Who is popular today?

WITNESS Number One - the former member of the St Catherine- based Klansman Gang who has been testifying against his cronies remotely since the trial began last September - yesterday jarred the court with his brave request to forsake his secret location and come toe to toe with his former accomplices.The court had been poised to finally begin hearing recordings of purported incriminating conversations between the gangsters which were surreptitiously made by the witness who started working with the police undercover in 2018 to help dismantle the gang.Prosecutors, since the trial began in September, have fought tooth and nail to surmount several roadblocks in order to have the phones, the compact discs with the recordings and the transcripts of those recordings entered into evidence. They finally succeeded after Chief Justice Bryan Sykes on Monday ruled that the recordings were in fact admissible as evidence under the 2017 Evidence Act. Further on Tuesday the three transcripts of the recordings which had been blocked were also successfully tendered and admitted into evidence. The transcription of the recordings began in 2019 and ended in 2021 the court has heard.Yesterday, after Witness Number One, who was being recalled by the Crown, identified for the court the three phones he allegedly used to record the calls, the much-anticipated moment seemed to have arrived after a nail-biting wait during which the court's registrar tried to open and play the first of the audio file which is on the court's register as exhibit 50.That hurdle cleared, the prosecutor leading the evidence instructed the Witness, "...please listen to the recording, I will ask you some questions afterwards".The beginning moments of the audio from the outgoing call , which supposedly took place on April 23, 2019, was being played for a second time as the first attempt had been distorted, when the witness made his startling proposal."Your Honour, I can recognise the voice but I still can't hear 100 per cent clearly, I know that person is 'City Puss' (accused who is yet to be formally identified for the court)"."Your Honour, can I be permitted to come in the courthouse, Sir; inside the court?" the witness, who has claimed that he has had to bleach his face, change his hairstyle and hide from the gang as he is being 'hunted', requested."You want to come inside the court?" the chief justice quizzed."Yes sir," the witness responded.Said the trial judge, "that is a matter the prosecutors and defence would have to decide"."Milord, I crave your indulgence for a moment, I need to confer," the prosecutor leading the evidence indicated.That indication saw the court rising for 15 minutes to allow for discussions between prosecutors and the defence.Upon resuming, the chief justice indicated that the trial would be adjourned to allow for the court to retreat to his chambers for a case management conference.The witness, who has told the court that in terms of rank he and City Puss fall after alleged leader Andre "Blackman" Bryan, the accused Stephanie Christie, and another individual called "Biggs" (not on trial), has also said he has never seen City Puss face to face. In October last year he described City Puss as "evil", claiming to have had multiple telephone conversations with him.Those conversations, he alleged, were laced with "violence, nothing but violence" as "City Puss always had somebody who him want fi dead"."City Puss call mi like every night. Sometimes wi on the phone for hours, more than one of us speaking," he told the court, noting that those calls usually included Bryan, Christie (the only woman among the 33 accused), and several others.The witness, who is the second ex-member of the gang to take the stand, in November of last year, said he downloaded a call recording app to automatically tape multiple cellphone conversations which he saved. He said he forwarded the recordings to the police when the memory became full. He told the court that he had been the one to approach the police investigators with an offer to oust the gang after alleged leader Andre "Blackman" Bryan had been taken into custody.He said initially investigators had disbelieved him when he told them that Bryan, who was then incarcerated, had called him from a private number from the confines of the prison. He said while in their presence he received a call from Bryan and put the phone on speaker so they could hear Bryan speaking to him for themselves, at which point they realised he had not lied.The witness has told the court how after a conversation including Bryan and City Puss, he received instructions to collect a gun which was being held by the accused Roel Taylor. He said he called a member of the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations (CTOC) with who he was in contact. He said he allowed the CTOC investigator to drive his car to a yard on Jones Avenue which was part of the gang's stomping ground. Once there he said the accused Roel Taylor entered that yard through a fence carrying a gun "in a black scandal bag". He said Taylor handed him the weapon, telling him not to move as another individual was coming with the "corn" [bullets]. The witness famously testified that he introduced the investigator who was with him to the unsuspecting gangster as his uncle.He, in the meantime, has maintained that in giving evidence against Bryan he was "afraid", and remains so. He, however, during the trial has said, "I told myself, even if I was charged I would do my time to save people's lives". According to the witness, "it wasn't part of me to be part of a gang. I was forced into this gang by Blackman; I'm not a crime producer... I had no choice, either I do what Blackman told me or I would be dead".Thirty-two men and a woman accused of being members of the gang on are on trial for various atrocities allegedly committed by the criminal enterprise.The matter will resume this morning at 10. It, however, was not clear whether the request made by the witness has been granted by the court.