Storyteller’ Morrison angry with court’s delay
One-time alleged ‘Shower Posse’ head again bemoans time to settle compensation case
MORRISON… I don’t trust the system or any lawyer when it comes to my case
RICHARD “Storyteller” Morrison, who has been seeking compensation from the Government for wrongful extradition to the United States for over six years, will have to wait, another four months, at least, for a decision.
Morrison, an alleged former leader of the “Shower Posse” gang in the United States, had his assessment of damage hearing postponed again last Wednesday in the local Supreme Court, after the judge assigned to the case, Justice Lisa Palmer Hamilton, was unable to attend court.
Morrison told the Jamaica Observer on Friday that he felt bad because, after being contacted by the court on July 26 and informed of its readiness to have the assessment hearing on July 31 before the judge, he was informed by the clerk that she could not attend on Wednesday because she was ill.
“They found another judge, but she needed at least a day and a half to acquaint herself with the case,” he said, pointing out that, in any case, Wednesday was the last day of court before its latest break.
“The judge said she would have to set a new date. I was so shocked when the clerk said that the earliest date would be December 7, 2020. When the judge asked me if that was fine with me I said, as strongly as possible, trying to remain respectable without cursing, No,” he said.
“I told the judge that this was the third time I came to court for the assessment hearing and, for no fault of mine, it was put off. The judge gave me permission to go down to the registry and inquire about getting an earlier date,” he explained.
“The registry tried to tell me that December 7, 2020 is the only date available, but I refused to agree to that date. They gave me another date — November 19,” he added.
Morrison said that he was upset about the whole series of events, as it was the same registry that has misplaced his “Intent to Appeal” motion, and which cannot locate the transcripts of his extradition hearing.
“They said that they can’t give me the transcripts of my extradition hearing, which was public record. They told me, when I came back to Jamaica in 2013, that they cannot find any record of my extradition hearings,” he stated.
“I don’t trust the system or any lawyer when it comes to my case. I will be writing to the chief justice to protest the handling of my case in the Supreme Court, so far, and seek assurance that the hearing will happen on November, 2019. I am sick of the games that are being played and the lawyers who are officers of the court whose loyalty is to the system first, their political party second, and then, maybe, to their client,” he told the Sunday Observer.
“I am representing myself, and my loyalty is to myself, therefore, I am going to expose every underhand tactic that the system tries to pull off in my case. Enough is enough,” he said.
Morrison was wrongfully extradited to the United States in 1991 by the then P J Patterson-led Administration, while his appeal against an extradition order was still pending in the local court. The US had accused him of being one of the leaders of the so-called Shower Posse, a West Kingston-bred transnational gang which was linked to the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and based primarily in Tivoli Gardens, though best known in the United States. The Shower Posse Gang was said to have been so named because of how gang members would shower their foes with bullets.
He spent 22 years, of what he describes as “mental anguish”, in US prisons, as that country’s Government refused to accept a request to send him back to complete his trial in Kingston from then Attorney General Carl Rattray, who admitted that the extradition was premature.
The US government not only refused to release him, but he was also tried on charges other than those for which he was extradited.
Rattray, who founded the law firm Rattray, Patterson, Rattray, was appointed president of the Court of Appeal in 1993 and served in that capacity until 1999, when he retired from the bench. He died in 2012, a year before Morrison was released and sent back to Jamaica.
Since he returned home in 2013 Morrison has been seeking compensation for his wrongful extradition and his years in US prisons.
He admitted that the Government has accepted responsibility for their mistake, but that he has rejected an “undisclosed” sum offered to him for compensation as “monkey money”.
“I am relieved that the Government has accepted liability after five years of battle in the Supreme Court. But the anguish and pain I suffered, and I’m still suffering because of the Government’s error, cannot be taken lightly,” said Morrison, who is now 62 years old and suffers from the effects of a stroke.
He noted that his health has deteriorated badly following the stroke, and the amount he had been offered could not even pay his medical expenses.
Disgraceful!!!, a lot of these jamaican judges needs to be investigated and remove from the bench for official misconduct or for not being able to carry out their duties as a judge properly. I would really like to know the procedure that these people went through prior to acquiring these positions, this also goes for police officers. The Jamaican constitution dictates the way this should be done, but, is it being followed?
Most of these judges because of their ability or better still their inability, would not be able to get this position anywhere outside of Jamaica because, they are not fit for practice. HOW SHAMEFUL?
What a lot of prisioners and those whose cases are taking long to be heard in the criminal courts is, they could apply for their cases to be thrown out because of the time it takes to be heard. The constitution states that cases should be heard as soon as possible, though there is ambiguity in what soon as possible means, three to five years waiting, would likely to fall within this time frame. You have prisoners waiting for up to ten years or more for cases to be heard. Disgraceful and none of the MPs are highlighting this in parliament. Why are you people satisfied with the lack of interest your MP’S are putting in your constituency? MP’S are elected as your Voice t o bring issues to the government that is affecting you. LET THEM DO THE WORK YOU VOTED THEM IN FOR, THEY ARE IN FACT WORKING FOR YOU, WITHOUT YOU THERE WOULD BE NO THEM. USE YOUR VOTES WISELY, YOU DESERVES MORE, SO DEMAND IT.
Really..Mister you were a part of the Shower Posse showering ppl wid bullets..God go wid u..
He shouldn’t get a dime from the GOJ. When are you going to atone for the 5+ murders you and your cronies (Jim Brown, et al) commit at that crack house in Miami, including the murder of the pregnant girl. You were there, and all the victims were innocent.
You were tried and sentence in the USA, so trying to collect money when you were set for extradition. Appealing would not have changed the outcome. Yuh lucky yuh never end up dead like Jim Brown.
@10.44
I was the person @ 10.44. I want to disaccioate myself from this person whom I don’t know and neither support his alleged past actions.
My response was based on the courts system in Jamaica regarding the time time it takes for cases to be heard before the courts, and questions some of the judgments that are handed down. That I do stand behind, the reasoning behind it is, for too long prisoners , are waiting for up to 10 years before their cases comes before the courts. Some of these are innocent, being away from their families including their children and missing out on important aspects of their lives. Those who are in fact guilty are released without getting the sentence they deserved because of a number of reasons, the main reasons are, witnesses are dead or cannot be found, documentation regarding the case are misplaced, and the officers who dealt with the case is either retired or on vacation.