The Court of Appeal has reserved judgement in the case of Collis ‘Chucky’ Brown, a former police constable who was convicted on several counts of murder, which occurred while he was an alleged member of the reputed police ‘death squad’.

The court on Friday reserved judgment in the matter at the end of the appeal process for Brown, who is trying to overturn his conviction and 51-year sentence.

Brown’s appeal challenged both conviction and sentence. His attorneys, Norman Godfrey and Patrick Peterkin, argued that the trial judge erred by refusing to sever the charges for separate trials, by rejecting a no-case submission, and by admitting three question-and-answer documents allegedly obtained under inducement.

The court again heard that Brown was part of a Clarendon-based ‘death squad’, which allegedly carried out extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals.

During an interview with the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM), which was played at the trial, Brown described how he was recruited into the unit because he “had the heart” for it.

He testified that the death squad had 16 members, received instructions from a senior police officer, and was given resources such as an M16 rifle and a white Probox vehicle to carry out killings. He alleged the Police High Command supported their work and celebrated their role in reducing murders.

Brown was found guilty in 2018 on three counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and wounding with intent. He was sentenced in January 2019 to life imprisonment and ordered to serve a total of 51 years before becoming eligible for parole.

At the time of sentencing, Brown was 41 years of age. He argued in court that, given his age, his sentence was “manifestly excessive” and that the trial judge erred by not allowing separate trials for each incident.

Evidence presented at the trial showed Brown fatally shot Damoy ‘Gutty’ Dawkins along the Palmer’s Cross main road in Clarendon on January 10, 2009. He was also convicted of murdering Dwayne Douglas and Andrew Fearon along the Swansea Main Road, also in Clarendon, on December 13, 2012.

For Dawkins’ murder, Brown received life in prison with eligibility for parole after 20 years, plus additional sentences of eight years for conspiracy and 15 years for wounding with intent. For the 2012 double murder, he received two life sentences with 31 years before parole on each count.