Reputed gang leader freed of gun charges
The reputed leader of an August Town-based criminal network who is accused of recruiting men to his gang, was on Thursday freed of gun related charges before the Gun Court.
George Ellis, 27, was freed after the judge rejected the testimony of the main witness.
Mr. Ellis was indicted in 2015 on three counts of illegal possession of a firearm, shooting with intent and using a firearm to commit a felony.
Prosecutors led evidence that on February 9, 2015, Ellis and one of his cronies attacked the witness in the community of Hermitage and fired several rounds at him.
The witness survived the attack.
However, during the trial, defence attorney Vincent Wellesley, urged the judge to reject the testimony of the witness.
He highlighted that investigators who went to the scene found no evidence of a shooting, adding that the witness gave varying stories of the incident.
Justice Crescencia Brown Beckford agreed and dismissed the case.
However, Mr. Ellis remains behind bars.
He was charged in May under the anti-gang legislation following claims that he had been recruiting men for his “No Dollars, No Cents” gang, based in Hermitage.
That trial is pending.
His arrest followed a major push by the authorities and civic groups to sustain the reduction in criminal activities in August Town