Common-law wife turns State witness

THE COMMON-LAW wife of a man accused of murder yesterday gave evidence as a State witness at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Eighth Court in the preliminary inquiry of the murder charge brought against her husband. Natalie Lewis of Mora Trace, Matura, deemed a hostile witness,  was questioned by prosecutor from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Jennifer Martin and cross-examined by defence attorneys Patrick Godson-Phillips, Dawn Mohan and Richard Mason. The matter was heard by Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls.

Lewis’ common-law husband, Nicholas Ali, of Farm Road, St Joseph, was jointly charged with Nadia Pooran, also of Farm Road, Shelly-Ann Anganoo of Tumpuna Road, Cumuto and Tesfa Jones of Coal Mine, Sangre Grande, for the March 25  murder of retired schoolteacher, Ralphy Ramcharan. The body of the Citizen’s Alliance candidate for the 2002 general election was found floating in a river off Black Dirt Trace, Barataria, on March 26. Ali, 22, Anganoo, 18 and Jones, 20, were arrested in Tobago on April 3 and Pooran, 20, was arrested in St Joseph two days later. The four, all unemployed, were charged on April 8 by Cpl Francis Vidale of the Barataria/El Socorro CID. Ali was represented by Mason, Anganoo by Mohan, Jones by Godson-Phillips and Pooran by Aden Stroude. The four accused are to re-appear in court today.