

Paul said after instructing ranks to transport their wounded colleague to the New Amsterdam hospital, he proceeded to where another crowd had gathered, and there saw the accused crying and bleeding from injuries to his body. Prior to being taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital for medical intervention, a search of his person unearthed a cell phone in his pocket.

The officer said, on visiting the hospital, the accused appeared to be normal and was responding to questions asked by the doctor.

Three hours later, the witness recalled escorting the wounded policeman in an ambulance to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed to injuries.

Questioned by Defence Counsel Mursalene Bacchus, Paul said he did not write the oral statement of the accused, nor did he request writing material from the medical staff.

However, on being shown his deposition which recorded him telling the magistrate, ‘I never made a written note of what the accused told me, up to this date’, the witness adamantly stated he never uttered those words to the Magistrate, although he later confessed that he did not alter or change anything from his deposition which was re- read to him.

With respect to the oral statement made by the accused, the police officer said, ‘it was a short one, which I thought would not be forgotten’.

He agreed with the suggestion that he wanted to build a strong case against the accused, and confessed that at 03:00hrs on February 11, 2007, he did not have a written statement implicating the accused, although he was familiar with the Judges Rules.

The witness said no instruction was given by him for the gun to be dusted for fingerprints.

He acknowledged the accused was in police custody from the night of the incident, until he was charged. However, his hands were not examined at any stage, although the Central Police Station was equipped with a laboratory and technicians.
The trial is continuing.