Wendy Izahark, 45, an employee at the San Fernando Magistrates Court, appeared in the Princes Town Magistrates Court to answer the charge arising out of an alleged incident on Tuesday night in Barrackpore. She was arrested and taken to the Princes Town Police Station where she was charged.

Yesterday, Magistrate Nalini Singh read the charge to Izahark, of Lengua Village, Princes Town, that she made a false report, causing wasteful employment of police time.

The charge, laid by Corporal Neil Nanan of the Princes Town CID. Izahark pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to her by the magistrate.

Attorneys Subhas Panday and Kiran Panday appeared on Izahark’s behalf and made an application for bail to be granted.

Panday (S) said Izahark has no previous convictions or pending matters and she is not a flight risk.

Prosecutor Sgt Shazard Mohammed did not object. The magistrate granted Izahark her own bail in the sum of $10,000 and ordered her to reappear next Thursday.

He said he was providing clarification in reply to concerns arising after a recent CNC3 television news programme that, he said, had only broadcast snippets of his interview with a reporter.

Maraj assured, “Of statements made that we are ‘closing down,’ these are exaggerated and erroneous.” Clarifying the school’s identity, Maraj said SBCS began operation in 1987, well before GATE was introduced in 2006. In that 19-year period, most of the SBCS’s development took place, including the establishment of three of its four campuses. “SBCS was created not because of or for GATE but for our learners,” Maraj said. “In fact, over our 30-year existence we have graduated over 6,000 learners, many of whom are successfully employed locally and internationally.” He said graduates hold qualifications (such as ACCA, CIPS and BTEC HND) from renowned foreign partner universities (such as the University of London, University of Greenwich, Heriot-Watt University, University of Sunderland and University of Leicester) are all internationally accredited and globally respected.

Maraj vitally clarified the SBCS’s status regarding accreditation versus registration.

“Like all tertiary education providers, SBCS is registered with the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) and we were among the first private institutes to do so,” Maraj said. “Once registered, all of our transnational programmes and foreign awarding bodies went through the process of being recognised by ACTT and are thus listed on their compendium.

This was a precondition for GATE.

“Accreditation, however, only applies to local programmes.” He added that each of the SBCS programmes had to undergo a rigorous assessment by the ACTT, including a market case justification, such that he believed his programmes met the country’s developmental needs

His father Shakar Beephan told Newsday yesterday his family is still trying to find some form of closure. He is asking the police to expedite their investigation and bring anyone responsible for his son’s death to justice.

“Jesse, was a likeable fellah,” said Beephan.

“He was not violent. He was funny and humble. He loved video games. If my son’s killer is still out there, he could do this to someone else and take a child from another family.

My son is already dead and I cannot do anything about it.

But please, if anyone has evidence that could bring my son’s killers to justice, please come forward and help the police.” Reports suggested that Jesse was last seen entering a silver coloured car on the day he disappeared.

But Beephan told Newsday he did not believe the information given to the police. He believes his son was killed at the back of the Waterloo Secondary School and an attempt was made to hide his body in a box drain. he was still dressed in his school uniform and his head and face were bashed in.

An autopsy confirmed he died as a result of blunt Force trauma.

“When I heard that he got into a car to travel, I knew that it was a lie because he does not travel. I would pick him up and drop him off everywhere he wanted to go. Even if he did get into a car, how did he end up at the back of the school?” Beephan, of Roystonia, Couva, told Newsday on the day he went missing, Jesse accompanied his sister, who was doing exams, to the same school he was attending. He did not have any exams himself, but he went to the school to lime with friends. He was later seen accompanied by three other boys as they went to a market to buy some items.

Beephan said he received information from witnesses that he was later accompanied by three other boys going into a track that led to the back of the school where, Newsday was told, students would usually gather to lime.

The father believes it was around that time Jesse was killed.

The boys in question were detained by police and interrogated but they were later released pending further investigations.

This was disclosed by Acting Attorney General Stuart Young at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.

In a signed letter dated August 17 to Persad-Bissessar, Rowley said Young sent two packages of draft/proposed legislation to Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen to give to her as a continuation of their “productive” meeting at Tower D of the Portof- Spain International Centre on July 18 about legislative measures to address the country’s crime problem.

The letter was hand-delivered to the Opposition Leader’s Office in Port-of-Spain yesterday.

