No Gay Tiff
by Maria Bradshaw
JASON COLLYMORE denied yesterday that he had a homosexual relationship with Shon Boyce and reiterated that I’Akobi Maloney never visited his house.
Collymore, a supervisor at the Ararwak Cement Plant, told Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris yesterday at the coroner’s inquest into Maloney’s death that everything Boyce told the court last week was “absolutely untrue”.
Taking the witness stand for the third time during the inquest, he told the court that three days after giving his testimony on January 13, he received a telephone call from Boyce.
“He said to me how come he was involved in the inquest, that the police was pressuring him to make a statement that I was a homosexual and that he saw I’Akobi at my house.”
Collymore said he was so frustrated that week with the number of calls he had been receiving from family and friends that he told Boyce “do what you want to do” and then pressed out the phone.
Earlier, Collymore told the court that he met Boyce sometime late in 2006 or early 2007 at a pub on Bay Street.
He said he was introduced to him by a friend named Bryan.
The young man said that about two days after that brief encounter, he received a telephone call from Boyce who enquired from him when next he was coming to town.
He said he told him that he worked in St Lucy and he was too busy to come to town but Boyce still called about two or three more times asking him the same question.
He said sometime after that he received a telephone call from Boyce around midnight.
“He called telling me that he was in distress, that he had missed the bus and if it was possible that he could overnight.”
Collymore stated that he was hesistant at first and told Boyce that he had an issue with him sleeping over but “unfortunately I gave in”.
He explained that Boyce slept in his second bedroom and he awoke early the next morning and informed him that he had to leave.
“When I came home that night I realised that some of my things were missing - pocket money, a few T-shirts and some toiletries. I did not even bother to call him but he called about two days later and I told him that he was a thief. I did not see him after that.”
Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris then enquired from Collymore why he did not inform the court about the phone call Boyce had made to him after he gave evidence last month.
He told her that he was “bombarded” with so many calls following what he called a “sensational story” which appeared in the newspaper, that he became frustrated and upset.
But Marshall-Harris chided him, stating: “If there is any improper conduct on the part of the police that will put you in danger the thing to do is to inform the court . . . . Because of your statement a large number of police officers stand indicted. So I am really alarmed.”
She also informed him that some of the information which materialised during the inquest was not as a result of information from the police, including that relating to his testimony on January 13.
The Coroner said that was information which came directly to her.
“That is why I find your statement today so very interesting,” she told Collymore.
Tags: Faith Marshall-Harris, homosexual, Jason Collymore, police pressuring, Shon Boyce