$25,000 too much to pass up

A jury heard yesterday that a man could not let $25,000 in contract money pass, so he followed through his plan to murder Patricia Cox, legal secretary of attorney Joseph Melville. However, the plan backfired as Cox survived the attempt on her life to tell her ordeal to the court.  Hilton Winchester, one of the men accused with Melville of the attempted murder of Cox, had related in a statement to the police the part he played and what he had observed. According to Winchester’s statement, which was read to the jury yesterday, he stated that on June 28, 2001, he was dropping his mother home at Long Circular Road, St James, when Ainsley Alleyne, whom  he knew as “Beatle,” came out from a “big time car and flagged him down.” Beatle told him he had a “wuk” for him.

Alleyne, 26,  had turned State witness but died last December after testifying at the Magistrates’ Court. Jason Holder, another accused, is not before Justice Melville Baird in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court,  where the others are on trial, because he cannot be found. Senior prosecutor Trevor Ward and George Busby are representing the State, while Nathaniel King and Ken Sagar are representing Melville and Thomas Cunningham is representing Winchester. Winchester explained that he “pulled bull” (use a private car as a taxi) in the St James area, and after he dropped his mother off, he was again flagged down by Beatle who was in the same big black car, a Sonata. He said Beatle entered his car and told him to follow the black car. He did not “dig anything” because he knew Beatle for about three years previously. Beatle told him that the driver of the black car was Jason Holder’s  lawyer (Joseph Melville), and that the lawyer was paying them $25,000 to kill his secretary and “the body must not be found.”
According to Winchester’s statement, when the black car reached Park Street, Port-of-Spain, the driver of that car gave him a hand-signal to stop behind. He did so and Jason came out of the black car and entered his car. Meanwhile, Beatle  left his car, walked a little distance away and waited in a side street. The black car then drove down Frederick Street.

Winchester said he “got a little worried” because he knew that “Jason does always get himself in trouble,” but he did not show his feelings.  He said that Jason had asked him if Beatle had told him if he knew where they were going, but he replied, “No.” Jason then said: “Frank garage is the best place. Ah tell Jason that I don’t like them things, and Jason said, ‘boy ah cyar let that money pass.’ Jason then gave me $100 and he tell me they would give me any amount of money ah want afterwards. Jason then tell me that the girl the lawyer want dead coming in about the next ten minutes. I then see a young girl come and stand up by the corner. Jason then come out of my car and called the girl. Jason then tell me to turn in the same street where Beatle went up and I stopped a little way from the lights (traffic lights). The girl then came close to my car and asked Jason where we going to sign this paper, and Jason started to fumble. He eventually said, up by the man.

“Then I saw a man walking up the same street where the girl came from. He was a tall, dark, slim Negro man, with glasses with a little beard and wearing a white long sleeved shirt with different colour stripes. The man then pointed to his watch and told Jason, ‘look at the time. Is time to handle the scene. The said man with the long sleeved shirt then told the girl to go with them and make sure the man sign the papers properly and bring it back for him.” Winchester said he picked up Beatle, who was walking towards the car and the four of them drove off. He stopped at a gas station and put $50 in petrol and then drove to Cumberland Hill, Fort George. Winchester recalled that before Cox had entered his car, Jason had instructed that he must ask him (Jason), “if is he (Jason) who stab the woman in the alley.” He was instructed to ask this question in a loud tone of voice so that Cox will hear. However, Winchester did not ask the question.