One package dealt with zones of special operations and the other dealt with anti- gang legislation.

Rowley also provided Persad-Bissessar with a list of Government’s anti-crime operational initiatives as promised. These included a counter terrorism policy and strategy sent to the National Security Council for approval; establishing a computer security incident response team to deal with cyber crimes; establishment of Police/Army bases in Enterprise and Laventille; engaging Interpol to establish a sub-office in TT and increasing the number of crime scene investigators in the Police Service from 15 to 75.

Young said legislative packages were hand delivered to Ramdeen on August 4. He said the zones of special operations legislation was unique and currently existed in Jamaica.

Young explained that allowed the Jamaican prime minister, on the advice of the Jamaican Defence Force, to declare certain places as, “zones where it would be akin to giving them new powers to go in and cordon off those zones and do certain things” to treat with criminal gangs operating in those zones.

Young said Government hoped, “that we can have a conversation with the Opposition, as to another way or method on how to deal with crime and the criminal element.” He also said Government hoped the Opposition would discuss ways to pass effective anti-gang legislation in Parliament. Young said Government had not received any word, to date, from the Opposition as to when they would want to meet or any written responses from the Opposition regarding the legislative packages sent to them.

He told reporters that the special operations zones legislation in Jamaica was supported by that country’s government and opposition. He reminded reporters that the Jamaican government only had a oneseat majority in the Jamaican parliament.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, was one of 31 employees identified to receive retrenchment letters yesterday from the GML’s Human Resources (HR) Department; located at its Chaguanas head office.

“When I found out retrenchment was going to happen, I knew that being one of the last people hired, there was a possibility of my being retrenched.

So when I got the news on Wednesday to come to HR today (Thursday) to collect a letter, I wasn’t entirely surprised but I was disappointed.

The retrenched GML employee shared that when she went into HR yesterday, “they asked if I knew what I was here for. I said I had a fair idea.” “They then proceeded to tell me the company was going through (restructuring) and I was one of those selected; based entirely on the last in, first out criteria. HR gave me a listing of jobs available across all of the ANSA McAL Group; as you know, (GML) is a subsidiary.

They said if I was interested in anything, I could apply and (if hired), my retrenchment would be shifted to me moving over to continued employment in a different sector of the group.” Asked if she intended to do so, the GML employee told Newsday, “No. Nothing that I’m aware of applies to me in terms of my skills.” Newsday attempted to speak with senior management of GML but neither calls nor emails were responded to as at press time yesterday

This time, according to their 69-yearold legal guardian, the harassment is coming from a neighbour who, he claims, positions himself in front of their home exposing his private parts and scaring the girls to the point they are now afraid even to venture outdoors on their own.

The latest incident, according to the relative, occurred just after 8 pm on Sunday and was captured on camera and uploaded to social media.

The video was recorded by a neighbour.

Newsday received a copy of the footage in which a man is seen removing his trousers and exposing himself.

A report was made to the Couva Police Station and one of the girls was taken twice to the station the following day but relatives said no statement was recorded from her.

Newsday was also informed it was not the first time the villager had engaged in the lewd and disgusting behaviour while on the public road.

But despite the many reports to the police, he has never been charged.

“All they would do is come and warn him,” the relative said.

“And as they turn their backs, he will behave the same way again.” The relative said because of what he calls the police inaction, he was moved to raise his concerns over the safety of his young relatives at a recent police town meeting in the Central Division.

He said promises were made to investigate but, to date, the situation remains the same. The pensioner is now appealing for help from the authorities to protect the girls who are 11 and 14 years old from further psychological damage.

“These children are still healing from what they went through in their early lives and don’t deserve to be exposed to this kind of behaviour again. They even ‘fraid to go in the front porch. And you know how children like to go in parlour? They don’t even want to go.” Recalling was happened on Sunday, the man said the 11-yearold girl was in the gallery when she ran inside and told him what the man was doing.

He came outside in time to see the man exposing himself and making suggestive remarks towards the child. Relatives said they called E999 and also visited the police station but police visited and just warned the man and his relatives who were in the road liming.

Newsday spoke to a senior officer who confirmed that a report was made. They said they have warned the man about his behaviour and had spoken to him on several occasions in the past but, so far, there is no evidence to have him charged with any offence.

They met last week with the Police Social and Welfare Association (PSWA) to discuss their grievances and to ask the Association to intervene on their behalf.

