Police: Maloney just jumped
by Maria Bradshaw (Nation Newspaper)
I’AKOBI MALONEY ran from two police officers and casually jumped off an 80-foot cliff at Land Lock, St. Lucy.
That was what Acting Sergeant Walter Headley told the Coroner’s Court yesterday.
The police officer described how Maloney stood on the cliff in an X position - with his hands outstretched and feet spread - then ” without hesitation” jumped off, landing 80 feet down on what Headley called a shelf.
The police officer said that despite efforts by the police to get his attention, the young man proceeded to roll off the shelf into the choppy sea where he became trapped between rocks and was battered by the sea.
Reading a statement which he wrote 12 days after the June 17 incident, Headley explained that he was at the District “E” Police Sation when he received information from Operation Control about suspected drug activity in the Cove Bay, St Lucy area. He and Constable 1320 Walkes left at 17:10 hours.
On the way, he said, they received further information that ” a Rastafarian man was on a cliff near the turn-table at Cove Bay, St Lucy, acting suspiciously”.
He stated that other personnel who were responding also told him to pay attention to Land Lock.
Around 17:25 he was driving along the path leading to the turn-table when he saw a white boat in the water traveling out to sea.
“I saw a man in the area of the cliff dressed in a boxer shorts pacing back and forth,” Headley stated, adding that he also observed a black haversack and black boots in the area.
He said he found the man’s actions strange and spoke to Walkes. They walked over to the man, identified themselves to him and asked for his name and address.
Headley said he noticed that Maloney spoke first with an English accent and then a Barbadian accent. He also noticed that his eyes appeared red and he had a strange look on his face.
When he enquired from Maloney why he was on the cliff, he said the young man told him that he had just resigned from his job at Arawak Cement Plant where he was employed as a chemical engineer.
Headley said he told Maloney of a report of drugs activity in the area ans asked to search his bag, Maloney consented, and he found a long black pants, grey shirt, payslip, diary, wallet with identification card and a newpaper in the bag.
Constable Walkes then asked him if he went to the beach, and he told them he went to the beach by the turn-table.
Headley said he again asked Maloney why he was on the cliff, and he told him that he was under a lot of pressure and his back was hurting.
He also asked what school he attented, and it was at this point that Maloney queried why he was asking him so many questions before responding that he went to Foundation, BCC and the University of the West Indies.
He said Walkes then told Maloney that he seemed intelligent and asked him if he had ever been to a psychologist, to which he said “no”.
At this point Headley said he returned to the vehicle which was about 20 feet away and contacted Operations Control and gave them Maloney’s identification information.
He also informed the Control Room that he believed that Maloney’s mental faculties were not intact and he was taking him away for further questioning.
The officer pointed out that it was at this time that he noticed other police officers nearby in the area of Cove Bay.
He returned to Walkes and Maloney and told Maloney to get dressed because he wanted him to accompany them to the police station.
He said the young man put on his pants and his shirt and he noticed that he had a smile on his face “as if he was happy about something”. He then asked him to put on his shoes, which he also did.
Headley said they then proceeded to walk towards the vehicles - he slightly ahead of Maloney to his left, and Walkes slightly behind him to his right. The officer stated that he saw no reason to hold on to Maloney.
“I realised that his bag dropped and I turned to my right and saw him running away from us towards the cliff. He jumped off with arms and legs spread open and without hesitation”.
When he looked down, he saw Maloney lying on stomach on a shelf and heard Constable Walkes shouting his name.
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