NO INFORMATION GIVEN ON DEATH OF GERMAINE JUNIOR

A request for information surrounding the death of Germaine Junior, the man murdered in attorney-at-law Patrick Bailey’s living room, has been denied by the Ministry of National Security’s Access to Information Unit.

The request was made in November 2017, but was not reviewed until March.

The Jamaica Observer sought answers to 10 questions and made a request, but was told that the unit could answer onley one question.

Junior was found dead in a couch at Bailey’s Barbican home on September 30, 2016. Since then, investigators have said that they have not made a breakthrough into the matter, inviting speculation that they were not putting energy into the case, or had something to hide.

The questions and request submitted to the Access to Information Unit:

(1) Did the victim get a single gunshot?

(2) Was a bullet found?

(3) If the answer to 2 is yes, was a test/were tests done on said bullet?

(4) If the answer to 3 is yes, what was/were the result/results?

(5) Why hasn’t this information been released in the public domain?

(6) Why has a suspect not been taken into custody?

(7) Did the bullet come from a gun belonging to a prominent person?

(8) Did the bullet come from a gun belonging to a politician?

(9) Was anyone questioned in relation to the findings of the ballistic tests?

(10) What did the autopsy reveal as it relates to how Junior was murdered?

(11) The Sunday Observer would like a copy of the ballistic report.

The Access to Information Union responded in this fashion:

“This is to inform that your Access to Information request has been reviewed and the following determination made. Question 1 can be answered. However, all other questions touch on and concern matters that could either endanger someone’s life, prejudice the conduct of the investigation or reveal methods of investigating or dealing with matters arising out of the incident. The exemption provided in Section 16 to documents relating to law enforcement would therefore apply to questions 2-11.”

The unit said the information as it relates to question 1 is that Junior was discovered lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds and a single gunshot wound to the right side of his head.

It has been 20 months since Junior’s body was discovered.

The Sunday Observer asked Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the crime portfolio, Selvin Haye for an update in March, but was told that “it is an open investigation”.

Asked if there are any leads or if a suspect had been held, Haye repeated himself.

The Police reported that Bailey stumbled upon Junior’s body about 4:30 am. A knife that was believed to be the one used to stab him was reportedly found beside the body. The police said that there were no signs of forced entry. Bailey was immediately ruled out as a suspect and placed on bed rest by medical pracitioner, who also serves as his client, Dr Jephthah Ford.