They have even asked that the matter be taken to court if deemed necessary.

The former SRPs, who were on two and threeyear contracts, say they received notices of their termination ten months ago without prior warning.

They are claiming that prior to their their contracts not being renewed, they had applied to become members of the Police Service and believe the move was vindictive.

Yesterday, secretary of the PSWA acting ASP Anand Ramesar told Newsday, “The Association confirms that several SRPs formerly assigned to the Praedial Larceny squad approached the association to represent them in a matter where their contractual services were not renewed. The Association will be representing these officers as we are aware that this is not the first time that the Ministry of Agriculture has acted in a manner which we consider to be both high-handed and lacking in basic industrial relations practices.

“We will be engaging the ministry both from an Association’s position and a legal position if we have to.” Ramesar added, “What has happened is not only unfair to the officers but has left them without employment.”

Young told reporters at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley obtained independent advice from senior counsels that this is the best option to resolve this matter.

He said the Cabinet agreed to support this option.

Young said in this summons, “We will basically lay the facts out as we know it, via affidavit, to the High Court and we will set out what are the various provisions of the existing law that apply and we will then invite the High Court to make a decision and to come to a conclusion as to how these 53 cases should be dealt with going forward.” He said interested parties who wished to intervene in these proceedings could make submissions to the Judiciary which, “will have management of this matter in having it dealt with as expeditiously as possible.” Young said once the summons was filed, the population would then see if anyone tried to derail it by “playing politics.” Young said Government was leaving the resolution in the remit of the Judiciary and, contrary to claims from the Opposition, the appointment of a tribunal under Section 137 of the Constitution would not resolve the concerns of people affected by the 53 cases being stuck in the magistracy.

Young said there was an appeal process all the way up to the Privy Council and it was possible for the matter to be resolved within a short time. He said litigation between Ayers Caesar and the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, would not affect these proceedings.

The kind of reception you get fluctuates from day to day. If it is not a long wait in the immigration line, it is harassment from Customs officers.

Returning citizens are often sleepy, hungry and tired and are in a hurry to get out of the airport.

Some may have pick-ups waiting for hours.

All over the world the priority is to get people out of the airport environment as quickly as possible.

Not in Trinidad. The aim here is to punish for having left the country.

The people who run the Immigration and Customs Departments forget that along with returning residents are tourists and investors.

The Government’s goal to attract tourists and investors sounds hollow.

Some years ago a sensible government recognised that people who travel abroad are bound to buy gifts and wisely allocated a personal allowance which is inscribed on the Customs form.

It also instituted a green line to facilitate speedy exit.

Apparently these have been thrown in the dustbin and the present administrators of the airport have gone back to the old bureaucratic system with the addition of total scanning.

Since people coming from the US are given a thorough checkout before embarking, I suspect the aim here is to raise money to replace what is wasted elsewhere.

The airport is a sensitive area.

Visitors get their first impression of the country there.

Residents are accustomed to the discourtesy and sometimes crass behaviour of airport personnel, and do not complain.

Workers at the airport need to meet certain aptitude standards and should be trained accordingly.

But one is not sure what the official objective is. As for the taxi drivers, that is a whole sorry story.

R RAMSARAN St Augustine

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon made the announcement at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.

Dillon said the proposed scope of works included upgrades to the plumbing, sewer treatment and electrical system at Remand Yard. Recalling that Remand Yard was first constructed in the 1940’s as a barracks for members of the Royal Air Force, Dillon said cells at the facility were only supposed to house a maximum of three individuals.

He said these cells were now holding eight to ten people.

Dillon also said the upgrade would seek to replace the pail system in the cells with proper toilet facilities. He said Cabinet recognised the need for the upgrade, even with long-term plans for the construction of a new Remand Yard next to the existing facility, over the next five years.

Dillon also said efforts were being made to improve conditions at the Port-of-Spain prison and the Immigration Detention Centre as well. With respect to the latter, Dillon said the length of time people were detained at the centre varies for different reasons.

Noting a terrorist attack in Barcelona earlier in the day, Acting Attorney General Stuart Young reiterated that Government continues to collaborate with its international partners regarding intelligence on possible security threats. Young and Dillon reiterated that recent conversations with the British High Commission indicated that there was no credible intelligence to suggest any terrorist incident is likely in TT.