12 die over bloody Easter Weekend

TWELVE persons died over this  Easter weekend, six in murders and six in road fatalities. The Easter weekend was marred by murders both in Trinidad and Tobago. In Tobago there were two in two days. Trinidad and Tobago  recorded altogether six murders in six days, three of which took place yesterday. Six road fatalities were also recorded in the east, south, north and central over the same period despite the heavy presence of police on the roads. The latest murder was that of Sangre Grande villager Cornelius `Neil’ Courtney who was shot and set on fire at Road 7 Bois Bande Village. His body was found at 8 am.

At around 6.35 am yesterday a passerby discovered the body of Alister West, 18, of Guapo Village, La Brea, lying on the Vessigny beach, La Brea, with a stab wound to his chest. A woman of the area has since been arrested. Around 11 pm on Sunday night Jiselle Grant, 24, was found brutally stabbed (17 times) at her Buccoo Village home. She was rushed to Scarborough General Hospital where she died around 1 am. A man is assisting police with their investigations. Around 8 am on Sunday the body of a Jusamco Pavers supervisor, Bevon Samaroo, 30, was found with a bullet wound to his temple at Edward Trace, Moruga.

At around 7.30 am on Sunday the body of Larry Phillips, 20, of Moriah Village was discovered dead with a lone stab wound to his chest in an apartment building at Glen Road, Tobago. On Good Friday morning, 9 am, the body of deceased Giselle Frederick was found with stab wounds at a trace in Centeno, an apparent victim in an attempted double murder and arson. Her mother Gracelyn Frederick was also stabbed at her Malabar home and is currently warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. In unrelated incidents, around 3 am a woman who was identified by San Fernando police as Linda Lamonthe, 40, of Montrose, Chaguanas died immediately yesterday when the car she was in crashed into the Godineau Bridge at Mosquito Creek. Five hours later, in similar circumstances Rishi Sieunarinesingh, 30, Williamsville died on the spot when the vehicle he was driving slammed into a utility pole at Poona Road Williamsville, a short distance from his home.

Yesterday morning, porter Vijay Sudhan, 26, succumbed to his injuries after being in a two-vehicle smash-up at Mausica on Saturday night.
Around 2.45 am Chaled Boodramsingh, 21, of Tacarigua, died immediately when a car driven by Jean Pierre Tardieu left the south bound lane on the Uriah Butler Highway and collided with Boodramsingh’s who was heading north killing him on the spot. Tardieu, 45, of Maracas died a short while after at hospital. Following that, around 2.45 pm Ralph Alexander crashed into a tree while driving along Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. He died on arrival at the Port-of-Spain General hospital.

When contacted ACP Nazamol Hosien said he was very disappointed after giving an advisory to the public on how to behave on the roadway. “This was sheer carelessness. The loss of life could have been curtailed or even avoided. “One of deaths was due to alcohol, while others were because of speed and dangerous driving. It is imperative that caution be exercised on the streets especially during inclement weather. The public is simply not adhering to the law.
 
“While we recorded 36 road fatalities for this period as opposed to 49 for last year, one death is too much, it is nothing to crow about. “If you do not care for yourself care for others. There are plenty more holidays to come, practise road safety”. The ACP was, however, optimistic that his officers made a difference over the Easter weekend and he will not give up. “We will be still out there and not give up the fight, we will continue to educate the public on road safety. Remember road safety is everybody’s business not police alone.” Up to press time 300 persons had been issued tickets by the highway department for traffic violations and  108 for speeding over the weekend.