Former murder accused: Prison is not a nice place!

“Prison is not a nice place for young people.”

This is the assessment of Marshel Hadaway, who was cleared yesterday, at the High Court, of the charge of murder of Cuthbert “Cutty” May.{{more}}

“They should never get into trouble and they should never, ever put themselves in a place like that,” the now 24-year-old said.

He said that he has four years to catch up on, having been arrested and charged when he was 20 years old, and he intends to enjoy every minute of it.

A smile came to the young man’s face as the judge repeated the pronouncement that the case had been dismissed and he was free to go.

“This means that we are not proceeding with the charges anymore,” Justice James said.

He, however, cautioned the young man that that did not mean that the prosecution was not able to charge him with something else.

“You will be sleeping somewhere else more comfortable,” the judge told Hadaway.

“God is good! He is the one who helped me through,” the young man told SEARCHLIGHT.

“Once you have hope and faith, He will see you through anything. He will prove your innocence no matter how long it takes,” Hadaway continued.

Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Colin John told SEARCHLIGHT that a decision had been taken to nolle prosequi the case. He explained that after reviewing the file, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Colin Williams made the decision.

One of the defence attorneys, Ronald Marks, further explained that Justices Frederick Bruce-Lyle and Wesley James were instrumental in having the case thrown out.

“We raised issues with the judges with regard to the state of the evidence and the matter was shortlisted at the previous assizes,” Marks said.

Following the death of one of the key witnesses in the case, the matter was again raised after the arraignment and was set down for hearing today, Tuesday, the defense attorney explained.

“When the DPP reviewed the file, and from his decision to nolle prosequi, it was clear that he (DPP) agreed with the arguments that were made by the evidence from the deposition.”

May, formerly of Gibson Corner, succumbed to the single gunshot wound to the left side of his back on October 14, 2009. He was shot around 10 pm on October 13, while playing a game of dominoes at Rose Place. Immediately after being shot, May reportedly ran to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, some 300 yards away, where he died the following morning. (DD)