Man in court for Shannon’s murder

A subdued Seecharan wore an orange and black t-shirt and grey jeans when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar in the Eighth Court, where the charge that on a date unknown between December 4 and December 9, he murdered Banfield at IAM and Company was read.

Seecharan of Constantine Road, St Helena, was not called upon to enter a plea for the charge, which was laid indictably, but his attorney Larry Williams sought disclosure of evidence which he said was in the possession of the police.

Crucial to the defence, according to Williams, is alleged fingerprint evidence which he said was needed so the defence can conduct its own independent expert testing. Williams also asked that he be provided with photographs which he said were not shown to him during his visit with his client.

“I have been advised that the police are in possession of a fingerprint belonging to the accused but I don’t recall seeing that photograph at all,” Williams said in his application for disclosure. “The first time my client was in custody, fingerprints were not taken but when he was arrested the second time, on an unrelated matter for which he was not charged, fingerprints were taken and suddenly they end up with fingerprints on his third arrest,” Williams said. The lawyer also asked that he be provided with full video recording retrieved from IAM and Company as opposed to the three ten-second clips he said he was shown. Seecharan was charged earlier yesterday morning, after he was arrested for a third time just before 9 pm on Monday, at his St Helena apartment. The case was adjourned to January 17 and the accused was remanded into custody.