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the public morgue and had its principal place of business at 31-32½ North
Street, Kingston. It was a term of the contract that no decomposing bodies
would be sent to Madden’s nor was that company required to collect
decomposing bodies for removal to its facilities. The standard operating
procedure, so far as it related to decomposing bodies, was that –
“an on the spot post mortem is conducted by the
Government Pathologist and the Police would take
photographs and fingerprints of the deceased person and a
burial order would be issued and the body would be buried
that day, usually at May Pen Cemetery (MPC).” - See
para.15 of Mr. Madden’s witness statement of 4 February
2016.
14.108.
Madden’s was contracted to store other bodies requested by the
JCF (Police Bodies) until the GoJ ordered post mortem examinations to be
conducted and the bodies were processed for release to relatives. It is helpful to
set out the activities of Madden’s chronologically.
24 May
14.109.
The roads leading to Madden’s on North Street were blocked and
there was gunfire. These circumstances prompted Mr. Madden to arrange with
Taylor’s Funeral Home (Taylor’s) at 42-44 East Street, to store any bodies which
might be brought in by the JCF. Taylor’s had space for 40 bodies.
25 May
14.110.
Mr. Madden was unable to go to his funeral home because of the
unsettled, prevailing situation in Downtown Kingston but he kept in regular
telephone contact with his supervisor, Mr. Langley and other staff who had been
forced to remain at the Funeral Home. About 11.00 a.m. Madden’s sent
6 bodies, connected to the internal security operation, from KPH and 1 from
UHWI, to Taylor’s. Between 3.50 p.m. and 8.45 p.m., with the help of “a soldier
from within the environs of Tivoli”, Madden’s sent another 10 bodies to Taylor’s