A defence lawyer took aim at the retired officer formerly leading the investigation into a 2017 murder, calling his theory on the crime “impossible”.

Michael Redfern told the Supreme Court that the investigation team believed that Kiari Tucker was the pillion passenger of a motorcycle seen riding along King Street on the evening of the fatal shooting of Morlan Steede.

However, Charles Richardson, representing Mr Tucker, said the theory would require the defendant to change his pants and cross the Elliott Street parking lot in 18 seconds.

"That timeline is impossible,“ Mr Richardson said. ”It’s impossible that the person on the back of that bike is Kiari Tucker. It is impossible that the theory you have floated is correct.”

Mr Redfern, however, said he disagreed. Mr Richardson also questioned Mr Redfern about the search of two apartments in Warwick where the defendant was arrested and items of clothing were seized.

While Mr Redfern agreed that armed officers had no reason to enter the southern apartment, where the clothing was found, he accepted that the police log of the raid had not been located.

“I can only go by the armed officers,” he said. “They told me. They have no reason to lie.”

He said the officers went into the northern apartment after the defendant’s mother, who was in the southern apartment, indicated that the defendant was there.

Mr Redfern said that once Mr Tucker was arrested, the armed officers had no reason to go into the other apartment.

“It wasn’t necessary,” he said. “They didn’t go into the southern apartment. They didn’t go in.”

Mr Tucker, 27, has denied the November 3, 2017, murder of Mr Steede, 35, as well as the use of a firearm to commit an indictable offence.

Earlier in the trial, the Supreme Court was shown CCTV footage from the evening of the murder which showed a man in a white shirt being chased down One Way Deepdale in Pembroke by a figure dressed in black, with flashes of light coming from the pursuer’s outstretched arm.

Mr Tucker was arrested the next day after police discovered him under a pile of clothing in a bedroom closet.

He was subsequently taken to the custody area of the Hamilton Police Station, where swabs were taken to test for gunshot residue.

The court heard that particles characteristic of the residue were found on both of Mr Tucker’s hands, along with a pair of jeans, a red and black handkerchief and a black shoe seized as part of the investigation.

Earlier this week, Detective Chief Inspector Jason Smith denied a suggestion that suspects were regularly transported in the unmarked car assigned to the serious crime unit, although he said it did occasionally happen, as in the case of Mr Tucker.

He accepted that bags were not placed on Mr Tucker’s hands before he was placed in the vehicle to help prevent the possible transfer of GSR.

“I can say in this case his hands were not bagged — but great care was taken,” he said.

Mr Smith added that he did not touch the defendant’s hands when removing his handcuffs at the Hamilton Police Station, stating he had held only the handcuffs.

He also told the court that he had never been an armed support officer. “The test was quite rigorous,” he said. “I don’t think I would have passed.”

• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers