Police testifying in cocaine case: We did not make up evidence

THE prosecution’s entire case against Diego Martin businessman Stephen Gocking was challenged on Tuesday by the defence during the cross-examination of the police officer who searched a house in the district in 2001 and allegedly found some 206 orange juice tins containing cocaine mixed with acetone.

Cpl Michael Charles of the Organised Crime and Narcotics United (OCNU) was grilled by Gocking’s attorney Larry Williams, but denied the attorney’s contentions that his client was not in charge of the house at Franklyn Road, off Union Road, Four Roads, Diego Martin, on August 14, 2001, or that the majority of tins were found in Gocking’s wife's SUV.

Williams challenged Charles on his evidence on the weight of the tins that police allegedly found at the house; of alleged utterances made by Gocking; and his occupation of the house.

In response, Charles insisted his testimony was 100 per cent the truth, insisting that Gocking was present during the search when the tins of cocaine were found, and that seven of the nine boxes which contained the tins were found in the SUV.

On the weight of the tins, Charles said when he weighed them at the Woodbrook police station, the boxes found in the kitchen weighed 24.986 kilogrammes and the boxes of tins found in the SUV weighed 89.382 kilogrammes.

The certificate of analysis prepared at the Forensic Science Centre, three days later, put the weight of the boxes found in the house at 14.91 kilogrammes and those in the car at 51.24 kilogrammes.

“Are you sure the discrepancies in the weight is not because police, you, did not do the exercise properly? To make things up in an effort to make up evidence?” Williams put to Charles.

The officer's response was, “I am sure police did not make up any evidence against the accused.”

Charles also, for the first time, produced a personal desk diary he allegedly used to note utterances made by Gocking during the search. Williams described the production of the diary as a “farce.”

Charles also insisted during this cross-examination that he had sufficient evidence to charge Gocking.

The prosecution is alleging that on August 14, 2001, police executed a search warrant at the house at Franklyn Road and found a total of 206 orange juice tins which all contained cocaine.

Forty-five tins in two boxes were found in the kitchen, as well as a solid block of cocaine, while 161 tins were found in seven boxes in an SUV parked in the yard of the house.

The trial began on Monday. Presiding over it is Justice Maria Wilson. The State is represented by prosecutors Joy Balkaran and Shabanna Shah. Shaun Morris is also defending Gocking.