RACING DRIVER GUILTY OF RECEIVING STOLEN GOODS

San Juan businessman and ace racing driver Frankie Boodram was found guilty yesterday of receiving stolen vehicle parts by an eight to one majority verdict.  On another charge of larceny of a pick up van from which the parts were taken, he was found not guilty.

The guilty verdict brought tears to Boodram’s wife Jasmine, who hugged her husband and wept. However, Boodram, a 56-year-old father of four, will know his fate tomorrow when Justice Paula Mae Weeks will pass sentence on him. Boodram,  the owner of Speedway Auto Supply, could face the maximum 15 years hard labour sentence or, since being a first time offender, he could be placed on a bond with an order to do hours of community service. Boodram’s  attorney, Israel Khan SC leading Dawn Mohan,  pleaded  with the Court not to impose a custodial sentence on his client. Khan accepted a short adjournment before sentencing so that he could present the Court with testimonials of Boodram’s character. He has until Friday.
 
Boodram was charged with stealing a pick up van, TBD-569,  from Clint Batchasingh,  on Alexandra Street, St Clair, on August 22, 2000. Batchasingh had only parked the vehicle for about 15 minutes  while he met some friends at the Queen’s Park Oval, where he had earlier been watching the West Indies play a One Day International match.
A few days later, PC Emeral Bruce, armed with a warrant, searched Boodram’s businessplace and found several parts belonging to the stolen van. Boodram, in his defence, challenged the truthfulness of the police story and the identification of the parts by Batchasingh. Batchasingh identified some of the parts by scratches, dents, colour etc. Leading the State’s  case in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court, were prosecutors Nalini Singh and Debbie Ann Bassaw.