Former Cop Granted $500,000 Bail in 2007 Killing of Teen

A former police constable accused of murdering an injured teenager while he was being transported to hospital in 2007 has been granted $500,000 bail after spending nearly two decades outside Jamaica.

Morris Lee, 67, was granted bail in the Gun Court on Wednesday following an application by attorney Chadwick Berry. He is also represented by attorney Christopher Townsend.

Lee is charged with the murder of 18-year-old Ravin Thompson, who was initially wounded during a security forces operation in Kingston on July 27, 2007.

As conditions of bail, Lee must surrender his travel documents and report to the police twice weekly. A stop order has also been imposed at all ports of entry and exit. He is scheduled to return to court on November 25.

According to police reports, six soldiers and two police officers went to the vicinity of Alexander Road and Ashley Road after receiving information that an armed man had been seen in the area.

The team reportedly encountered a man matching the description standing with two other men outside a premises. That man allegedly drew a handgun and pointed it towards the patrol, prompting a soldier to fire 11 rounds.

Two men reportedly fled towards the rear of the property, while Thompson fell to the ground with a gunshot wound.

Thompson’s aunt helped place him in a patrol vehicle and accompanied him as the team headed towards Kingston Public Hospital.

Conflicting accounts later emerged about her removal from the vehicle. One account alleged that a soldier pushed her from the moving vehicle, while another stated that a police officer pulled her out while it was stationary.

The vehicle carrying Thompson subsequently stopped on Darling Street, near the railway station, after a request for it to pull over.

It is alleged that Lee and another constable spoke during the stop. A soldier reportedly overheard the other policeman telling Lee, “Yuh haffi deal wid it.”

Lee then allegedly telephoned someone to ask what he should do.

The allegations further state that Lee handed over an M16 rifle, which was placed in Thompson’s hands before the two constables allegedly shot him.

The initial police account reportedly attributed Thompson’s death to a shoot-out between members of the security forces and gunmen in the St Andrew South Police Area.

The matter was referred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in December 2007. In June 2008, the office ruled that Lee and fellow constable Mark Russell should be charged.

Both men had, however, left Jamaica, and attempts to execute warrants were unsuccessful. Lee reportedly departed a month after the shooting.

He was arrested at Norman Manley International Airport on May 28 this year after being deported over immigration-related matters. When cautioned, he reportedly said, “It was not me.”

Russell was extradited in 2012 and convicted of Thompson’s murder in 2017. He received a life sentence with a minimum of 24 years before parole eligibility.

However, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction and set aside the sentence in October 2021, citing factors including extraordinary delays in the judicial process and issues concerning the trial evidence.

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