Captain Collingwood thus came to the conclusion that the dying slaves would ultimately mean a lost of profit and so suggested, and then later enforced that suggestion by ordering the sicken slaves to be drowned to enable insurance claims despite the unwillingness of his crewmen. The evidence will show that he executed his plans with only one objective in mind, financial gain.
First fifty-four of the feeble and helpless Africans were cast into the open ocean. Then forty-two followed. And finally twenty-six others met a similar fate. They were very much alive, when they were condemned to their deaths, I gravely assure you. It was a very sad moment for humanity. Do we all not value and guard our lives with a fiery passion? Evidently, Captain Collingwood values his life exceedingly and yet, he is very much prepared to sacrifice the lives of others for the sake of greed, for his own monetary gain.
Imagine what the abandoned slaves must have felt. Their cries of grief and pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears. They wept till tears would no longer come, these men and women alike. Like us, they treasure their lives, and they too, would desperately harbor a fragment of faith in however bleak a situation in hope that, they could somehow, live on. They reached for safety and a chance to survive, but they were none. Only the rough waves and icy gales did numb their senses and dimmed even their tiny flicker of hope. The cold froze their blood and they shivered uncontrollably until they could no more. They were disoriented, exhausted and terror-stricken and yet they knew not why they must die, till the last of their dying breaths. But you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will know precisely why and how they died as it will be proven to you that they died solely because of one man’s insatiable greed and his total disregard of the lives of others.
Later, the defense would try to lead you to believe that it was out of necessity that Captain Collingwood murdered or even suggest that, the horrific display of mass murder and such immense cause of suffering was merely a simple matter of chattels or things being disposed off. Was the situation that severe, that such drastic steps must inevitably be taken? Sadly, the truth remains that, they had died in vain for there is no justification for Captain Collingwood’s actions whatsoever. When he had set out to commit such tyranny and cruelty, clearly, he has declared war on humanity. And if there must be a defense to this, it must be insanity, for I cannot conceive of how anything short of dementedness that could drive a person to such bestiality.
Your duty, ladies and gentlemen of the jury is to ensure that the innocent be not punished and for the guilty to expiate for their crimes. Thus I leave this solemn task in your capable hands.
And I will prove to you, in the days to come, that the defendant is guilty far beyond a reasonable doubt and I cannot and will not rest until justice prevails.
Thank you.
By: Sylvia Ching-Ye Kong, Sharon Hui Hui Yeo and Esther Eu Boon Chai Date: 12th July 2004
