BARBARA GAYLE, Staff Reporter

A man whose left leg had to be amputated after he was shot and injured during an alleged shooting incident with the police and gunmen was successful in gaining his freedom on a no-case submission by defence lawyer Patrick Peterson.

He is Leighton Taylor, 23, of Greenwich Park Road, Kingston 12, who was a student at the time of the incident.

The Crown led evidence in the Gun Court that about 5.30 p.m. on July 18, 2005, a police party was on patrol in the Kingston 12 area when they came upon a group of seven men who opened fire on them. The police returned the fire and the men ran.

hospitalised

The accused Taylor was later found in a gully suffering from gunshot injuries to the left leg. He was taken to hospital where the leg was amputated. The police identified Taylor as one of the men who fired at them.

After the Crown closed its case, Peterkin made a no-case submission that Taylor should be freed because of inconsistencies in the Crown's case and the fact that the identification amounted to a fleeting glance.

Peterkin in referring to the inconsistencies in the Crown's case pointed out that one policeman testified that the men were armed with rifles while another policeman said the men had handguns. He said from the evidence, the policemen concentrated on the clothes the men were wearing rather than on the faces.

In urging the judge to free Taylor, Peterkin said there was no independent evidence presented by the Crown. He said Taylor's hands were not swabbed to ascertain whether he had recently fired a gun.

Mr Justice Horace Marsh upheld the no-case submission and freed Taylor of charges of illegal possession of firearm and shooting with intent.