Cop accused of laying charge

A POLICEMAN was accused yesterday of laying a charge against a Rio Claro man because the man’s wife had rejected his sexual advances.

The accusation was made against Constable Wayne Doodhai when he was giving evidence against Mahabir Seepersad and Kello Mohammed, who are on trial for marijuana cultivation. The accused, Seepersad, 38, is an employee of the Ministry of Health, of Clear Water Village, Rio Claro, while Mohammed, 42, is from Kildeer Trace, Rio Claro. They are on trial in the San Fernando Third Criminal Assizes before Justice Pamela Elder and a nine-member jury.  

The State’s case against Seepersad and Mohammed is that on May 2, 1999, they were observed by a party of policemen in the Rio Claro forest tending to the illegal plants. Doodhai testified that he stood behind a tree and observed the accused, whom he had known previously, for several minutes as they collected water in a bucket from a nearby pond, and watered the marijuana plants. According to the witness, Seepersad was arrested in the marijuana plantation and Mohammed was subsequently arrested on a warrant.

While Doodhai was under cross-examination, Seepersad’s attorney Prakash Ramadhar put it to the witness that Seepersad was not arrested in the forest, but was held while he was fishing in Guayaguayare. Ramadhar alleged that Doodhai used to harrass Seepersad’s wife, Marion Seepersad, also known as Rosie, who worked next door to the old Rio Claro Police Station and who lived next door to a bar at which he (Doodhai) would drink. “I would never harrass that woman, sir, she is not my type,” Doodhai insisted from the witness stand.

Ramadhar told the witness that his client was held at gunpoint and after Seepersad was put in the police jeep, police later brought a bucket with marijuana plants and charged him with the offence at the police station.  Doodhai denied the allegations, maintaining that Seepersad was caught as he tried to escape from the marijuana plantation that he had been cultivating in the forest. The trial continues on Monday.