Law-abiding citizens have expressed shock and outrage at last week's murder of three teenagers and a man in the Monymusk housing scheme, Hayes, Clarendon.

They are hoping the culprits will be held quickly by the police and brought to justice. Some say too many murders are being committed in the country and it is time the police do everything possible to get rid of criminals.

"How can a human being look at innocent children, and just gun them down in cold blood?" a woman queried.

"These criminals want to murder people but they want to have their lives spared. They will go to all lengths to fight legal battles to save their lives," she said.

"I believe criminals like those should be lynched before the public so that others will see how serious we are about their wicked acts," she added.

One of her friends queried why government has refused to hang murderers whereas hanging has not been abolished.

"I don't understand how these evil men commit these murders and, for no reason at all, they are not being hanged.," she said, disclosing that her brother was shot and killed during a robbery. His killers have not been found.

"These men go about killing innocent people because they know people are afraid to report them to the police. They fear their friends will come and kill them," she said.

She said there were persons who had witnessed her brother's killing but refused to give statements to the police.

"If the citizens are afraid, or are not interested enough, to make reports to the police, how do they expect the police to arrest these killers?" she asked.

A man reported that he had to leave his home in Kingston five years ago to live in St Ann, because he was a witness in a case and was receiving death threats. He said he went to court and testified and the man was convicted.

"I witnessed a murder. I stood up and did my part. I implore all citizens to assist the police in fighting crime," he said.

"Things gone real bad now, when gunmen can just walk up and shoot innocent children and adults. I often say to my friends that any man who is found with an illegal gun has the intention to commit murder. There are some worthless persons in this country who, even when they know that the men are known killers, are leading demonstration when people are shot and killed by the police. Some of them will even tell lies that the killers were innocent - knowing well that they killed in cold blood. It is time they stop it and start reporting these gunmen to the police because, very soon, they will turn the guns on them too."

One woman said she sympathised with the parents and relatives of the teenage boys and all children murdered this year.

"It is very hard for parents to face the fact that the lives of their innocent children have been snuffed out by these wicked gunmen. They should be hanged the day after they are convicted in court," she added.

A person convicted of murder has the right to appeal against conviction and sentence. The first step is to the Court of Appeal. If the conviction is not overturned, the convict can take the matter to the United Kingdom Privy Council, Jamaica's final appellate court.

Although there are a number of cases in which persons have been sentenced to hang, no hanging has taken place in Jamaica since 1988.