‘Lock up Ria’s kidnappers, not me’

He appeared yesterday before Magistrate Ava Vanderburg Bailey in the San Fernando Court and pleaded guilty. Prosecutor Sgt Krishna Beedasie told the magistrate that at about 2 am at a bar in Debe Village, PC Sujeet Ramcharan was on patrol when he noticed Hassanali wearing the pants.

The officer asked Hassanali if he was a member of the Defence Force and he replied in the negative. Magistrate Bailey heard from the prosecutor, that PC Ramcharan told Hassanali he would have to desist from wearing it.

But instead of accepting that he had committed an offence, the court heard, Hassanali advised the police officer not to arrest him for the offence, but rather go and lock up the persons who kidnapped his (Hassanali) cousin Ria Sookdeo.

Sgt Beedasie told the court that Hassanali told the officer, “my cousin Ria get kidnapped and so long allyuh can’t find she and allyuh locking me up for a pants?” The court heard that Hassanali has no previous convictions and after he apologised to the court for wearing the pants and for his comments to PC Ramcharan, Hassanali was ordered to pay a fine of $200 or in default, serve a week in prison.

Up to yesterday, Sookdeo - a mothe of two who is a hairdresser - was still unaccounted for after being abducted on September 22 shortly after she dropped off her son and daughter at their school in Penal.