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Uchence Wilson, eight co-accused found guilty of being part of criminal organisation

Attorney Alexander Shaw, who one of the men who was acquitted in the Uchence Wilson gang trial
 
Uchence Wilson and eight members of his gang were convicted Tuesday afternoon in the Home Circuit Court.
 
Wilson was found guilty of being the leader of a criminal organisation.
 
He faces up to 30 years behind bars.
 
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes presided over the trial.
 
The other eight men were found guilty of being part of a criminal gang.
 
They are Fitzroy Scott, Stephenson Bennett, Machel Goulbourne, Michael Lamont, Derron Taylor, Lanworth Geohagen, Sheldon Christian and Odeen Smith.
 
Prosecutors accused the nine men of carrying out robberies, shootings and other serious crimes in various parishes between 2015 and 2017, which netted them $400 million.
 
They will be sentenced on November 30.
 
 
Cop freed 
 
A member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, who was accused of being a member of the Uchence Wilson gang, was freed on Tuesday.
 
Detective Corporal Lloyd Knight was among four accused freed by the Chief Justice.
 
The others are Kenith Winter, Keron Walters and Dane Edwards.
 
They were found not guilty of being part of a criminal organisation.
 
Justice Sykes said there was insufficient evidence linking the men to the Uchence Wilson gang.
 
The trial started in March 2019.
 
At that time, there were 24 accused. Fifteen people have been acquitted.
 
 
'Evidence from ex-gang members unreliable' 
 
Meanwhile, attorney Alexander Shaw, who represented Dane Edwards, who was acquitted Tuesday in trial, told Radio Jamaica News he had a concern about the prosecution relying on the testimony of former gang members.
 
"This is the second matter where many of the accused have walked free -certainly in this case, more than half and in the King's Valley matter, all the accused walked free. The common denominator in both cases is that the Crown lies on accomplices evidence and you find that... some of these witnesses who call themselves accomplices, their evidence is inconsistent and unreliable and it is very dangerous for a court of law to convict on their account," he contended. 
 


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