Accused meant to kill the baby

The State made this submission in the San Fernando First Criminal Assize yesterday to the 12 jury members trying Basdeo for murder of the baby two years ago. In her address to the jury yesterday, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul said there was direct evidence which showed that Kyle had died at the hands of Basdeo. She reminded the court of the testimony of the baby’s mother and wife of the accused, Toy Basdeo.

Toy had testified that on November 11, 2003, she was asleep with the baby at their home at Ganga Trace, Crystal View, Manahambre Road, Princes Town, when Basdeo pounced on her with an upraised cutlass. Disputing Basdeo’s testimony — that he meant only to planasse Toy — Honore-Paul told the jury that the 11-centimetre chop wound which extended from the skull to the brain told another story.

"You will have to decide for yourself whether it was a planasse or a chop," said Honore-Paul.

Attorney Rupert Frank, who defended Basdeo, said the accused suffered a "blow" when his wife told him that baby Kyle was not his child. "Those are stinging words," Frank told the jury, "after this man had been supporting this child as his own."

Frank continued: "These are words that lead other men to take gramoxone, hang themselves and commit all sort of acts. I am not saying they have a right to, but let’s be realistic."

Frank reminded the jury that on the day of the killing, the murder accused had gone home hungry. However, instead of getting a meal, the attorney said, he got into an argument with his wife. The attorney said murder accused Basdeo was angry with his wife and had raised the cutlass to planasse her, but "she put the child in the way."

Frank told the jury that the accused had no animosity towards the child in the 15 months that the child lived in his (Basdeo’s) house.