Expert: Maloney fell 50 feet
I’AKOBI MALONEY “jumped” 50 feet down from a cliff at Land Lock, St Lucy, and not 80 feet as originally stated by police.
The correct measurement was given by Sergeant Roger Mayers, a scenes-of-collision reconstructionist.
Mayers, who was deemed an expert witness by Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris, testified during the inquest into Maloney’s death on Monday and produced a sketch he made of the scene detailing all the relevant measurements.
He told the court that he reconstructed the scene on August 6, as pointed out to him by Sergeant Wingrove Headley and Constable Wendell Walkes, the two policemen who were with Maloney when he “jumped” over the cliff.
Mayers took photographs and measurements of the area.
He said that to get the height of the cliff, he fixed a rock at the end of a fishing line and dropped it down the cliff into the water below.
The sergeant further explained that the area where Maloney was first seen pacing was 133 feet from the edge of the cliff and that he and the two police officers walked from that spot in the direction of the police vehicle for another 21 feet in a westerly direction.
Mayers said Constable Walkes was four feet, nine inches to Maloney’s right side, while Sergeant Headley was four feet, six inches to his left.
When Maloney made a dash for the cliff he was 153 feet, seven inches to the right of the cliff.
Tags: 153 feet dash, 50 feet not 80 feet, August 6, Constable Wendell Walkes, Faith Marshall-Harris, Landlock, Sergeant Roger Mayers, Wingrove Headley