Not guilty of receiving stolen car

JUSTICE Malcolm Holdip yesterday directed a nine-member jury to return a not guilty verdict against two men charged with receiving a stolen vehicle after he upheld a no-case submission by defence attorney Ulric Skerritt. Keshore Mungro and Stephen Ribiero were before Justice Holdip in the Port-of-Spain Fifth Criminal Court charged with receiving a vehicle that was stolen from businessman Earl Crosby at the Croisee on November 22, 1999. Crosby is the owner of Crosby’s Music Centre in St James.

Skerritt, who represented Mungro, contended that the State had not satisfied the main ingredient of the charge against his client. He said there were contradictions in the evidence of the two police officers who testified in the matter and that this was of fundamental value to the case. Shastri Roberts, who represented Ribiero, adopted Skerritt’s submissions. In upholding the no-case submission, Justice Holdip agreed that the contradicting evidence was fundamental to the case. He advised Mungro, 21, of St Francois Valley Road, Belmont and Ribiero, 25, of San Juan to stay within the perimeters of the law. It was alleged that on November 22, 1999, Crosby went to the corner of Carlos Street and Tragarete Road to make a purchase when a woman asked him for a ride into Port-of-Spain.

He obliged, and for unknown reasons continued to San Juan, where he stopped near Courts Furniture Store at the Croisee. He was approached by a man who opened the door and placed an object to the right side of his head. He was then hit in the back of his head and pushed into the trunk. Crosby managed to open the trunk of the car and escaped where he sought help from a bystander. He made a report to the San Juan Police Station. On November 25, PCs Bridgelal and Lall saw the vehicle driving in the wrong direction on John Street, Chaguanas, and found Mungro, Ribiero and a woman in it.