Ex-DPP to prosecute 5 for murder

Former Deputy Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Rangie Dolsingh, has been retained by the DPP’s department to prosecute five men charged with the murder of Barataria handyman Roger Alexander. Senior Counsel Dolsingh and senior prosecutor Jeron Joseph will come up against ten attorneys, including Pamela Elder SC and Osbourne Charles SC, when the trial starts on Thursday. When the matter was called yesterday, Dolsingh informed the court that he was ready to proceed with the trial but the defence asked for an adjournment “to put their house in order.” Justice Rajendra Narine granted the adjournment and cleared his trial list to start the hearing of this matter on Thursday.     

The accused, Garvin Sookram, John Wayne Alleyne, aka “Bumbles/Mouse,” Junior Sook-ram aka “Country,” Hassan Sanchez and Ronald Gaskin aka “Doom,” will be tried before Justice Narine in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court. They are accused of killing Alexander on August 19, 2000. The body of Alexander, 35, of  Eighth Avenue in Malick, Barataria, was found at the Barataria recreation ground. The State is expected to call about 25 witnesses and Elder told the court that she expects the trial to last about five weeks. Sookram is being defended by Elder and Owen Hinds Jr, Alleyne by Charles and Elvis O’Connor, Sookram (J) by Sean Cazabon and Dawn Mohan, Sanchez by Keith Scotland and Nadia Astraph, and Gaskin by Margaret Rose and Richard Mason.