Jamaican Man Accused Of Hijacking Jet Found Guilty
Posted September 25, 2009 12:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A man accused of hijacking a Canadian jetliner while it sat on the airport tarmac in Montego Bay was found guilty Thursday, officials said.
The judge convicted Stephen Fray, 21, of charges including robbery and assault, public prosecution director Paula Llewellyn said. Sentencing was set for Oct. 8.
Fray allegedly pushed his way into a CanJet Airlines plane with 167 passengers aboard April 19. He was accused of firing his father’s licensed .38-caliber revolver into the air, taking money from passengers and demanding to be flown off the island. He was captured after a six-hour standoff.
The men who captured Fray were Canadian-trained members of an elite Jamaican counter-terrorism squad. They entered the plane through a cockpit window, spiriting the co-pilot out and replacing him with two of their own.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was coincidentally in Jamaica for an official visit when the hijacking occurred and rushed to Montego Bay to offer support. At the time, he praised the tactical team for its precision and called the CanJet crew heros.
Earlier in the standoff, quick-thinking flight attendants had convinced Fray to release some 159 passengers in exchange for their valuables.
CanJet is based in Halifax and many of the passengers and crew on board were from Nova Scotia.
The airline indicated Thursday that it did not wish to comment on the verdict.
Defence attorney George Thomas expressed disappointment in the verdict.
Fray “did not know what he was doing at the time, and he did not know that what he was doing was illegal,” Thomas said.
Fray’s motive remains unclear, and Jamaican authorities have described him as “mentally challenged,” without elaborating.
A judge ruled Fray was fit to stand trial after a government psychiatrist determined he was capable of understanding the charges against him.
Some 22 witnesses testified in the trial that began Sept. 14.
With files from the Canadian Press
