Witness tells of Cooper beating

Inmate Barry Moore Briggs said he was offered extra showers and time out of his cell if he did not tell anyone about his witnessing the beating of Anton Cooper by several prisons officers, including Devindra Ramdial, and Ansen Griffith.

The two are before Justice Mark Mohammed at the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court charged with murdering Cooper on a date unknown, between June 25 and 27, 2001. Cooper, 24, of Indian Walk, Moruga, was found dead in his cell at Remand Yard, Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, on June 26, 2001, less than 24 hours after he had been remanded for assault and malicious damage.

Briggs said he first saw Cooper at about 6 pm on June 25, 2001 when he (Cooper) was being pushed down the corridor of the cell block by two prisons officers. He said he used a device he called a “camera” to see what was happening. He said they took him into what is called “mad man cell” in “the deep” (one end of the cell block) and left him there. at about 9 pm, he said he heard screaming and banging coming from “the deep” and he saw several prisons officers running from the “shallow” (the other end of the cell block) carrying long riot batons. He said he saw the accused men among the group.

They took Cooper out of the cell and Ramdial struck him with a baton in his chest. Cooper fell to the ground and they ordered him to go and take a shower.

As Cooper entered the bathroom, Briggs said, he turned and dashed for the “deep.”

He said he heard screaming and banging and they again ordered Cooper to take a shower. According to Briggs, Cooper refused and the officers pounced on him and kicked, cuffed and struck him with their batons.

Ramdial told them to go easy on him and they stopped, Briggs said.

The witness said he noticed Cooper bleeding from a wound on his face and he was trembling. Cooper returned to his cell, Briggs said, where he was poked with the batons.

He said he continued to hear screaming coming from the cell. Later that night, Briggs said, Ramdial told him (Briggs) not to mention anything about what he saw to anyone and offered him special privileges.

Briggs said he gave a statement to the police on July 7, 2001.

The two accused are being represented by attorneys Gilbert Peterson SC and Pamela Elder SC. State attorneys Israel Khan SC, Kathy-Ann Waterman-Latchoo and Tricia Hudlin are prosecuting.