Counsel for a man accused of a 2016 murder challenged police officers about missing evidence as a trial continued in the Supreme Court.

Davin Providence has denied allegations that he killed Jevon Daniels, his housemate, who went missing in May 2016.

His body was discovered near the Ireland Rangers football grounds at the West End, wrapped in construction sheeting and trash bags bound in blue tape.

Detective Inspector Leroy Mathurin told the court that on May 21, 2016, he and Detective Jason Trott got a warrant to search Mr Providence’s home in Sandys as part of the investigation into Mr Daniels’s disappearance.

He said a search of the property was conducted that day and Mr Providence agreed to give a witness statement.

However, under cross-examination by Charles Richardson, counsel for Mr Providence, Mr Mathurin told the court that he understood that the warrant had been misplaced.

He said: “The police should have filed a copy with the court within 48 hours of its execution. It would appear that didn’t happen.”

Mr Mathurin said that he had left the warrant with officers conducting the search when they took Mr Providence to Hamilton Police Station for his statement.

He added that because he was not involved in the physical search, he was unaware if search notes had been made.

Mr Mathurin also confirmed that, during the investigation, he attended the home of an individual who reportedly had an argument with Mr Daniels before his disappearance.

However, he said he was not able to speak with them.

He told the court that he attended a residence on Sound View Road, where Mr Daniel’s was also known to have stayed.

Mr Mathurin agreed that a resident told him on May 21 that he had kicked out Mr Daniels two weeks prior for his behaviour.

The court also heard from Detective Jason Trott, who said he had received the warrant with Mr Mathurin and seized a phone from Mr Providence after his May 21 witness statement.

He said that after Mr Daniels’s body was discovered, he interviewed Mr Providence’s employer at a construction site where he was working.

Mr Trott said: “After I recorded the statement I noticed some blue tape that, to me, resembled the same tape that the body was wrapped up with in the photograph I had seen.

“The tape had numbers on it. It was blue in colour and the numbers were white. To me, it was unique and resembled what I had seen in the picture.”

He told the court that he seized the tape as evidence and written in his notes that the writing on the tape said “Edge Lock 2093EL”.

Under cross-examination, Mr Trott said he had placed the tape in an evidence bag, brought it to the Serious Crime Unit office and logged it in a police computer system, but could not say where it was.

He said: “I agree with you 100 per cent that it should be here.”

Mr Trott denied suggestions that he had never actually seized any tape and that the evidence documents were a “forgery”, but said he was unfamiliar with the evidence system at the time.

He said: “I have no reason to lie. I have no reason to make up any of this. I did the best I could. This process was new to me.”

The court also heard evidence Nadine Kirkos, a toxicologist, who said she found evidence of cannabis use in samples from Mr Daniels’s liver.

However, she told the court that she did not test for alcohol because the body can produce alcohol as it decomposes.

She also said that she did not test for fentanyl, stating: “It was not part of our testing panel in 2016. It is now.”

Ms Kirkos confirmed that small doses of fentanyl can be fatal, and the drug is known to be mixed with other drugs, including heroin, cocaine or cannabis.

The trial continues.

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