Roger Lightbourne Sr., a suspect in the murders of two homeless men, volunteered to help Police get fellow suspect Darronte Dill to speak about the crime, Supreme Court heard yesterday.

Dill, 19, is currently on trial alone, accused of perpetrating the double killing. According to prosecutors, he may not have acted alone but that does not mean he isn't guilty. He denies the charges.

Superintendent Antoine Daniels, the officer in charge of the inquiry, explained to the jury yesterday how the sting operation came to pass.

He said a telephone call was received on September 26, 2008 from someone purporting to recognise Roger Lightbourne Sr. as one of the perpetrators of the crime five days earlier.

The Police took a statement from that witness the following day, September 27, and Roger Lightbourne Sr. and his son Roger Lightbourne Jr. were both arrested at their home in Tommy Fox Road, St. David's that same day.

Dill was arrested at the same address three days later, on the evening of September 30. Mr. Daniels told the jury that Mr. Lightbourne Sr.'s lawyer, Elizabeth Christopher, came to his office around three hours after that, at 10.30 p.m.

"She asked me if I would allow her client to assist the Police in this case," he explained. "She went on to explain her client can be put in a Police holding cell close to Mr. Dill to speak to him about the murder."

Mr. Daniels said the plan was to electronically record the conversation and also have Police note it in writing but Ms Christopher did not want it recorded.

At 11.25 p.m, a witness picked Mr. Lightbourne Sr. out during an ID parade as what Mr. Daniels described as "one of the perpetrators" of the crime. The sting operation was put into action later that night (see page one story).

Asked by prosecutor Carrrington Mahoney what the purpose of it was, Mr. Daniels replied: "For the investigative side, we had Mr. Lightbourne Sr. in custody, whom a witness had just identified as being involved.

"What I was hoping was that Mr. Lightbourne Sr. and Mr. Dill were gonna talk about this murder which would enable the Police to gather further evidence to strengthen the case."

He said no promise had been extended to Ms Christopher on behalf of Mr. Lightbourne Sr. in relation to this.

In answer to questions from defence lawyer Anesta Weeks QC, he confirmed that he'd issued an order on the day of Mr. Lightbourne Sr.'s arrest that he should not be allowed to contact anyone except his lawyer. This, he said, was for the reasons of "preservation of evidence (and) not threatening witnesses."

However, he said he found out on Friday of last week that despite this order, Mr. Lightbourne was allowed while in custody to ring two individuals who were not lawyers.

Mr. Daniels confirmed in answer to further questions from Ms Weeks that Mr. Lightbourne Sr. had been interviewed over the murders by the Police, in the company of a lawyer, before the sting operation. Dill had not been.

He explained this was because Dill had been arrested late in the day and a lawyer needed to be found for him, so he'd decided the interview would be done the next day. He said he'd also ordered that Dill was not allowed to call anyone apart from a lawyer.

Ms Weeks also quizzed Mr. Daniels over Mr. Lightbourne Sr., who he described at one point in his evidence as a "bad bad guy". He said he's known of him for more than 20 years and he has previous convictions and "a reputation" although not for murder.

Mr. Daniels agreed with Ms Weeks that one of the Lightbournes although he was not sure whether it was junior or senior had been investigated for an assault at the St. George's nightclub Ovation on September 21, 2008. The DJ Gregory Outerbridge nicknamed Sheep was said to have been assaulted by a man wearing what Ms Weeks described as "a dreadlocks wig," and had jumped into the water as a result.

Ms Weeks went on to put it to Mr. Daniels: "You also received information that two or three weeks before this murder, the Lightbournes attacked a homeless person in town." She explained she'd got this from the notes of another officer, Detective Inspector Jerome Laws. Mr. Daniels replied: "Could have been, I don't remember."

The defence lawyer also asked: "Are you aware that someone from the Black Horse Tavern right next door to where Maxwell Brangman sadly lost his life ran out and said Randy Lightbourne and Roger Lightbourne killed 'mad Max'? Did you know that was a piece of information received?"

She did not explain the reference to the name Randy Lightbourne.

Mr. Daniels replied: "I don't know the specifics."–The case continues.