Cops release acquitted man

(CNS):  A police spokesperson has confirmed that the man arrested outside the courts following his successful appeal against his conviction for the murder of Omar Samuels has been now been released on police bail. Osbourne Douglas, who was freed by the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal on 29 November was immediately taken into custody before he had chance to leave the court house in the wake of his acquittal in connection with the murder of Jason Christian and attempted murder of Keith Montague in September. Sources tell CNS that the police believe Douglas used a cell phone from inside the prison to lure Montague to the location where the two men were shot.

Police arrested Douglas minutes after he was released by the appeal court after the three judge panel had quashed his murder conviction alongwith the convictions of his co-defendants Brandon Leslie-Ebanks and Patrick McField. The appeal court judges had set aside the life sentences and all three men were released after serving more than two years in prison.

However, as Douglas began to leave the court alongside Leslie and McField he was immediately arrested by officers from the RCIPS for conspiracy to commit murder in connection with what police believe is a gang related killing which took place in Cranbrook Drive off Crewe Road in George Town in September.

Although Douglas was in Northward at the time of the attempted murder of Montague and the murder of Christian police believe Douglas sent text messages to Montague directing him to go to the address where the men were shot. When Montague and Christian arrived at the location in a white van police believe the gun men ambushed them and opened fire as they remained inside the vehicle. 19 year old Christian’s body was found sittingin the driver’s seat with a firearm which had not been fired sitting beside him.

Montague, who despite receiving four gunshot wounds, managed to stumble into the next street where he flagged down a police patrol car. He was taken to George Town hospital before being airlifted overseas where police have confirmed he is still recovering.

While police believe that there was more than one gun man involved in the Crewe Road shooting but no one else has been arrested in connection with the killing and no charges have been laid against Douglas.

Meanwhile, Brandon Leslie one of Douglas’s co-defendants in the Samuels case enjoyed only a few days of freedom. He was arrested by officials in Miami as he tried to return to Florida where he is now a resident before he was arrested in Cayman while he was visiting family in 2009. Leslie was arrested by law enforcement on the aircraft in connection with a gun smuggling incident in 2008 where several guns were exported from the US to Cayman inside a refrigerator, and he remains in custody.

Michael Timothy Ebanks was arrested, charged and convicted of a smuggling when he tried to collect the fridge which was sent to him from the US after an inspection revealed the door panel contained an AK–47 magazine, one Mach 10 magazine, two Smith and Wesson handguns, a Titan Tiger handgun, a Taurus .45 handgun and a quantity of ammunition.

Ebanks pleaded guilty as he admitted that one of the guns was meant for his own use as he needed it for protection and was sentenced to five years imprisonment in November 2009.