“Papa” Brown case withdrawn

Another major case will not be prosecuted in the courts, but this time, it is not due to lack of evidence but by the victim’s request to stop the proceedings. In February, Andrew “Papa” Brown, Winston “Taga” James, Francis Guy, James Hyde and Lionel Kelly were arrested and charged with kidnapping after Wallingford Requeña reported that he, his wife and three children, were kidnapped by the men in Gales Point Manatee. At the time Requeña claimed the men beat him and questioned him about cocaine, put the family in a car and drove them to Belize City, then took them to Brown’s residence in Belama and then back to Manatee by boat. Requeña initially told police he handed over a kilo of cocaine during the ordeal. None of the family members were injured. But the incident followed the disappearance of the Garbutt family during the week before Christmas and the triple assassination of Emil Franklin and his crew and police were quick to indicate at a press conference that they believed the cases were all related. They stressed that they had no concrete evidence and were going strictly by the similarity in the modus operandi, or method of operation. This week, Requeña apparently had second thoughts about his allegations and signed an affidavit requesting there be no further action against the accused. The Director of Pubic Prosecutions, Adolph Lucas told News Five he carefully examined the file to see if someone else could take up the case, but there was no other evidence. He says in kidnapping cases it is largely up to the victim to declare he was taken somewhere against his will. When the men were arrested Requeña also refused to attend an identification parade. The D.P.P. says it is becoming increasingly more common for people who claim to have been the victim of a crime to later come forward and say they do not want the matter to proceed.