Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

WHILE HE is now a hero to the church community which has hailed his confession as 'the right thing to do', some policemen are labelling Detective Constable Carey Lyn-Shue a traitor, saying he has breached the code of silence among colleagues.

Last Tuesday, Detective Constable Lyn-Shue, who is attached to the Area One Accident Reconstruction and Investigative Unit, confessed in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court that he had fabricated evidence in a murder case. As a result of his revelation, a no-case order was made against the accused man.

Following Detective Constable Lyn-Shue's confession, he was promptly suspended from duty by police chief, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, who not only condemned his past action, but also ordered a review of all the cases he had handled, inclusive of statements he had given.

Consequently, Detective Constable Lyn-Shue has all but become a pariah among some of his colleagues, who are now worried that what he said could do irreparable damage to the careers of the other policemen who were involved in the investigation.

"That thing (the case) happened two years (ago) and now this man has decided to make a fool of himself and his colleagues who were involved in the case," said one policeman, who asked not to be identified. "Personally, I believe he needs a proper psychological evaluation because it look like him a mad."

Secret pact

Another policeman, who also asked not to be identified, said Detective Constable Lyn-Shue acted in contravention of what he was taught at training school, drawing reference to the secret pact which required that no one backtrack from a contrived storyline, regardless of the consequences.

"In this business, your word is your bond, it is what you live and die by," the lawman said, almost in anger. "You just can't decide overnight that you are now a Christian, so you should go out and talk foolishness to mash up other people's life."

Anticipating the backlash from his colleagues, Detective Constable Lyn-Shue told The Gleaner last Friday, "Some people are saying that I have destroyed my life and my career. However, I am happy to say that whatever I have lost in this world, I have gained in Jesus Christ."

Detective Constable Lyn-Shue's colleagues who spoke to The Gleaner believe his confession amounts to providing police detractors with ammunition to attack their credibility and further destroy the image of the constabulary.

"This is like giving the human rights people and the other police haters a bucket of mud to dash into the face of the police," said a senior policeman, who also asked to remain anonymous. "I believe this offence attracts an 18-month jail term and my hope is that Mr. Lyn-Shue gets the 18 months for the damage he has done."