Judges, lawyers turn out for Sonny’s funeral

HE WAS fondly called “Sonny.” He was from the old school of lawyers, and Gerald Aubrey Stewart got a great send-off yesterday. Stewart, who died last Saturday at the age of 84, was cremated at the Long Circular Crematorium after a funeral service at the Church of the Nativity, Crystal Stream, Diego Martin. He was no ordinary lawyer, judging from the “who’s who” at the service. Heading the list was the embattled Chief Justice Sat Sharma, and Justice Mark Mohammed who only on Wednesday completed the marathon conspiracy to murder trial of Jamaat Al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr.

Several judges of the Supreme Court were present — Stanley John, Margot Warner, and Herbert Volney, along with retired Justice of Appeal Lionel Jones, the other judge who presided over a marathon trial — Dole Chadee and others in 1996. Two former Attorneys General — Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Anthony Smart were also in attendance, along with Industrial Court members Cecil Bernard and Gregory Baker. The legal profession was well represented, along with residents of the Belmont community where “Sonny” resided as a boy. Two tributes were paid to the late attorney — the first by his son Roger, and another from attorney Premchand Dass.

Stewart pursued law in England, being called to the Bar of England and Wales before returning to Trinidad. He eventually joined the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) where he rose to the rank of Deputy DPP. After leaving the Public Service, Stewart joined the Chambers of his old friend, Karl Hudson-Phillips QC. There, he appeared with Hudson-Phillips in many matters, including the murder and then manslaughter case against Brad Boyce. He followed Hudson-Phillips into the Organisation for National Reconstruction (ONR) in 1981 when that party failed to win a single seat in the general elections. One person dear to Stewart was missing from the funeral service yesterday. Hudson-Phillips was absent, being called to duty as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Holland. However, Premchand Dass represented his Chambers and paid glowing tribute to the man called ‘Sonny.”