The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Court Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO OFFICERS testified in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday at a man’s ongoing sacrilege trial for breaking into a church last year.

Rudy Sands was present in court before Magistrate Kendra Kelly as D/C Alexis Scott and Inspector Rosenell Butler gave evidence connecting him to a break-in at Evangelistic Temple on Collins Avenue sometime between November 29–30 2021.

During D/C Scott’s testimony she said that at around 1:30pm on November 30 as part of CSI she canvassed the upstairs southern bathroom of the church’s administrative building. There she observed a missing bathroom windowpane and a smeared handprint on the bathroom wall.

She then photographed the room and took latent fingerprints from the scene which she labeled with the complainant’s name, her police ID and the date.

Later at the Criminal Records office the fingerprints were scanned and the images from the camera transferred to a disc and enlarged. This signed CD with the case number attached was presented in court and entered into evidence.

Inspector Butler of the Criminal Records Office and certified finger and handprint identification specialist then spoke of her part in investigations, starting on December 1. As she walked the court through the similarities in the accused’s handprints and those from the scene contained in the CD.

After explaining that no two individuals have the same fingerprints the inspector presented the finger and handprint impression cards to the court. These were also entered into evidence.

Upon completion of the officers’ testimonies the court found there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the case against Sands.

With his case proceeding the accused elected to take the stand to speak in his own defence when his trial continues on June 13.