Deputy Commissioner of Police Frankie Joseph told the High Court on Wednesday that four days before Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (BOSVG) employee, Randy Lawrence was shot and killed at Arnos Vale on February 14, 2017, the accused, Junior Jarvis, had accused him of not being able to get an erection.
The Deputy Commissioner testified that on February 9, 2017, he received a second telephone call from Lawrence in relation to a report against Jarvis.
“I told him I will personally speak to the accused. At about 5:30 p.m., I was driving along Halifax Street. I saw the accused walking along the Old Library building. I called out to him and told him I heard he is not behaving himself, and I told him to come to see me in my office the following morning,” the Deputy Commissioner recounted.
He confirmed that Jarvis came to his office at about 9 a.m. the following day, and he asked Jarvis why he was putting Lawrence’s daughter’s photograph on his phone as a profile picture.
“He told me that Lawrence (deceased) disrespected him … he said the deceased told him he cannot get an erection and he (Jarvis) needs to go to the doctor to check himself,” Joseph related, to giggles from persons sitting in the public gallery of the High Court, Kingstown.
“I told him it is not a good thing to put a little child’s photograph on his phone, and I instructed him not to have anything to do with Lawrence (deceased). He told me he finished with that because he and his girlfriend had seen a counsellor, and they were moving on with their lives,” the Deputy Commissioner said.
He told the Court that on February 14, 2017, he received a telephone call saying that Randy Lawrence was shot and killed in the vicinity of Chill Spot Grill and Bar at Arnos Vale, and he was later informed that Jarvis was charged in connection with Lawrence’s death.
Joseph said he had received two reports from Lawrence via telephone calls, the first on February 1, 2017, and the second on February 9, 2017. He said he had known Jarvis for over ten years, and Lawrence for over 15 years, but they were not friends, in the sense of hanging out together. He said he and Lawrence were from the same village.
Joseph said that Jarvis was not pressured to say anything at the meeting in his office on February 10, 2017, “It was a very cordial and respectful conversation.”
In her cross-examination of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jarvis’ lawyer -Bacchus-Baptiste said that at another meeting with CID Chief Clauston Francis, Lawrence was allowed to disrespect Jarvis, telling him that he cannot get an erection, and cannot satisfy his girlfriend.
Joseph said Jarvis did mention that to him and he told the accused that he would speak to Francis.
“Do you think that it is a good thing for a man to be told he cannot get an erection?” Bacchus-Baptiste asked the Deputy Commissioner, who replied, “I don’t think it is a good thing.”
“He told you that Randy was like setting him up?” Bacchus-Baptiste asked, but Joseph replied, “No please, my lord.”
The lawyer told Joseph, “I am putting it to you that the police neglected to deal with the situation in a fair-minded way. In fact the police led Randy to behave in the way in which he was behaving.”
But Joseph told the Court that he was never present in any meeting with both men.
“You spoke to Randy Lawrence after you spoke to the accused?” Bacchus-Baptiste asked, to which the Deputy Commissioner replied, “No please, my lord”.
“You don’t think that it would have been appropriate to speak to Randy?” the lawyer pressed further.
“I don’t think so,” Joseph responded.
“But you think that it was appropriate to reprimand the accused for a picture on his phone?” she questioned rhetorically.
The trial is ongoing.
Source : The Vincentian