Appeal Court takes a dim view of absent counsel

The Court of Appeal was not happy yesterday with the failure of Senior counsel Theodore Guerra to attend Court. Instead,  he sent his junior Ken Wright. Further, Guerra did not file any grounds  in the matter  of convicted murderer Kenrick London and his wife Chandroutie. Guerra and Wright are representing Kenrick London while Keith Scotland is appealing on behalf of for Chandroutie. Scotland, also did not file any grounds of appeal. Special prosecutor Devan Rampersad told the court that up until 4pm Monday he  had checked with the Registry, but nothing had been filed.

The court, comprising Justices Roger Hamel-Smith, Margot Warner and Stanley John, said it took a dim view that a member of the Inner Bar did not attend court,  and had taken for granted that the matter will be automatically adjourned because he had indicated at the Cause List hearing that he may  not be ready to proceed. Wright apologised for Guerra’s absence. The court ordered that grounds of appeal be filed within 21 days,  and adjourned the matter to a date to be fixed, possibly in February next year. The Londons were convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of their five-year-old daughter Vidya. The child’s skeleton was found on December 2, 1997 in a latrine  at the back of a house the couple rented in Caratal Village.