Crown relying heavily on identity evidence as trial gets underway in East End burglary
BVI News staff - Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 at 2:55 PM
Chris Smith
The prosecution said it will call three witnesses and rely heavily on identity evidence as it tries to secure a guilty verdict against alleged burglar Chris ‘Yellowman” Smith.
Smith this morning faced Justice Albert Redhead and a nine-member jury in the High Court here on Tortola, after pleading not guilty to the charge of burglary.
He is accused of burglarizing Leroy Grant’s home which is located at Greenland in East End, minutes after one o’ clock on the morning of December 9, 2011.
Addressing the jury this morning, Senior Crown Counsel Sarah Benjamin outlined the allegations against Smith.
She stated that, on the day in question, Grant fell asleep on the couch in his living room, but not before securing his residence.
When he woke up, he went to the bedroom and lay on the bed. It was at that point that he heard a strange sound in the living room.
When Grant went to enquire, he allegedly saw Smith whom he had known for some time before. Both men stared at each other before Smith dashed from the apartment.
Grant then went to tell his son that there was an intruder.
They went in search for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
Senior Crown Counsel Benjamin – after outlining the allegations – told the jurors it is important for them to follow the facts of the case and look towards Justice Redhead for guidance regarding the law.
“Don’t be swayed with feelings of sympathy to any of the parties… The answer lies on your views of the facts and the evidence that comes out of the witness box,” she advised.
Senior Crown Counsel Benjamin then called the prosecution’s first witness, Detective Sergeant Wendell Ballantine of Road Town Police Station.
He told the court that, after the police were called, he went to Grant’s residence after daybreak – also on December 9, 2011. Detective Sergeant Ballantine further testified that he had lifted several fingerprints from an aluminum door and also a sliding door at Grant’s house.
The trial continues.
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3 Comments
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I KNOW ONE THING THIS THIEF GOING BALO GAME OVER
bwoy Yellow I know u had ah rough life but good ppl took u in & u disrespect them.Now u will have 2 pay deh piper…….
Looks like someone who would end up in a house without the owner’s permission
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