AfriKa CRY BLOOD

I’Akobi Tacuma Maloney, 23, of Hutson’s Alley, Reed Street, St Michael, died on June 17, 2008, at Land Lock, St Lucy. The circumstances of his death were investigated by the Coroner’s Court and recently, Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris in her verdict said his death was due to misadventure. The following is Part 6 of an edited version of the verdict which began on Monday. It concludes in tomorrow’s DAILY NATION.

ONCE AGAIN, Walkes, who was particularly sensitive to the situation and who had conveyed as much by way of the time-honoured gesture showing that someone is deranged, asked why he was on the cliff and he said he was under a lot of pressure. Walkes asked him why, Maloney said his back was hurting him…

Walkes then wanted to know from Maloney if he had ever seen a psychiatrist. Headley took Maloney’s ID which had been found in his wallet and went to the van and reported to Operations Control. He told Operations Control that he believed that Maloney’s faculties were not intact and that they would bring him in…

When Headley returned, he told Maloney that he would like him to accompany them to the police station to interview him. These may have seemed like ominous words to a young man of extreme sensitivity… (more…)

A NEW WITNESS took the stand yesterday at the I’Akobi Maloney Inquest at Coroner’s Court.

Shon Boyce, who admitted to being a homosexual from his childhood days said he was introduced to Jason Collymore, a former witness at the inquest, in 2003.

He was introduced to Collymore, he said, and they subsequently got involved in a same-sex relationship where he was the outside man, since Collymore, who works at the Cement Plant, told him that he had a Rastaman and he, Boyce, should never come to the house when the man was there.

He said Collymore lived at White Hall Main Road in an apartment, and he did not know the Rastaman’s name as it was never told to him, but he used to pass a man on the stairway going down smiling as he would be going up. (more…)

THE POLICE INVESTIGATOR who carried out the investigations into the death of I’Akobi Maloney said yesterday he was not concerned that the statements of the two police officers who were with Maloney when he died, were identical.

Assistant Superintendent Curvan Harvey told the coroner’s inquest investigating the young man’s death that he was more concerned about the typographical errors contained in the statements.

At the time he was being questioned by Andrew Pilgrim who is representing the Maloney family. (more…)

Harvey (centre) leaving the inquest yesterday evening followed by Headley (left) and Walkes. Picture by Sandy Pitt.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Curvan Harvey was grilled by attorney Andrew Pilgrim yesterday when he gave evidence at the Coroner’s Inquest into the death of 23-year-old I’Akobi Maloney.

ASP Harvey was the senior officer who carried out the investigations into the incident. He was questioned extensively about how he conducted the investigations and the statements he obtained, particularly those from the two police officers, Sergeant Wingrove Headley and Constable Wendell Walkes, who were with Maloney when he allegedly jumped off a 50ft cliff at Land Lock, St Lucy.

He was also criticised by the attorney for failing to carry out a scientific examination of the firearms which were issued to the two officers.

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. (more…)

A THREAT has been made against one of the police officers who was with I’Akobi Maloney at Land Lock, St Lucy, when he died.

The DAILY NATION understands that a stone was thrown through the window of Acting Sergeant Walter Headley’s home last week, wrapped in newspaper with the words: “You are a dead man Mr Headley”, written on it.

According to a senior police officer, the newspaper also carried a report of Headley’s testimony at the Coroner’s Inquest into Maloney’s death.

The police are now investigating the matter. (more…)

CORONER FAITH MARSHALL-HARRIS chastised a police officer for failing to make written notes surrounding the death of 23-year-old I’Akobi Maloney.

During his testimony on Thursday, Police Constable Wendell Walkes told the coroner that he did not make any notes because the incident was clear in his mind.

But Coroner Marshall-Harris told the detective that it was a matter of credibility and not simply having a good a memory. (more…)

by MARIA BRADSHAW

CORONER FAITH MARSHALL-HARRIS is “desperately searching” for corroborating evidence in the unnatural death of I’Akobi Maloney.

But she will not get it from the two police officers who were the only ones with the 23-year-old scholar when he died.

She made this observation as she conducted an inquest into Maloney’s death on Thursday, interrupting attorney-at-law Andrew Pilgrim’s cross-examination of one of the police officers, Constable Wendell Walkes. (more…)