by BARRY ALLEYNE

LEAVE RASTA ALONE!

That was the clear battle-cry from the Rastafarian community yesterday, moments after Coroner Faith Marshall-Harris determined that the former Barbados Exhibition winner I'Akobi Maloney, had died by misadventure last year.

Tension reached fever-pitch in the small courtyard of the Coroner's Court on Roebuck Street at 5 p.m., when grieving mother Marguerita Maloney exited the court, raised her hands in the air, shouted "misadventure" then crumpled to the ground before berating a number of police officers regarding their conduct when I'Akobi died on June 17 last year at Landlock, St Lucy.

The mother's cries only fuelled emotions, as I'Akobi's father David, and his young brother Mandela, also started to shout at police officers stationed at the court.

"I have pictures of my son's body, brutalised, manhandled," she preached.

"I call on the ancestors to deal with all the perpetrators of this verdict. This is only an earth verdict," she said before collapsing for a second time.

Most of the insults, however, were hurled at Sergeant Wingrove Headley, one of two officers who were on hand at Landlock, and alleged that I'Akobi suddenly ran away from their custody, and jumped over a cliff, 50 feet to his death.

A stoic Headley stood outside the court for a few minutes while more than 30 Rastafarians shouted accusations at him.

In a corner, the Maloneys' attorney Andrew Pilgrim broke down in tears, then receded to the empty courtroom, as the grieving mother was comforted by supporters.

At the gate of the court, armed members of the Royal Barbados Police Force's Task Force stood on watch, automatic weapons at the ready in case of trouble. Inside, uniformed cops quickly escorted the coroner to her private office after the verdict, then told the crowd to leave. It was 5:07 p.m.

The Rastafarian members, all decked out in red, held Marguerita to her feet, but continued to hurl insults, and vowed the movement would continue to seek justice.

"This is not the end. This verdict is not the end. This is just the beginning. This is the straw that broke the camel's back," father David screamed, whilst pointing and waving a flag of Ethiopia.

"Murderers," brother Mandela shouted through tears.

"Bun Dem! Fire! Jah, Rastafari," the Rastafarian community chanted almost in unison.

Calypsonian Observer was also on the scene, and vowed Rastafarians would never be able to live in peace and harmony with police.

"You need to leave Rasta alone. You need to let us live," he shouted at a uniformed officer.

Earlier, police presence on Roebuck Street and the Greenfield area was doubled, as the verdict's 2 p.m. start neared. Long before that, scores of Rastafarians had already gathered, and were individually met by Marguerita Maloney with hugs and kisses.

Coroner Marshall-Harris began her decision at 3:15 p.m., and concluded at 4:46 p.m. with her verdict of death by misadventure, thus ruling out suicide, or unlawful death.

Inside the small courtroom, Maloney, hugged by her son Mandela, choked back tears throughout, but then sobbed uncontrollably after the coroner said she would not determine that I'Akobi had died unlawfully at the hands of the policemen who took him into custody at Landlock that fateful day.

After the verdict, Ayeisha Delpeche of the Justice Committee said they would in no way accept a verdict of death by misadventure, and would continue to seek justice in I'Akobi's name.

"That verdict only means to us, that the coroner is saying he committed suicide, without actually saying he committed suicide. There's no way that verdict should stand. We will appeal this decision to a higher court. We will keep his name in the public eye. Our work has just begun," she told the SATURDAY SUN.