– defence surprised, parents hope for the best
(Jamaica Gleaner) – Young Dominique Fray wept uncontrollably for her brother and attorney George Thomas seemed listless, shocked and disappointed by the guilty verdict that was slapped on his client, convicted hijacker Stephen Fray, in the Western Regional Gun Court on Thursday.
After taking a day to deliberate, Judge Sarah Thomas-James reportedly sent shockwaves through the courtroom when she returned with a verdict that the defence team and the family had hardly expected.
“The judge said that at the time of the incident Stephen knew what he was doing,” said Thomas in response to questions from the media outside the courthouse.
“I feel bad enough about it that I don’t want to speak,” he added.
Thomas said Fray was found guilty on eight of the 10 gun-related charges, ranging from assault to illegal possession of firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, shooting with intent and two counts of robbery.
The charges resulted from his role in taking 160 passengers and the crew aboard CanJet charter flight 918 hostage on Sunday, April 19, at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
The aircraft was en route to Halifax in Canada.
The judge, who delivered her verdict at approximately 3.20 pm after a two-hour summation, has ordered a social enquiry to be presented on October 8 when she is expected to hand down sentencing. A social enquiry is a background check.
Almost speechless, Thomas said he was expecting a verdict conducive to what the law says in a situation like this, “that he, Fray, did not know what he was doing at the time of the incident. He did not believe that it was illegal”.
Fray’s parents Donna and Earl say that although they are sad and shocked by the judge’s decision, they are in a wait-and-see mode.
“We are not putting out the possibility of an appeal,” they said, adding that when the social enquiry is done and the judge returns to court on October 8, they will know their next move.
At least one doctor feels that Fray could have been delusional on the night of the incident.
Reputed consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Dr Wendel Abel, who took the stand last week, said Fray could have been under the influence of delusion.
The doctor reportedly told the court that this condition is normal with people suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
“I found him to be pretty hysterical in his outburst. He was making lots of demands, sounded far off, clearly, I didn’t get the impression that he was totally with it. He said he wanted $8 billion. He kept promising that a large amount of money was waiting for him wherever he was going,” said chief negotiator on the fateful night, Reverend Courtney Walters, police chaplain of Area One.
Reverend Walters said Fray asked to be called ‘Genius’, while the pilot of the aircraft reportedly testified that Fray said he was God.
