WPC accused of meddling with crime scene

A FINGERPRINT expert attached to the fingerprints office at the St James Police Station was  told by attorney Patricia Roberts on Thursday that as a police officer her “first duty is to preserve life, not to pick up rum bottles.”

WPC Joslin Parris was giving evidence at the inquest into the circumstances surrounding the November 20, 2002, death of Phillip Seerattan at the International School, Westmoorings.  Seerattan, then 17, was fatally shot by police after he entered the school’s compound and shot a security guard. The matter was  heard at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Eighth Court with Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls presiding as Coroner. Several times during her cross-examination of the female officer, Roberts, who is seeking the interest of the Seerattan family, accused her of being “on her own frolic” because she had “meddled” with items at the scene without the instructions of the investigating officer, ASP Badall. In response, Parris insisted that she was the only fingerprints expert at the scene then, and she was only doing what was expected of her as a crime scene officer.

The court heard that Parris arrived at the school between 3 and 3.15 pm on the day in question, along with Sgt Stephen Ramsubhag, Cpl Hayden Hannays and PC Ricardo Montrichard. On arrival there, she said she was handed a letter, which she examined for fingerprints. The letter, she said, had no print impressions developed on it and she placed her initials on it and gave it to ASP Badall as soon as he arrived on the scene. She said she also checked for fingerprints on two VAT 19 rum bottles, one found on the desk in the reception area and the other on a table in the computer room where Seerattan was allegedly shot. However, she added, no impressions were developed on the bottles and she placed her initials on them and later forwarded them to ASP Badall. In the cafeteria, she said, she saw “people in a frantic state” and assisted in calming them. She said when she later went upstairs to the computer room, she saw the “deceased” lying on the floor between a table and some computers. She could not, however, describe the position of his body because she did not go too close to the body. When it was brought to her attention by Roberts that she had referred to Seerattan as “the deceased” five times, Parris said “he is deceased now Ma’am.”  In response to Roberts’ question as to why she did not attempt to find out the medical condition of Seerattan, Parris said the “paramedics” had arrived on the scene shortly after she did, and were already attending to the teenager. 

PC Montrichard of the Anti Corruption Investigation Bureau also gave evidence. He said he was accompanying Sgt Ramsubhag, the teen’s father, Jagoonanan Seerattan and other officers up the stairs to the computer room, when they were met by Cpl Babb. After speaking to Babb, he said, Ramsubhag then instructed him to return downstairs to interview and take a statement from the the boy’s father. He denied that he had prevented the the older Seerattan from going to see what was happening with his son. Montrichard said he interviewed several other persons and did not go to the computer room until about two hours later. Another witness, Anthony Jacobs, told the court that he saw when security guard, William Ramnarine, was shot. Jacobs, of Woodnip Crescent, Bon Air Gardens, Arouca, was a chef at the school at the time.  He said he and two of his co-workers, Nadia Lewis and Natalie Harris, were leaving the compound when they heard the explosions. He said he was about 50 feet away from Ramnarine when he saw the guard “pitch back and fall to the ground.” Jacobs said he ran as fast and as far as he could because he was fearful. Attorney Lydia Mendonca is seeking the interest of the school and Martin George is representing the two, WPC Suad Weekes and PC Gary Moore. Hearing resumes on Monday.