MILTON 'Tony' Welsh, an activist for the ruling People's National Party (PNP) and reputed 'area leader' for the Brandon Hill community in rural St Andrew, was yesterday charged with murder in relation to the January 15 fatal stabbing of Damion Hussey in Golden Spring.

It was not clear yesterday when he would appear in court to answer the charge.

Hussey, 21, was set upon and beaten, allegedly by men returning from a PNP rally officially launching the presidential campaign of Dr Peter Phillips, the security minister.

The incident was sparked by the stoning of buses returning from the rally. But Hussey's relatives said he was at home with his girlfriend when the stones were thrown.

They said he went to his gate after hearing a commotion outside and was set upon, beaten and stabbed several times by a mob. He was pronounced dead at the University Hospital.

Welsh, who is in his 50s, turned himself in to the police on January 30, but after being held without charge, his lawyer, Norma Denton, filed a motion of habeas corpus, to have the police release her client since he was in custody for more than 72 hours without charge.

Senior Resident Magistrate Martin Gayle, who heard the motion in the Kingston Criminal Court, ruled that Welsh be released by 6:00 pm yesterday if he was not charged by the police.

According to police sources, Welsh was charged after being subject to a "confrontation" in which two witnesses, who were taken to his cell, identified him in relation to Hussey's death. This "confrontation", the police said, was sought after Welsh refused Monday to participate in an identification parade.

His lawyer said she had advised him not to take part in the ID parade after he was taken from the Constant Spring lock-up to Golden Spring last Friday.

The integrity of the ID parade, the lawyer said, had been compromised and she subsequently advised her client not to participate in the parade.

In the 1980s, Welsh was arrested and jailed for 40 years in the United States on drug trafficking charges. The sentence was, however, reduced after he co-operated in a plea bargain against other suspected traffickers. After completing his sentence he was deported to Jamaica in 2000.

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