Lead investigator Sergeant Frank Olton told a nine-member jury that the only evidence linking Brandon Rommel Shaquar Allamby to an illegal AK-47 rifle is the word of the arresting officer.
He was responding to questions during cross-examination by Allamby’s attorney, Martie Garnes, as the trial continued in Supreme Court 4A on Tuesday evening.
“Outside of (Constable) Devonish’s say-so that he saw (Allamby) with the firearm, there is no other evidence linking him to the firearm, correct?” Garnes queried.
“There is none,” Sergeant Olton admitted.
The police witness earlier testified that he had not believed it was necessary to do any fingerprinting or DNA testing on the firearm because of the arresting officer’s report that he had seen Allamby with the weapon at the time of the incident.
“If this firearm was found in a house full of people or in a vehicle with five passengers then that need may have arisen. In these circumstances where the accused was seen in possession of a firearm – an assault rifle – alone, there was no need for any forensics, no fingerprinting, no DNA,” the lead investigator contended.
Asked whether he had requested a second statement from the arresting officer, Sergeant Olton replied, “There was no need to…. I had no reason to doubt (Constable) Devonish.”
“Did you believe Constable Devonish because he is a fellow police officer?” Garnes queried.
“Yes,” the officer said.
The defence attorney then charged that no thorough investigation was conducted because of this belief, and Olton again stated that there was no reason to doubt the arresting officer.
Allamby, of Bamboo Road, St Lawrence, Christ Church, is facing the charge that he had an AK-47S rifle without a valid licence and 31 rounds of ammunition without a valid permit, on May 12, 2021.
Earlier, Garnes had asked the police officer why there was no mention in either his statement or evidence to the court that the police searched the wall where Allamby had testified he had seen a person put a firearm that night.
Sergeant Olton replied that it was “not relevant” to include it in his report and that officers had conducted a detailed search of the area, but “nothing was found”.
In addition, he said, officers returned to the scene the next morning to search further and no spent cartridges were found.
The investigator agreed that Allamby denied knowledge, possession, and ownership of any firearm throughout his interview.
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