Attorney’s secretary hid naked in hole to avoid killers

Patricia Cox, a lawyer’s secretary, cried constantly in the witness box yesterday as she recalled hiding naked in a hole in the forest from men who had been hired to kill her. Cox, who escaped three assassins allegedly hired by her boss, yesterday  relived her brush with death and her determination to survive by hiding naked in a hole and later running  through the Northern Range Cumberland Hill forest in the night, searching for help. She sobbed as she recalled her ordeal to a jury, giving a graphic account of how a man called Jason Holder had ordered her to strip naked after informing her that her boss, attorney Joseph Melville, had given him $1,000 to kill her.

Cox said she tried to bargain and offered $20,000 to Holder to spare her life. When Holder asked Cox for her bank account number and she told him she could not remember it, he kicked her in the abdomen. Believing that she was going to be killed, she became frightened and started to run and then rolled down a hill for about 400 feet. Yesterday, Cox continued her second day of testimony before Justice Melville Baird in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court, where Melville Joseph and taxi driver Hilton Winchester are answering four indictments. They are charged with conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and assaulting Cox on June 28, 2001. Holder, who is also charged with the others, is not before the court. A fourth man, Alinsley Alleyne, who had taken part in the crime and then turned State witness, died after testifying in the Magistrates’ Court. Melville is being defended by attorneys Nathaniel King and Ken Saga, while Winchester’s attorney is Thomas Cunningham. Senior State attorney

Trevor Ward is prosecuting the matter with assistance from George Busby. Under cross-examination by King, Cox admitted that she once faced four fraud-related charges with Melville, but has since received an immunity from prosecution on those charges. She had sworn to an affidavit claiming that she had witnessed a man sign a document giving him power of attorney. Cox, who is in police protective custody, was reluctant to tell King where she presently works as an accounts clerk. She initially refused to tell him that she was working with a CEPEP programme, and only did so after the judge instructed her to answer. However, Justice Baird refused to let her give out the address. Cox, who ended her evidence in chief yesterday, told the nine-member jury that after rolling down the hill, Jason caught up with her and brought her back to the top of the hill, but not where they were initially. She said, Jason told her to take off her clothes and he tied her hands with her bra and her feet with her shirt. She was then made to lie on the ground. Jason then ordered Cox to take off her panties but she pointed out her hands were tied. He then burst the sides of her underwear and pulled them off. Jason then came to the back of Cox and announced that he was going to put her in a “sleeper” — a strangle hold used by wrestlers.

As Jason squeezed Cox’s neck she became unconscious. It was about 7 pm and nature-watcher Ainsley La Tren, who was in the area, saw the stirring and called out. Jason started to run towards La Tren who jumped on his bicycle and rode away. Cox said while Jason was running toward La Tren, she regained consciousness, untied her hands and feet and started running. A sobbing Cox related how she was frightened and hid in a hole naked. She recalled later hearing voices and seeing beams from torchlights, but did not know who the people were, so she remained hidden. Sometime later, she made her way through the forest until she came upon a house about 1 am the following day.  At the house she met a man and a woman and related her predicament. The woman gave her a robe to put on and the man $10. The man took her to the road and placed her in a taxi for St James Police Station. She made a report and was allowed to bathe and was given fresh clothing. She was also taken to the hospital and examined. When hearing resumes today, King will continue his cross-examination.