Benjamin Fraser, one of the attorneys representing Rushane Patterson, said the murder accused is in fear for his life after being threatened in lockup.
Patterson has been charged with the murder of 35-year-old social media influencer 'Slickianna', whose given name is Aneka Townsend. He is also accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stemming from an incident on November 3, 2018.
The 33-year-old was brought before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Thursday to answer to the assault charge. When the matter was called up before Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque, Fraser expressed concerns for his client's safety, alleging that he was threatened while in lockup.
"My client feels threatened being in Kingston, given the matters that are before the various courts, Your Honour. My client received threats while he was in [name of lockup redacted] warning him not to come to this parish, otherwise he would be put in jeopardy and he is in fear for his life," Fraser told the court.
He did not state who threatened his client.
Cole-Montaque suggested that Patterson be housed at "one of the most secured locations" such as Horizon Adult Remand Centre. "It is a matter entirely for national security," the judge said.
The assault charge against Patterson relates to an alleged incident in the St Andrew South Police Division. He is alleged to have physically assaulted a woman after a jealous rage, according to the police. The allegations were not shared in open court on Thursday, but Fraser challenged the Crown's case and described the matter as one that was "dug up".
"The complainant is still not here and I think perhaps it would be honourable for the prosecution to consider offering no evidence against Mr Patterson. It is a 2018 matter, Your Honour," the attorney submitted.
The prosecutor shared that the complainant's statement was taken on December 20, 2018 and the investigating officer's statement was signed on November 6, 2022.
"The court is not satisfied that the complainant was even notified to be in attendance today, so albeit that this incident might have happened in 2018, the officer's statement is dated 2022. Do you know if the complainant was advised of the court date?" the senior jurist quizzed Fraser, who said that he could not answer.
Cole-Montaque added that there are provisions within the law that allow for matters to be brought before a criminal court, even if they happened 30 years ago.
She did not entertain Fraser's application for bail. The matter was adjourned until January 30, 2023 and it is expected that a bail application will be heard at that time. A subpoena was also issued for the witnesses.
Patterson was recently ordered remanded in custody by the St James Circuit Court, where he is being tried for Townsend's murder. Rohan Rose is charged jointly with Patterson for misprision of a felony in that case.