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Having read about the tragic demise of 81-year old Noel Chambers, who was locked up for 40 years on a murder charge and deemed unfit to plead, Opal Morgan has become very concerned for her brother, Adrian Morgan.

Adrian, 31, who like Chambers is mentally challenged, has been locked up for the six years, awaiting trial in relation to the 2014 death of St James construction worker Mario Deane. He was charged jointly with Marvin Orr and Damion Cargill.

Previously prepared psychiatric reports declared that Orr and Morgan, who are both mentally challenged, were fit to plead. Cargill has been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial and was released into the custody of his family.

Under the Criminal Justice (Administration) Act, two sets of psychiatric reports are needed before proceeding with a defendant's fitness-to-plead hearing.

Deane was allegedly beaten by other inmates on August 3, 2014, while in custody at the Barnett Street police lock-up in Montego Bay. He died at hospital three days later.

Adrian was in custody after being arrested and charged for the possession of ganja before the incident occurred.

"This year make six year him in a jail and him mentally ill. All him do a go court and then the judge put it off," Opal said.

The concerned sister said that she last saw her brother in February, but with the ban on visits to jails and correctional facilities to help contain the spread of COVID-19, she has no idea if he is alright. She said that the Chambers' matter has left her worried.

"Me feel it, because it look like a the same thing gonna happen to my brother," she said. "My mother need justice for her son and I need justice for my brother, because he is in jail for almost six years for something he didn't even do."

Most unfortunate

Attorney-at-law Franklin Halliburton, who represents Morgan, described what happened to Chambers as most unfortunate.

Chambers, whose body bore bedsores and bites from bedbugs, had been held at the pleasure of the governor general after being charged with murder on February 4, 1980. He died in January 2020.

"I'm happy that in my matter, there is a family that is eager to follow up the case just to see an outcome. In these types of matter you can't take short cuts, so for this Adrian Morgan matter, I have to ensure that the due diligence is done and it is properly done," said Halliburton.

He said Morgan's matter is scheduled to be heard on July 4.

"For the judge to determine whether or not he is able to plead, it has to be put before the jury. He needs two medical reports from two practitioners, and the government services only have one," Halliburton said.

"The court has made orders for the medical reports to be obtained and we will be going back to court to ensure those things are in place, after which the jury makes a decision [as to] whether it accepts or rejects what the doctors are saying. So even when we get the reports, nothing can be done until the issue is placed before the jury," he said.