Naked woman showed up for lunch

Long Circular resident Ava Marie Edgehill yesterday told a court that she was preparing her family’s lunch when she heard her dogs barking. She looked outside and saw a young African woman standing by the back gate. She said the lady was naked.

Edgehill was testifying yesterday in the matter in which attorney Joseph Melville and taxi driver Hilton Winchester are charged with conspiracy to murder Melville’s secretary Patricia Cox, attempting to murder her, kidnapping her and assaulting her occasioning a wound. Edgehill said she spoke to the young woman, after which she called her into the house and gave her a duster coat to wear and something to eat and drink. She explained that her neighbour Aaron, who was at the house doing some construction work, went to his home and returned with $10 which he gave to the young woman. She said Aaron left with the young woman and returned a short while later. She also told the court that the young woman was there for about half-an-hour.

Also testifying was Long Circular resident Sheldon Bernard, who yesterday told the court that accused Hilton Winchester, and two other men named Jason and Beatle, were all from the “same jep nest.” Bernard, also known as “mek mek,” gave this answer in response to defence attorney Nathaniel King’s question on whether the trio used to lime together. Bernard was the third witness called for the day to testify in the matter. Two others were also charged with the offences, however, accused Jason Holder has not been present in court and Ainsley Alleyne was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony in the matter. Alleyne has since died, but his deposition from the Magistrates’ Court will be tendered into evidence.

The matter came before Justice Melville Baird in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court. Senior State prosecutor Trevor Ward and George Busby appear for the State, while defence attorneys  Nathaniel King and Ken Saga are representing Joseph Melville and Thomas Cunningham is appearing for Hilton Winchester. In his testimony yesterday, Bernard explai-ned that on June 28, 2001, he was liming at a parlour at Bellevue, Long Circu-lar, when taxi driver Lennox Charles came and called him. He said when he approached Charles’ car, he observed Beatle sitting in the front passenger seat and Jason sitting in the right rear seat. He explained that he was accustomed seeing them around the St James/Long Circular area. He told the court that he got into the left rear passenger side of the vehicle and they drove towards PoS, then to Curepe, where the driver mentioned that he needed gas, and then to Sangre Grande where Beatle and Jason stopped off.

He said after dropping the duo in Sangre Grande, he and Charles returned to PoS. Under cross-examination, Bernard explained that he did not know who had paid for the gas. He also told the court that they had dropped the duo off at a phone booth in Sangre Grande. In his evidence to the court yesterday, Charles explained that he was plying his taxi along the PoS/ Long Circular route on June 28, 2001, when he was approached by the two men at the corner of Bellevue and Long Circular Road. He said that after speaking to the men, he went to Bellevue where he met Bernard and left for Sangre Grande. He told the court that he stopped at the gas station opposite Kay Donna Drive-In, Curepe, for gas and one of the other men paid for it. He also told the court that he had been hired for $150 and got $100 in cash and $50 in gas. Following the evidence in chief of both Charles and Edgehill, defence attorneys King and Cunningham told the court that they did not wish to cross-examine the witnesses. The matter will continue on Monday.