The High Court was a scene of drama and emotion as ex-policeman Quancy John, who was accused of the 2010 killing of a Patentia Secondary School student, was yesterday set free.
After two hours of deliberations, the 12 jurors emerged with a not-guilty verdict, which sparked remarkable reactions.
John’s family erupted in shouts of relief and started clapping loudly. His brother dropped to the ground, in front of Justice Franklyn Holder, weeping incessantly.
The relatives of 16-year-old Kelvin Frazer, who was shot dead, drew back in shock and Frazer’s mother
was seen wiping her eyes.
As John’s brother performed a second flop on the courtroom floor, Justice Holder ordered him and some of the others out of the courtroom. John’s brother then ran out of the room and fell on floor in the corridor, weeping again.
“You’re free to go, Mr John,” Justice Holder said.
“Thank you, Your Worship!” was all John said before rushing to join his family.
John was incarcerated for the last three years, awaiting trial for the murder of Frazer, who was shot dead following an incident at his high school. It had been alleged that Frazer was killed while fleeing from police officers who had gone to the Patentia Secondary School following complaints of young men interfering with girls at the school.
However, John had told investigators that the teen grabbed his weapon after he cautioned him and it fired accidentally in a scramble.
“I told him to come over the drain and he came over. I was holding the gun in my left hand… the nuzzle was pointing upward. I hold him with my right hand and he grabbed the gun and we started to struggle and the gun went off,” Police witness Elson Baird had quoted John as saying during the trial.
Another police witness, Inspector Ramesh Singh, had said no order was given to ranks on that day to fire; only to effect arrest.
Attorney Glenn Hanoman defended John while attorney Diana Kaulesar presented the state’s case.
John, a policeman who was stationed at the Wales Police Station, was charged after weeks of public outcry and protest by secondary school students in front of the station.
