Man freed of trying to kill cop

ONE OF the two men on trial for attempting to murder a police officer was yesterday discharged when the State conceded that the evidence against him was not of an acceptable standard. The other man was the sole witness called by the defence. Thurston Nedd, of Febeau Village, Laventille, was before Madame Justice Paula Mae Weekes at the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court charged with attempting to murder PC Irwin Roberts and wounding Roberts and PC Marvin Hewitt with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Nedd, Stanley Henry and three other men had allegedly stormed the San Juan Police Sub-station armed with cutlasses on the morning of November 16, 1996, and chopped the officers in the charge room. Having reviewed the evidence against Nedd, the State, represented by Jeron Joseph and Joy Balkaransingh, yesterday admitted it could offer no further evidence against him and the evidence it had was not of the required standard. A not-guilty verdict was returned by the jury as instructed by Weekes and Nedd was told he was free to go. Henry, also of Febeau Village, is still before Weekes for the offences.  After Henry’s testimony, attorney Larry Williams closed his case. Henry denied allegations under cross-examination by Joseph that he (Henry) was involved in the chopping incident.

On that day, Henry said, he was at his sister Sandra Henry’s house, where he was observing the Sabbath. At around 6 pm, he said, he went to the home of his common-law-wife and his daughter at Gill Street in Valencia, where he stayed until November 20. On returning to his apartment, he found the place ransacked. He said a neighbour told him who had ransacked his place, and he became scared and hid at a friend’s house. On December 2, retired Insp Trevor St Louis took him to police headquarters, where he (Henry) complained to the then Commissioner of Police Kenny Mohammed about the police ransacking his apartment and behaving as though they were above the law.

Mohammed, he said, sent him to speak with ASP Corrier. Henry said he was detained overnight at the Besson Street Police Station and he was placed on an identification parade without any explanation the following day. He took up position number five. According to Henry, none of the other men on the parade looked like him and no one wore caps.  “I was the only one with dreadlocks,” Henry said.