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Commissioner responds to criticisms over the JCF's treatment of Khajeel Mais case
Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington has responded to criticisms over the decision by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) not to name the suspect who was being sought for the murder of 17-year old Kingston College student Khajeel Mais.
The JCF had come under fire and accusations of double standard for not revealing the man’s identity.
It followed a slew of calls from some sectors of the society for the suspect's name to be made public or for him to be listed as a person of interest.
In a statement released early Wednesday morning, July 13, Commissioner Ellington sought to clear the air.
According to the Commissioner, the main suspect is a citizen of a foreign country and was in that country at the time the Jamaican police discovered his possible involvement in Khajeel’s death.
He explained that obligations stipulated in the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty dictated that the JCF prepare a case file and obtain a warrant for the suspect’s arrest.
The JCF had to ensure that the necessary due diligence was done and in a timely manner in order to facilitate the suspect’s return to Jamaica.
The Commissioner said the premature release of information about the suspect would therefore only complicate the case and possibly hinder the police investigation.
He stated that the decision not to publicly name the main suspect was also influenced by the possibility of the conduct of an identification parade to link the individual to the crime.
Given these factors, Commissioner Ellington says the decision was made not to list the suspect as a Person of Interest.
Now that the individual has since returned to Jamaica, is in police custody and will be interviewed he says there is now no need to publicly name the suspect as a person of interest.
He added that the JCF will not hesitate to name the accused when it is appropriate to do so. Commissioner Ellington also urged members of the public to allow the Police to investigate the case without hindrance.
Commissioner Ellington added that Khajeel’s family is being kept abreast of developments in the probe.
Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington has responded to criticisms over the decision by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) not to name the suspect who was being sought for the murder of 17-year old Kingston College student Khajeel Mais.
The JCF had come under fire and accusations of double standard for not revealing the man’s identity.
It followed a slew of calls from some sectors of the society for the suspect's name to be made public or for him to be listed as a person of interest.
In a statement released early Wednesday morning, July 13, Commissioner Ellington sought to clear the air.
According to the Commissioner, the main suspect is a citizen of a foreign country and was in that country at the time the Jamaican police discovered his possible involvement in Khajeel’s death.
He explained that obligations stipulated in the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty dictated that the JCF prepare a case file and obtain a warrant for the suspect’s arrest.
The JCF had to ensure that the necessary due diligence was done and in a timely manner in order to facilitate the suspect’s return to Jamaica.
The Commissioner said the premature release of information about the suspect would therefore only complicate the case and possibly hinder the police investigation.
He stated that the decision not to publicly name the main suspect was also influenced by the possibility of the conduct of an identification parade to link the individual to the crime.
Given these factors, Commissioner Ellington says the decision was made not to list the suspect as a Person of Interest.
Now that the individual has since returned to Jamaica, is in police custody and will be interviewed he says there is now no need to publicly name the suspect as a person of interest.
He added that the JCF will not hesitate to name the accused when it is appropriate to do so. Commissioner Ellington also urged members of the public to allow the Police to investigate the case without hindrance.
Commissioner Ellington added that Khajeel’s family is being kept abreast of developments in the probe.
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