Remanded into custody —

A COUVA woman, her common-law husband and their neighbour were all remanded into custody yesterday after appearing before a Justice of the Peace (JP) at the Couva Magistrates’ Court on charges of child abandonment.

Leela St Clair, 42, her common-law husband Alexander Howe, 56, and their neighbour Vishnu Singh, 52, all of Derry Lane, Calcutta No 1, McBean Village in Couva, appeared before JP Ramona Basdeo where they were remanded into custody until Monday when they will be brought back before the court.

Several villagers and St Clair’s daughter turned up in court yesterday for the brief hearing. The JP called the case at about 10.30 am and read the charge that on Wednesday April 5, the accused — being the parents — unlawfully abandoned their children (names called) who are under the age of 14, as to permanently endanger the health of the said children.

Although the charge was laid summarily by PC Anand Bissoon, the JP cannot call upon the accused persons to enter a plea of “guilty” or “not guilty.”

It is expected that on Monday, the three will appear before a magistrate who is vested with such authority to ask what plea the accused persons would want to enter. Howe seemed confused when police told him he was not being granted bail and mumbled to himself as he was placed into the holding cell of the courtroom.

The arrests of the three came after the children — two brothers aged eight and nine, and their eight-year-old male neighbour — were found in a bar at about 10 pm at McBean Village on Wednesday.

The children alleged that they were chased out of their homes by close relatives. The police subsequently went to the children’s homes and arrested several persons.

The children were taken into the custody of the National Social Services on Thursday and placed in orphanages. The two brothers were taken to a home in San Fernando while the neighbour was placed in a Gasparillo home.