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THE prosecution and defence counsel addressed the jury in the Lusignan massacre trial yesterday, with the prosecution asking for a verdict in keeping with the evidence and the oath taken. However, the defence rejected the prosecution’s evidence and requested a complete acquittal of the accused. In his address on behalf of James Anthony Hyles, called ‘Sally’, Attorney Nigel Hughes told the jury that there was not a scintilla of evidence against his client and he accused the police of creating evidence through Durwin Wright who has been accused of 31 murders to fabricate evidence against the accused.
Attorney Roger Yearwood who is representing the number one accused Mark Royden Williams, called Smallie, asked the jury to acquit his client on the grounds that the police after failing to find the killers who had gunned down the 11 people at Lusignan, had beaten a confession out of ‘Smallie’.
State counsel, Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin in her final address on behalf of the prosecution, accused the defence lawyers of introducing red herrings to confuse the jury.
The accused Mark Royden Williams called ‘Smallie’ and James Anthony Hyles called ‘Sally’ are facing trial for the murder of 11 persons who were gunned down in the Lusignan Massacre on 26th of January, 2008.
Police investigations, she said, led to three persons being charged with murder.
But the third man, Dwane Williams also known as ‘Small Friend’ who had given a confession statement to the police has been freed of the charge and is now a witness for the prosecution.
The law, she said, provides for a witness who had been charged with an offence to become a witness for the prosecution.
Among other things, Gildharie-Mursalin told the jury that the red herrings in the trial by the defence were intended to mislead and distract them from the main issues so they launched a full out attack on witnesses ‘Small Friend’ and Durwin Wright.
“And they have created this big melodramatic story of beatings supposedly meted out to the No. 1 accused, which is unsubstantiated.”
She ended her address expressing the belief that the jury would be convinced by the evidence that the accused are responsible for the death of the 11 persons, including fived children, who were slaughtered as they slept in their modest homes at Track ‘A’ Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.
Attorney Roger Yearwood who is representing the number one accused Mark Royden Williams, called Smallie, asked the jury to acquit his client on the grounds that the police after failing to find the killers who had gunned down the 11 people at Lusignan, had beaten a confession out of ‘Smallie’.
State counsel, Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin in her final address on behalf of the prosecution, accused the defence lawyers of introducing red herrings to confuse the jury.
The accused Mark Royden Williams called ‘Smallie’ and James Anthony Hyles called ‘Sally’ are facing trial for the murder of 11 persons who were gunned down in the Lusignan Massacre on 26th of January, 2008.
Police investigations, she said, led to three persons being charged with murder.
But the third man, Dwane Williams also known as ‘Small Friend’ who had given a confession statement to the police has been freed of the charge and is now a witness for the prosecution.
The law, she said, provides for a witness who had been charged with an offence to become a witness for the prosecution.
Among other things, Gildharie-Mursalin told the jury that the red herrings in the trial by the defence were intended to mislead and distract them from the main issues so they launched a full out attack on witnesses ‘Small Friend’ and Durwin Wright.
“And they have created this big melodramatic story of beatings supposedly meted out to the No. 1 accused, which is unsubstantiated.”
She ended her address expressing the belief that the jury would be convinced by the evidence that the accused are responsible for the death of the 11 persons, including fived children, who were slaughtered as they slept in their modest homes at Track ‘A’ Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.
