‘Bakr never told me where he was’

POLICE Corporal Jayson Forde said yesterday that when he interviewed Yasin Abu Bakr at the Homicide Bureau on August 21, 2003, the Jamaat leader never told him where he was on the day it is alleged that he conspired with others to kill Salim Rasheed and Zaki Aubaidah. Forde, the 15th prosecution witness, said Bakr admitted he worked at Petrotrin, but never said where he was on June 4, 2003 — the day when Brent Miller and Brent Danglade testified that Bakr gave the orders to kill Salim and Zaki at a house at Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin. “I asked the accused where he was on the 4th of June 2003,” Forde told the jury and Justice Mark Mohammed in the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court.

When told by lead defence attorney Pamela Elder SC that the accused revealed what he had done on that particular day, Forde replied, “there was no need to check out any details. When I interviewed the accused on that day, the information I had, the allegation I put to him, he did not tell me where he was on that day.” He continued, “If I tell you, you were conspiring to kill, you will know where you were on that day,” Forde added. “I wanted the accused to tell me exactly where he was on that day.” Forde said he had no opinion of the accused when he was detained at the Homicide Bureau. He said he had the evidence of Brent Miller and Brent Danglade. Forde denied knowing that Danglade was Miller’s partner.

Elder asked, “So Sgt (Wayne) Dick did not tell you that? You know Chalkdust calypso “Just so?” You didn’t investigate how Brent Danglade came to the police station just so?” After saying that he did not check out Bakr’s story, Forde said he sought advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson. Asked if he knew that Miller was a bandit, Forde said no.  He said he did no background check on Miller, one of the State’s main witnesses. He did no check on Danglade either. Forde said when he saw Miller, he was not a prisoner.

He did admit taking Miller to the DPP’s office to serve him with a copy of an immunity from prosecution document. That was the day before Miller testified at the preliminary inquiry in the Magistrates’ Court. Forde said one of his seniors told him to take Miller to the DPP’s office on a Sunday. “I don’t want to lie to you,” Forde added. Elder asked, “You don’t want to continue lying?” Forde said on that Sunday after he gave Miller the document, he saw Miller reading it, although Miller in his testimony said he could not read. There will be no hearing on Monday as Justice Mohammed indicated that he has “some pressing matters to attend to.” As a result, Forde will return to court on Tuesday to be further cross-examined by Elder.