– CoI hears

DESPITE not being a member of the armed services and not being equipped with a firearm licence, John Walters, bodyguard of Town Clerk Royston King, was regularly issued with a gun from the City Constabulary.

This was revealed yesterday when Walters appeared before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into City Hall, being presided over by Justice (ret’d) Cecil Kennard.

After retiring from the City Constabulary as an inspector in 2014, Walters said in 2015 he responded to an advertisement for a security supervisor at the Council, and was successful in his application; however, after working in the position for just one day, he was approached by King and asked to work as his body guard.

“When I applied back to be a supervisor it went to the personnel office and I get a letter saying they would employ me back as the supervisor. Afterwards, the town clerk meet me in the compound and ask me to be his bodyguard,” Walters explained.
He accepted the offer.

When questioned as to if he was issued with a firearm, Walters responded in the affirmative; but when pressed on whether he had a firearm licence, he responded that he did not.

Walters explained that he had undergone training, which he said qualified him to carry a firearm.

“You see what happened I was sent back to the national police to do firearm training. And then the report went back to the chief constable to say I qualify to fetch firearm, that’s how I start to get issue with a firearm,” he said.

“What happened is that once you working bodyguard, you automatically would use a firearm,” Walters said.

However Kennard and Legal Officer Sherwin Benjamin stressed to Walters that being qualified to carry does not amount to authorisation to carry.

“Were you sworn? Were you fingerprinted? Were you given a document indicating that you can hold a firearm? That is what we’re asking. You could do all the training in the world, you could pass that, but if you don’t have the certification you cannot hold it [a gun],” highlighted Benjamin.

Kennard warned Walters that he could be charged and advised him to surrender the weapon.

“No licence? You better surrender that thing or else they going to charge you,” Kennard asserted.

To this, Walters responded that he was no longer in possession of the weapon since King proceeded on administrative leave to facilitate the CoI.

Walters was also questioned about an approximately $30,000 salary increase that he received during his employment.

At first, Walters denied knowledge of the salary increase, but regained his memory when Benjamin presented the figures to him. Walters said he was given an increase with all of the of the other City Constabulary staff at the time.

Walters was also questioned about his involvement in an altercation between a popular Regent Street businessman and a vendor, Carol Stephens. Stephens, who had previously appeared before the CoI, claimed that Walters had used his influence as the town clerk’s bodyguard to have the City Constabulary destroy her stall.

Walters denied that he had any hand in the matter. He said the extent of his involvement was that he informed the City Constabulary that the businessman had permission to carry out a barbeque in front of his premises.

Stephens’ stall was just outside of the businessman’s premises.