Defence: Accused threatened with jail

STATE WITNESS Daniel Agard was threatened that if he refused to assist the police with evidence against one “Cudjoe” for the murders of John Cropper, Maggie Lee and Lynette Lithgow-Pearson, he would “not see daylight” because he would “find himself lost in a cell.” This was put to State witness Sgt Ancil Corbette of the Port-of-Spain Homicide Bureau of Investigations by Agard’s attorney Mario Merritt. Corbette, who was yesterday being cross-examined at the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court before Justice Herbert Volney, denied the claim made by the defence attorney. According to Merritt, before the accused was charged, he had been informed by Corbette and lead investigator Insp David Nedd that their investigations had led them to believe that “Cudjoe” was involved in the murders and he (Agard) would be made a State witness if he gave evidence against “Cudjoe.” 

Merritt said the officers had asked Agard to “place himself on the scene,” but say he did not have anything to do with the murders. Agard, the defence attorney said, had refused. The attorney said the officers then charged him and threatened that “the only way out now is to do what we want.” Corbette, however, denied Merritt’s claims. The officer admitted that “Cudjoe’s” name came up during other investigations, but he did not associate it with any criminal activities at the time. He said he knew nothing about the accused being interrogated by Nedd, nor being slapped by Sgt Wayne Dick.

He said Agard had voluntarily dictated his statement to Nedd in the presence of Justice of the Peace Mottley De Peaza. Corbette maintained he was speaking the truth when he said Agard had dictated the statement and Nedd wrote only what the accused had said. During cross-examination by co-accused Lester Pitman’s attorney Wayne Sturge, attention was drawn to a pin attached to the left lapel of the officer’s jacket. The attorney questioned the witness’ acquisition of the “order of the knight’s templar.” The “templar” turned out to be a pin from the US Department of Justice given to the officer by an FBI agent. The jury and the witness were dismissed until Monday in order for legal submissions to be heard today.