Cop charged in Buju’s shooting to face circuit court

WESTERN BUREAU: 
Constable Andrew Wilson, the policeman charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Granville resident Latoya ‘Buju’ Bulgin, has had his case transferred from the St James Parish Court to the St James Circuit Court. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in the circuit court on Monday.
Wilson, who was charged following a ruling by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), was informed of the transfer and his next court date when he appeared before St James Parish Court Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce yesterday. His $1-million bail was also extended.
During the brief hearing, Wilson, who was represented by defence attorney Michael Hemmings, was told that a nolle prosequi had been entered, allowing the matter to be discontinued at the parish court level and transferred directly to the circuit court. A case management hearing is also scheduled for Monday.
“We usually do what is called a committal procedure here. That is, the judge of this court peruses the file and determines whether or not there is enough evidence on the file for the matter to be transferred to the circuit court. In this matter, we are not carrying out that procedure,” Grant-Pryce told Wilson.
“The matter is going directly to the circuit court, where the matter will be dealt with at that level. So, you will come back to this court on July 13 with the understanding that a voluntary bill will place you before the court on July 13,” Grant-Pryce added.
Bulgin, a Granville resident, was reportedly shot dead while participating in a protest organised to highlight the death of her 17-year-old cousin, who had been killed a week earlier in an incident that also involved the police.
Following the May 17 incident, Wilson was arrested and charged on June 3. He made his first appearance before the St James Parish Court later that day after the ODPP ruled on May 29 that he should face charges.
CCTV footage, which was widely circulated on social media, showed a policeman firing into the vehicle in which Bulgin was seated behind the steering wheel.
The incident, including the tossing of Bulgin’s body into a police van, sparked public outrage and fiery protests by Granville residents. Among those condemning the shooting were the People’s National Party Women’s Movement and the Watchmen Church Leaders Alliance.
During Wilson’s first court appearance on June 3, Hemmings argued that his client had been acting in self-defence at the time of the incident.
christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com