‘Beast’ must face trial after deathbed identification – Court

The building that houses the High Court in Road Town, Tortola.

A High Court judge has ruled that Selroy Hanley, known as “Beast”, will face trial for murder based on the hospital statement of a man who later died from his injuries.

Hanley is accused of stabbing Trevon Elliot on August 30, 2022, at the basketball court in Purcell Estate, Tortola. Elliot gave a detailed account from his hospital bed, identifying “Beast” as the man who attacked him with an ice pick after saying, “all Purcell man is punk”. He died in March 2023 from complications linked to the stabbing.

According to police testimony, Elliot described seeing Hanley, a man he had known for about a year, fixing his motor scooter near the court that morning. The statement said the attacker wore a green long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, and that the assault happened in bright daylight at close range. Elliot also recalled a previous altercation in which Hanley allegedly beat him with a shovel.

Officer Pheiona George told the court she recorded Elliot’s words in the emergency room, then returned the next day to read back the typed statement in the presence of medical social worker Ingrid Penn. Elliot, unable to sign, marked each page with an “X”.

Defence lawyers argued the statement should be excluded because no identification parade was held and the accused could not challenge the account through cross-examination. They also raised concerns about the lack of forensic testing. Prosecutors countered that this was a case of recognition, not identification, as both men knew each other well.

Justice Angelica Teelucksingh ruled that Elliot’s statement was of “reasonable quality” and that a fair trial was possible with proper jury warnings. She noted that recognition evidence can be reliable where the witness is familiar with the accused, and that an identification parade “would have served no useful purpose” in this case.

The court also heard that Hanley admitted in a police interview that he knew Elliot, whom he called “Lofty”, and confirmed details such as living in a pink wooden house behind the basketball court and being the brother of the owner of the nearby Kraven’s restaurant.

Hanley was initially charged with wounding with intent, but after Elliot’s death, the charge was upgraded to murder. He remains in custody as the case proceeds to trial.