Shannon’s file not yet with DPP

This was revealed yesterday when the man accused of killing Banfield, Dale Seecharan, reappeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court yesterday.

Sitting in for Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar was Magistrate Cheron Raphael, who adjourned the matter to January 30.

Seecharan’s attorney, Larry Williams, enquired whether the DPP’s Office received the file to have a State attorney appointed to prosecute his client. In response, police prosecutor Insp Winston Dillon said as far as he was aware the file was “still in transit.” Williams then questioned the slow pace with which the State was moving with the matter.

“It has been about a month now that this man has been charged and up to now the file has not reached the Office of the DPP? What was the police doing for all that time, still gathering evidence?” Williams asked.

He was reminded that there was a process to be followed.

“And you know how the process goes Mr Williams, the file is in transit,” said the magistrate.

Seecharan is charged with murdering Banfield sometime between December 4 and December 9 at Charlotte Street in Port-of-Spain.

Banfield went missing on December 5 and three days later, her decomposing body was found at the warehouse of IAM and Company.

Seecharan, who was an employee at the store, was charged for the murder about two weeks later.