Security Guard Admits Dozing On Night of Murder- Day 8

Details

police

Saturday, 11 June 2011 02:30

By Colin Sampson

Antigua St John's - Two UK citizens a security guard on duty at Cocos hotel on the night of July 26, 2008 took the witness stand on day 8 of the Mullany/Anderson murder trial. The guard said he might have fallen asleep on the night of the murder.

Police Sgt #3460 Timothy James of the South Wales Police Force was the first. On Sunday August 3, 2008, after a briefing at the Scientific Support Unit at Police Headquarters in South Wales, he went to an address in Swansea and carried out a search at the home of Benjamin and Catherine Mullany.

He found a box that appeared to have originally contained a Nokia 5310 Music Express cell phone handset. Having checked the contents, he seized the box as an exhibit, bagged the item, and, having recorded the time, date, and location of his discovery, assigned to it his Unique Reference Number TJ3. Sgt James identified the exhibit when it was shown to him. The box was then entered into evidence.

Next on the witness stand was Elizabeth Olds, a disclosures manager with the Orange Telecommunications Network based in Bristol, United Kingdom. She described her work as relating to the disclosure of telecommunications data to law enforcement agencies under UK legislation.

On August 4, 2008, Olds was asked to disclose to the Metropolitan Police information relating to two Orange telephone numbers. Referring to her statement made on November 11, 2008, she identified those numbers as relating to Benjamin Mullany and Dr. Catherine Bowen, both of Swansea in the UK. The witness identified the two addresses relating to both persons.

Responding to a request from the Metropolitan Police, Olds produced a record of incoming and outgoing calls connected to both telephone numbers, covering the period July 13, 2008 at 1000 hours (GMT) through October 23, 2008 at 1200 hours (GMT). From these records, she prepared two exhibits, numbered EO17382A and EO17382B, respectively. After the witness identified both documents, the exhibits were tendered as evidence.

Olds noted an incoming text message on July 14, 2008 at 2120.55 hours to Catherine Mullany’s phone. This she identified as a “welcome” message from the Digicel network. On the same date, at 2120.59 hours, the same phone received an incoming text message from the Orange network. This, the witness indicated, was most likely to advise the subscriber of call charges relating to roaming. Olds identified Catherine Mullany’s phone service as a “Pay As You Go” (prepaid) account. She also noted that at that time, the Orange Network had roaming agreements with Digicel, Cable & Wireless (Lime), and APUA (PCS).

Describing Benjamin Mullany’s phone service as a “Pay Monthly” (postpaid) account, Olds identified the box (Exhibit TJ1) as having contained an Orange Network Nokia 5310 Express Music phone having a unique 15-digit serial number (IMEI or International Mobile Equipment Identification number). The original SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card pertaining to that IMEI number is linked directly to the telephone number, and enables the phone handset to make roaming calls outside the UK on any other mobile phone network.

Olds also told the court that all Orange Network phones are “locked” as a standard feature when issued. It is possible to “unlock” such phones to enable the use of non-Orange Network SIM cards. However, the original IMEI will remain the same.

Telephone records relating to Benjamin Mullany’s service showed an outgoing call on July 13, 2008. The last outgoing call was made on July 24, 2008. Text activity was shown on Benjamin Mullany’s service on July 25, 2008. Records for August 21, 2008 indicated an incoming call from an Orange network customer in the UK.

Subscriber details relating to Benjamin Mullany and Catherine Bowen’s phone service were identified and entered into evidence as Exhibits EO17382C and EO17382D, respectively.

The court then heard testimony from Ian Newell, one of the three Gridlock Security guards on duty at Cocos on the night of July 26, 2008.

Newell was unable to tell the court when he started work with Gridlock Security Services. He described his duties as checking from room #1 to room #15. He remembered nothing unusual about the night, except that a gate at the back of the property that he had earlier secured was later found open after the incident.

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The first indication the witness had that anything was amiss was at about 4:40 am, when the guest in room #20 shouted at him that he should check room #15, which was located six rooms away. Upon going to room #15 he saw a woman lying on her back on the floor with her arms stretched out.

A man was kneeling by the side of the bed, leaning on it, with blood on the back of his head and neck. There was also blood on the bed. Newell reported his findings to Brinsley Barrie at the front desk. Barrie then called the police, who shortly arrived.

The witness said he had been living in Antigua for about one month when he was hired by Gridlock Security Services. He had no prior convictions either in Jamaica or in Antigua & Barbuda. Newell further said that his passport was the only document he had tendered to Gridlock Security before his employment.


The witness admitted that he may have “taken a nap” during his shift, which ran from 7 pm to 7 am. If he did so, however, the nap was taken standing up. Newell advised the court that he had had no security training.

The trial resumes on Tuesday, June 14 at 9 am.

Mullany/Anderson murder trial- Day 1

Mullany/Anderson murder trial- Day 2

Mullany/Anderson murder trial- Day 3

Mullany/Anderson murder trial- Day 4

Mullany/Anderson murder trial- Day 5

Mullany/Anderson murder trial- Day 6

Mullany/Anderson murder trial- Day 7

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