Scare after transport mix-up

THERE was panic at the Port-of-Spain State Prison yesterday morning when prisoner David “Buffy” Millard could not be found. A phone call was then made to the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court to find out if Millard was there.

There was relief when prison officials were informed that Millard was in the cell area of the courthouse. Yesterday’s incident was a major security lapse with a high risk prisoner.

Millard was arrested in Guyana on May 3 during a crackdown by the security forces and the FBI there. He was deported to Trinidad on May 6 and taken before Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court two days later to answer a conspiracy to murder charge.

His lawyer Wayne Sturge made no application for bail on that day and the case was adjourned to yesterday. Millard was charged jointly with Jamaat Al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr and Brent “Big Brent” Miller with conspiracy to murder two expelled members of the Jamaat — Salim Rasheed and Zaki Aubaidah — on June 4, 2003 at Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin.

After Millard’s court appearance on May 8, he was whisked away under tight security by members of the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB).

Like other high profile and high risk prisoners, Millard is to be escorted to and from the court.

Yesterday, Millard was lined up with other prisoners to be taken to the city courthouse. Instead of putting Millard aside to await his escort, Millard quietly slipped into the big Amalgamated prison van for the first trip to the Port-of-Spain court.

The van turned up at the courthouse just after 8 am with a number of remand prisoners. Millard was among the prisoners who came out of the prison van and taken to the holding bay area on the ground floor of the courthouse.

No one really paid attention to Millard, as they were expecting him with his security details.

The drama unfolded when the GEB officers turned up at the prison looking for Millard. But he could not be found and panic gripped the inside of the city jail. When he could not be located inside the prison, a phone call was made to the courthouse to find out if he mistakenly went with other prisoners.

To the relief of the prison authorities, Millard was there, sitting in a cell. After they were informed of the situation, the GEB officers left, but never turned up at the court-house. Millard remained at the courthouse with the normal Court of Process officers.

To compound matters, Millard was sent back to the prison yesterday afternoon in the prison van, with other prisoners. There was no security escort for him.

A burly plainclothes policeman was uneasy because of the presence of a Newsday photographer. The officer said the presence of the photographer could put Millard’s life at risk.

Millard’s court appearance was brief as Chief Magistrate Mc Nicolls was absent once again. Clerk of the Peace Ramnarine Sieunarine appeared in court and adjourned all cases. Apart from Millard’s case, there were three murder cases which were all adjourned to May 29.