WESTERN BUREAU:

A policeman who decided 'to walk the straight and narrow' admitted to the court on Tuesday that he had fabricated a statement against a man accused of murder.

When the preliminary enquiry got under way against 22-year-old Jason James of Granville, St. James, in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court, Detective Constable Carey Lyn-Sue admitted to Clerk of Court Adrian Nelson that the statement submitted, as well as the Crown witness, were false.

The Professional Standards Branch has since been called in to probe the incident.

"We'll await the outcome of the investigation to determine what action will be taken against him," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Clifford Blake, officer with responsibility for Area One, which includes Trelawny, St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland.

Detective Lyn-Sue, who is attached to the Area One Accident Reconstruction and Investigative Unit, remains on active duty. He has been serving the Jamaica Constabulary Force for the past seven years.

Confession

The cop admitted that he submitted the false statements after no one was willing to come forward with evidence in the case. James, who is said to be a member of the notorious 'Killer Bees' gang, was charged in relation to the April 1, 2006, gun murder of Sheldon Shaw, 23, of Retirement, Granville.

Attorney-at-law Albert Morgan, who represented the accused, said he was deeply disappointed in the actions of Detective Lyn-Sue, whom he described as "an officer that I have the greatest of respect for". He, however, commended him for his courage in coming forward and confessing.

The cop, who was asked to take the witness stand, told RM Carolin Tie that he decided to tell the truth because he had changed his life and decided, "to be true to himself".

As a result of the officer's confession, no order was made against James, who is now serving time for a gun-related incident.

Allegations against James were that, about 2 a.m. on April 1, 2006, Shaw and a friend were walking home from a wake when James and an armed man came from behind bushes and attacked them.

Shaw and his friend ran but the accused men caught up with Shaw, who had a deformed leg. James allegedly punched him and he fell. Shaw attempted to run again but James' accomplice fired three shots.

After the shooting subsided, a relative was alerted and took Shaw to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.