‘Gangster pastor’ gave thugs guard rings

The lone female defendant in the One Don Gang trial, who is said to be a pastor, had reportedly supplied members of the gang with guard rings that are believed to offer protection from evil and witchcraft.

A former high-ranking member of the gang testified yesterday via video link in the Home Circuit Court that the defendant, Stephanie Christie, whose alias is 'Mumma', had informed him that she was a pastor of a church in St Thomas.

"She go to church every Sunday and she also go on church trips and she also invited me on those trips but me never go," he said. "She even give me a ring and say me need protection but I didn't take it. If you look on Sickhead [defendant Lamar Simpson] finger now you see one."

According to the witness, he met Christie when he got involved with the gang in 2016 and initially thought she was the girlfriend of the reputed leader Andre 'Blackman' Bryan.

However, he said he later learnt that she was the gang's link to the police. The witness explained that she was the person who provided the gang with information about any unmarked police car being in the area, including licence plate number. The court also heard from the witness that Christie would also sort out bail and legal representation for gang members when they were arrested. According to the witness, Christie often visited Bryan at the gang's alleged headquarters in Jones Avenue in St Catherine.

He further told the court that when Bryan was arrested, she came to him and said "Wi need to up wi game as wi caa mek Blackman ting wata dung." This he said he understood to mean that "...From him [Blackman] deh a jail nobody naa dead and nuh killing naa gwaan."

During further evidence, the witness testified that the gang had its own 'court' in the Rivoli and Waterloo Lane communities of St Catherine. He said wayward gang members would be summoned or taken to a spot in those communities where they would be disciplined by gang members and its leader.

"Dem beat you and if everybody vote fi you dead, dem kill you. But at the end of the day it is up to Blackman," he said, adding that he had to beg for one alleged gang member named 'Stennet' given name Michael Whitely. The trial will continue today.