Accused provides video alibi

Accused Lawrence Blake of Laventille, pointed out to the court, images of a man resembling him making a transaction at the Independence Square branch of RBTT. He claimed to have deposited $500 into his account using the ABM at about 2.58 pm on October 20, 2004. Blake said the transaction took about two minutes.

A letter addressed to Blake from the bank, confirmed the transaction and both the letter and video were admitted into evidence yesterday.

The State alleges Blake and Anthony Perpignac were arrested sometime between 2.30 pm and 3.15 pm on the day in question, at the basement of Bayside Towers apartments in Cocorite by officers of the Firearms Interdiction Unit (FIU).

However, Blake in his evidence-in-chief on Tuesday, testified he went to the Bayside Towers to see Perpignac at about 4.15 pm on October 20, 2004.

Under cross-examination by Special prosecutor Dana Seetahal SC, Blake denied allowing anyone else to conduct bank transactions for him prior to his arrest.

He said only after he was able to secure bail, did he allow his wife to withdraw money from his account. Blake admitted the first time he raised the ABM video footage as an alibi, was two weeks ago during the trial and not at the Magistrates’ Court level.

“At that time (at the Magistrates’ Court) you knew of the transaction at the bank. You would have known you were not at Bayside Towers at 3.15 pm,” Seetahal prodded.

The accused said although he had been informed of his right to give a notice of alibi, he did not because he was not familiar with court proceedings.

Blake and Perpignac are jointly charged with trafficking four kilos of cocaine. They are before Justice Devan Rampersad at the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court.