Report: Victim had a gaping stab wound

A PATHOLOGIST report, which was tendered into evidence on Friday, stated that Ricky Ricardo Mohammed’s death was due to a stab wound to the right side of his chest. The report, which formed part of the evidence against murder accused Andre Anderson Francois, was tendered into evidence after the court ruled that it could be tendered without calling Forensic Pathologist Hugo Des Vignes to the stand. On Thursday, the report was not tendered into evidence after defence attorney Fitzgerald Hinds requested that Dr Hugo Des Vignes be called to testify in the matter. When the matter resumed Friday, Justice Malcolm Hold-ip informed the court that he was re-opening the evidence in chief, of DPP attorney Dinanath Ramkissoon so that the pathologist report could be tendered into evidence. Ramkissoon, who was a Police Sgt attached to the Caroni Police Station at the time, had conducted the investigation in the matter.

The pathologist report stated that there was a 4.2 cm gaping stab wound to the right side of Mohammed’s chest, the wound ran from front to back in an upwards position and had punctured Moham-med’s right lung and cut one of the right ribs. Francois, who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, is before Justice Holdip in the Port-of-Spain Fifth Criminal Court charged with murdering Mohammed on September 17, 2000. Mohammed was stabbed to death following his 31st birthday party at his Frederick Settlement, Caroni home. Under cross-examination, Ramkissoon denied that prior to the arrival of  attorney Subhas Panday to the Caroni Police Station, Francois had been questioned and had given his account of the events of September 17, 2000.

He also denied that Cpl Abraham of the Caroni Police Station had threatened the accused in his presence. However, Ramkissoon admitted that he had questioned Francois after Panday had left and noted that Francois did not reply to the question. Ramkissoon also explained that he did not request a written statement from Francois because Francois’ attorney had advised him not to speak to the police. In response to Hinds’ question about the interview he had conducted with Francois, Ramkissoon explained that he told the accused about the information he had and that he (Francois) was a suspect in the matter. He said he cautioned Francois and told him about his rights and privileges. Forensic analyst Emmanuel Walker is expected to take the stand on Monday, after Hinds made a request for him to be called as a witness in the matter. Hinds is assisted in the matter by Rudyard Davidson, while the State is being represented in the matter by Nadia James and Sati Maragh-Lalla.