A crime scene officer yesterday denied that he manipulated images of last year's smash-and-grab robbery at the John Bull Rolex Boutique on Bay Street with photo editing software.
David Collins, Jasper Curry and Jonathan Armbrister stand accused of the May 22 hold-up in which a masked man smashed a display case with a hammer and took 12 luxury watches, with a cumulative value of $395,360.
Detective Constable 2290 Bruce Chisholm, who photographed the crime scene with a digital camera, also rejected a suggestion by defense lawyer Geoffrey Farquharson, who appears for Collins, that the images could be altered.
While using an image from the CD to which the crime scene images were burned, Farquharson changed the color of a man's pants from white to black while using the Paint program on his laptop.
Despite this, Chisholm maintained that the images could only be changed on the computer, but the alterations would not be reflected on the CD or prints of the images.
Farquharson said this was not the case. At this point, prosecutor Sandra Dee Gardiner interjected, asking, "Is counsel giving evidence?"
Farquharson also questioned Chisholm about why he did not photograph the five fingerprints he said he found on the store's glass showcase before he lifted them.
Chisholm explained that the reflection from the flash on the glass would have made it difficult to photograph the prints.
Farquharson suggested that there was nothing to prove that the prints were really lifted from the crime scene and not from a desk in the interview room at the Central Detective Unit.
Chisholm agreed he could not prove where the prints were lifted from.
Chisholm continues his evidence today. He is the first witness to be called in the case since it began on May 9.
Legal arguments have protracted the trial, which was scheduled to last two weeks.
Chisholm first took the stand on March 14, but his evidence was interrupted by challenges to the admissibility of the photos on CD.
Yesterday, the court allowed the images into evidence. However, the prosecution did not have a projector so the images could be viewed on a large screen.
As a result, Chisholm walked around with a laptop to show the images to the judge, lawyers and the jury.
Gardiner said that a projector was supposed to be in court and she would not make any excuses for its absence.
Justice Indra Charles said: "I hope this doesn't happen again, Ms Gardiner. Please don't let it happen again."
Jomo Campbell appears for Curry and Jerone Roberts appears for Armbrister.

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