The murder trial of Trinidadian teacher Michelle Coudray-Greaves took an unexpected turn in Jamaica on Wednesday after an orthodontist refused to disclose her dental records, which are central to the case.
According to a report in the Jamaican Gleaner on Wednesday, during a hearing in the Montego Bay Magistrate's Court, resident magistrate Sandra Wong-Small had to adjourn the matter because the prosecution did not disclose DNA, forensic and telephone records.
The report said that Jamaica's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn would be approached to intervene in the case, after the court learned outstanding dental records were being withheld. "It is understood that the orthodontist is holding on to the records until he is paid," the report said. Taxi driver Ivan Taylor, 45, of Whithorn district, Westmorelands, has been charged with Coudray-Greaves' murder.
Coudray-Greaves, the daughter of Gender, Youth and Child Development Minister Coudray, was reported missing on June 1. Her disappearance came two days after she returned to Jamaica from vacation in Trinidad. Almost two weeks after she went missing, Jamaican authorities discovered her burnt remains in a canefield close to Montego Bay.
During Wednesday's hearing, Wong-Small refused a request from Taylor's attorney Shelly-Ann Young to reduce his bail. Wong-Small had previously granted Taylor J$200,000 bail but he was unable to secure it. At two prior hearings, Wong-Small warned police investigators to refrain from repeatedly questioning Taylor while he was in custody, after Young complained he was being interrogated in her absence. The matter will be heard on next January 8.