Wednesday, September 11, 2024

3 THE STAR NEWS • Wednesday, September 11, 2024 @JamaicaStar www.facebook.com/JamaicaStar • www.jamaica-star.com SIMONE MORGAN-LINDO STAR Writer R esidents of the quiet farming community of Bellas Gate, Clarendon, are in shock following the murder of Clovis Watt, a 60-year-old farmer. Watt, also known as ‘Yellow’, was said to be a figure of selflessness and generosity. “He was always there for everyone, he never said no,” a tearful relative recounted. “He was the go-to person in the district if they have any little thing to do. He was very helpful, and everyone just know him as someone who goes to his farm and back. He was very hard-working but still find time for others,” the relative added. According to the Constabulary Communications Unit, Watt was gunned down by unknown assailants at about 12 a.m. on Saturday. The quiet night was shattered by gunfire in the Sandy Hole section of the community, where residents later discovered Watt’s lifeless body. The relative described the horror of the night. “I heard the shots, but I put my phone on silent as I usually do and went to bed. When I woke up about two hours later, I saw a lot of missed calls on my phone, and when mi call back, the person a tell mi seh dem hear seh Watt dead,” the relative said. The motive behind the killing remains unclear. “He wasn’t one to get into arguments or trouble. He was just coming from the shop and heading home,” the relative said. The murder has sent shockwaves through the community, leaving residents shaken and fearful. “Usually, you can walk any time of the night. Sandy Hole people dem peaceful, so right now everyone ‘fraid. We nuh want this [to] become a habit, because everyone here just work hard and go a dem yard. Right now mi a guh ensure seh night nuh catch mi a road. Since the killing, everybody a stay in,” she said. Based on the most recent police statistics on serious crimes, Clarendon has been experiencing a major reduction in murders. For the period January 1 to September 7, the parish recorded 55 murders, which is 25 fewer than the 80 that were recorded during the corresponding period last year. Bellas Gate stunned by farmer’s murder Woman featured on JCF Wanted Wednesdays freed A Corporate Area taxi operator is eager to take the witness stand to prove his point that a female passenger choked him. That was shared by attorney-at-law C.J. Mitchell, who represents the taxi driver Andrew Griffiths, who is before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court for assault. Brief allegations shared in court claim that the complainant, a female, was a passenger of Griffiths’ taxi and was told to exit the vehicle. She refused and was allegedly pulled from the vehicle by Griffiths. However, Mitchell said his client disputes the complainant’s claim of assault. ”She was a passenger of the vehicle and she was quarrelsome and vexatious and he told her, ‘I don’t need you in my vehicle’ and told her to come out. If he held her, it would be in self-defence because she pulled him and choked him,” the senior attorney explained. ”He went to the police and they did not take his report,” Mitchell argued further. But Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell was not convinced by the lawyer’s submissions. ”I don’t think he went around to her door and gently took her out the vehicle. I am trying to grasp the logistics of how she could have choked this man. This woman just jumped out the car and started to choke him? Clearly there are some men who are useless in defending themselves,” the judge said. Mitchell indicated that his client was prepared to go to trial to prove his innocence. The matter is set for trial on November 11. – T.T. Taxi man says passenger choked him Watt C ontributed TIFFANY TAYLOR STAR Writer A travel agent who was featured on Wanted Wednesdays, a social media campaign led by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, was on Tuesday discharged of criminal charges. A not guilty verdict was announced by Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell after full compensation was made by the defendant, Tykese Henry. Subsequent to the monies being paid, an application was made by Henry’s attorney, Ricardo Gray, to have photographs of his client removed from the police force’s website and social media platforms. “Well, they have to take her picture down now because she is no longer wanted. She is no longer wanted right?” the senior jurist asked the investigator. ”Well, not at this moment,” the investigator responded. ”The picture I saw was a flattering one though,” Burrell added. “We’ll take that as a compliment,” Gray responded. An order was then made by the judge for Henry’s photograph to be removed from the constabulary’s platforms including, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. However, Henry’s photograph was still on the police force’s Instagram page up to late Tuesday. Henry, the proprietor of Butterfly Travels, was charged with fraudulent conversion and obtaining money by means of false pretence. Prosecutors contend that the complainant paid more than $72,000 to Henry between February 13 and May 30, for a trip to the Dominican Republic. Henry, following the not guilty verdict, indicated to the judge that she did not obtain the funds falsely, as she has a registered business and deemed the transaction legitimate. ”When you see people moving jumpy, just give them back their money. Be very careful,” the senior judge warned. “He was the go-to person in the district if they have any little thing to do. He was very helpful, and everyone just know him as someone who goes to his farm and back. He was very hard-working but still find time for others.”