Discredited government witness Jonathan Ash has been ordered to turn in his police-issued handgun as authorities no longer believe his story that his life is in danger.
Ash, who has been convicted of illegally operating a business during the COVID-19 pandemic and had his goods seized by the Customs Department after he failed to pay Customs duty on alcohol, manipulated police into believing that his life would be threatened after he agreed to testify in the high-profile cases of former PLP cabinet ministers Kenred Dorsett and Shane Gibson.
Ash even had police protection as he sprinted up the stairs of the Magistrates Court to face criminal charges. However, he lost all credibility on the witness stand in the Gibson trial when the defense poked multiple holes in his version of events. Gibson was acquitted of all charges.
It didn’t help that leaked recordings revealed that the lead police investigator in the case, Debra Thompson, held a joint meeting with the two key government witnesses and their attorneys to “iron out inconsistencies” in their police statements.
Following Gibson’s acquittal, Ash was allowed to keep his gun but police questioned the wisdom of this after Ash demanded that he be paid to testify in the Ken Dorsett trial.
After Ash was informed that prosecution witnesses are not compensated for testimony, he refused to testify and the case was thrown out.