The remaining handful of gangsters aligned to the One Don faction of the Klansman gang were growing increasingly agitated after rival criminals, emboldened by the absence of alleged leader Andre “Blackman” Bryan from their midst, began picking off even their family members.

The latest of several recordings of captured telephone conversations played in the ongoing trial of 33 individuals accused of being part of the gang on Thursday afternoon into Friday morning featured a conference call involving some 12 gangsters laying frenzied plans for cars to be rented and men and weapons deployed for reprisals in the Shelter Rock Area.

During the recordings, the accused Joseph McDermott, alias Pappa, who was said to be responsible for guarding the gang’s Jones Avenue headquarters at nights, is heard declaring that “Big Lane, ennuh bredda or ovah deh so, nuh straight again.”

According to Witness Number One, the former gang member who recorded the conversations while working undercover with the police, McDermott’s sentiments meant that the gangsters were no longer sure if “over that side can be trusted; we are not sure if they are still friends or aligned”.

In that conversation it was noted that Bruckie (apparently a former ally who had defected) had sent a message indicating that, “him a pree Teacher fada next. Him seh a bare family him a touch”.

During the call, one of the alleged gangsters was heard prescribing, “Gi dem di ants nest style”.

Asked by the prosecutor leading the evidence to explain what this involved, the witness said, “Ants nest style meaning invade dem community nuff nuff, dat mean seh more than ten persons going into the community to attack all at once”.

In another call, the witness was heard informing former Jamaica Defence Force soldier Jermaine Robinson, who is also on trial, that the girlfriend of Kevaughn Green (Bryan’s brother), who is also on trial, had been a casualty.

“Di man dem a go continue dem sitten deh, ennuh because dem have it seh yow, dem nuh si nutten a reach dem back, ennuh,” Robinson is heard declaring.

“Ah nuh lie, no retribution nah gwaan, yuh si it,” said the witness, who had been heard expressing dismay that no attempts had been made to fire on a blue car that had been used by rivals to conduct a shooting in the Jones Avenue area.

“Bredda, to how it look now anything weh di man dem si fi drop, anything,” the army man declared, adding that he wanted to talk to his leader, Bryan.

“A matter of fact, from Danny ting, yuh don’t see seh yow, a nuh like seh is a strange man. Dem know seh a di dog family dat, bredda; from deh so mi si seh di man dem nuh have no regards fi nutten,” Robinson added.

The One Don faction of the gang, allegedly presided over by Bryan, had descended into chaos after his incarceration in 2018, resulting in serious infighting amongst the remaining members. Over that period several other key players in the gang had also been jailed, further crippling the already gutted criminal organisation.

The trial resumes on Monday at the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston before Chief Justice Bryan Sykes. It is expected that two more witnesses will be called, including one who will speak to graffiti on Jones Avenue, the stomping ground of the Bryan faction.

It is unclear when the court will resume hearing the remaining recordings, due to the absence of transcripts for those conversations.