Court hears of Tumpuna Road fight — two men injured

POLICE CORPORAL Michael Richards yesterday testified that accused Ancil Samuel admitted striking a man with a piece of wood to his head during a fight in July, 2000.  The fight left two men hospitalised with head injuries. Richards was giving evidence in a trial where Samuel is charged with attempted murder of Ernie Moreau, attempted murder of Ricky Guerra, causing grievous bodily harm to Moreau and causing grievous bodily harm to Guerra. The matter is before High Court Judge Ivor Archie in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Criminal Court. In his evidence Richards said he was stationed at Malabar Police Station on July 31, 2000, when he received a report about an incident at the corner of Evergreen and Tumpuna Road. He dispatched two officers to the address. They reported back to him and he went to the scene where he found a pool of blood on the roadway, a piece of wood about 14 inches long, a piece of concrete slab and a stone. He took the articles back to the station and contacted official police photographer PC Alexis to take pictures of the scene. Richards said he went to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he met Jason and Claudette Villafana standing next to a stretcher. Moreau was lying face down on that stretcher. He said the two accompanied him back to the police station where he recorded a statement from Claudette and spoke to Jason. Following his conversation with Jason, he accompanied Jason to the scene of the incident where a piece of wood about 34 inches was identified to him.

Richards said he returned to the station, lodged the piece of wood into evidence and recorded a statement from Jason. Later, on August 1,  he recorded a statement from Guerra. He also went to Ward 21 of the Port-of-Spain  Hospital in an attempt to get a statement from Moreau. However Moreau was not responding. Back at the station, Richards identified himself to Samuel and informed him that he was investigating the incident which occurred on July 31. Samuel replied “I hit “Tooths” on the head with a piece of wood, but I ain’t beat nobody else.” However he refused to record a statement. On August 2, when Samuel still refused to give a statement, Richards said he told him that he, Samuel would be charged with the offences. The exhibits were later sent for forensic testing. Under cross examination by defence attorney Wayne Sturge, Richards admitted to mounting a search for four other suspects based on information he had received. However he was unsuccessful since he did not have the names of any of the men for whom he  was looking. The court then heard details of the fight that took place and which caused the injuries to the two men. Under cross examination, Guerra stated that he and eight other friends had drunk about three bottles of brown cow between them. However he denied that he was drunk at the time of the incident, or that he attacked Samuel with a knife. The matter was subsequently adjourned.