Judge acquits veteran cop

A 48-year-old police officer was yesterday acquitted of a charge of making a false declaration after the trial judge agreed with the submissions of the defence that the evidence available to the prosecution was hopeless in securing a conviction. PC Bernard Codrington, who was last stationed at St Clair, was discharged by Madame Justice Joan Charles, sitting in her very first case since her appointment on the Bench on Monday. Yesterday’s acquittal of the police officer was the second for the day in the Port-of-Spain Criminal Court under similar circumstances.

In an adjourning court, attorneys Ken Wright and Mervyn Mitchell along with bailor Patrick Hannibal were acquitted of a charge of perverting the course of public justice after the State attorney informed the court that the DPP was offering no further evidence against the accused. Codrington, who lives at Diego Martin, was charged with making the false declaration at the St Clair Police Station on June 6, 1997. He was represented by attorneys Ken Sagar and Keith Scotland, while State attorney Angelica Teeluck-singh prosecuted. Before the trial started, the defence made their submissions. Sagar asked the court to stay the further prosecution of the indictment on the ground that it would be an abuse of the process to allow the State to proceed against Codrington in view of the evidence available on the deposition.

Sagar argued that the State intended to tender a document into evidence which was stamped by the Justice of the Peace Anthony Soulette. He said Soulette was never called at the preliminary inquiry to give evidence. Sagar said the State could not tender the document in the absence of the Justice of the Peace. He pointed out that the stamp on the document was insufficient and therefore there was no evidence against his client. The Statutory Declaration Act was not complied with, he added. Counsel said the court must study the depositions in order to exercise its inherent jurisdiction to quash the indictment where the application is predicated on the submission that the evidence available to the prosecution is hopeless in that it cannot sustain the indictment.

Justice Charles agreed with the submission and ordered the release of the policeman on the charge. Codrington, who has 26 years’ service, was charged after he agreed to stand bail for Thakumattie Ferdinand who was charged with larceny by Sgt Lennard Gay. Ferdinand was arrested in the afternoon on June 5, 1997 when Sgt Gay and two police officers went to her Diego Martin home. She accompanied them to the St Clair Police Station where she was charged hours later for larceny. It was while she was at the police station that she was allegedly approached by Codrington who offered to “assist her with bail.” Codrington reportedly produced a deed which JP Soulette endorsed. Ferdinand was granted bail and subsequently appeared in court to answer the charge. But three weeks later her bail was revoked after it was discovered that she was planning to leave the country.