A Grand Court jury has found Fabian O’Connor Jr., son of Cayman’s ‘dancing policeman’, not guilty of attempting to run over his father while the officer was on duty directing traffic and tourists in the George Town waterfront.
The panel of four women and two men deliberated for about 90 minutes on Tuesday afternoon before delivering their unanimous verdict of not guilty to a charge of reckless or negligent driving.
O’Connor Jr., 23, was accused of driving his 10-seater Toyota Noah vehicle at his father, Fabian O’Connor Sr., as the uniformed officer was directing traffic at the junction of Seafarers Way and Fort Street at 8:58am on Wednesday, 23 Aug. 2023.
The senior O’Connor is a familiar figure in downtown George Town where he combines his traffic directions and assistance to cruise ship tourists crossing the road with energetic dance moves.
Giving evidence last week, the officer told the jury that he had “tasted death” in his mouth as he saw the large black bus heading towards him. He said the last time he had felt so scared was when he was “under fire” in the military in Jamaica.
He said he had been standing in the road by the white line at the left turn lane when he saw the vehicle heading for him. He said he backed away towards the kerb as it swerved in his direction, and then had to step onto the pavement as the bus came to a stop at an angle on the double yellow lines. He said if he had not moved out of the way, he would have been hit by the vehicle, which he said was being driven by his eldest son.
His son repeatedly denied in his police interview and in court that he had tried to run his father over, insisting instead that he was just pulling over to talk to him and to “clear the air” between them.
The jury had heard that relations between the father and son were fractured, and they had not spoken for about two years before the alleged incident.
Prosecutor Angelique McLoughlin, summing up the Crown’s case on Tuesday morning, said the numerous grievances O’Connor Jr. had with his father had suggested a motive for why he would want to run his father down.
The defendant had told the jurors on Monday that his dad had not shown up for his wedding, had blocked his repeated attempts over five years to get a job with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, and had asked him to lie in Family Court proceedings following his parents’ divorce.
He also claimed that his father had brought the police to his house to take back a car that O’Connor Jr. said was a gift from his dad, but which the senior O’Connor said was a family car that he’d intended to give to his daughter.
“A lot of alleged family issues were played out in this court, so much so that it would lead us to believe that the defendant did have motive to harm his father,” McLoughlin told the jurors.
“He was so bitter,” she added. “The Crown says that he just decided, ‘You know what, I’ve had enough of you. I’m gonna run you over.’”
No CCTV of incident
O’Connor Jr.’s defence lawyer Clayton Phuran, during the trial, had highlighted the fact that no CCTV footage of the alleged incident had been produced in the case.
A police sergeant who was investigating the case had said that no footage could be found on government or local business cameras in the vicinity when he checked. That officer had not checked with the Port Authority, as suggested by a superior officer, because, the court heard, he had not seen cameras in position there.
The defence produced photographs of cameras in the vicinity, however, including at the nearby Port Authority site, which it claimed would have shown the street junction in question.
The Crown’s McLoughlin countered this, saying those photos were taken recently, and there is no evidence to show they were in place in August 2023 or, if they were, that they were pointing in the direction of the junction.
Phuran had also questioned why O’Connor Sr. had not radioed for 911 assistance immediately after the encounter with his son, and had not made a report about it until later that day.
O’Connor Sr. had said he was left so shaken and confused by the incident that he did not remember to use his radio. He said he then needed to go to his youngest son’s school immediately afterwards to deal with a matter there, so he did not get a chance to make a report until later.
McLoughlin urged the jury not to focus on the family’s issues, but instead to concentrate on the crux of the case – whether O’Connor Jr. had driven his car on that morning in such a reckless or negligent manner that it endangered his father’s life or safety.
The jury decided ultimately that he had not.
Phuran had argued that the actions of the father over the years towards his son, and his other children, could be interpreted as backing up the defendant’s contention that his dad was setting him up.
Asked by Phuran how he felt about his father accusing him of trying to run him over, O’Connor Jr. responded that he was “heartbroken”.
“At the end of the day, he’s still my father,” he said.
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