Cop: Accused held after tip-off

A Police corporal  yesterday testified he had arrested a murder suspect based on the information of an anonymous caller, and not on evidence. Giving evidence before Madame Justice Alice Yorke-Soo Hon in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Criminal Court, Cpl Henry Dan of the Barataria Police Station said when he arrested murder accused Calvin Andrews on July 23 2001, he (Dan) had no evidence in his possession at the time. All he had, he said, was information he had received from an anonymous caller. He said he went to the home of the accused at Mt Dor Road in Champs Fleurs and found him hiding in the ceiling of the house. Dan said he held Andrews when the ceiling collapsed and he fell into the living room.

Under cross-examination by Andrews’ attorney Nathaniel King, Dan insisted he was not “involved” in setting up the ID parade, during which Andrews was pointed out by several witnesses as the man who had shot Kelwyn “Castro” Prince on July 14, 2001. Andrews is now before the court charged with the murder. Another State witness, 17-year-old Camille Girod of Pinto Road in Arima, testified that she was standing right next to Prince when he was killed. According to the teenager, she had attended a birthday party at Alma’s Bar in Santa Cruz on the fateful night. She said she was “liming “ with her friends Abia and Latisha when “some fellas” approached them.

One of the men, she said, wanted to dance with Latisha, but she refused. Girod said she spoke to the man, whom she yesterday pointed out as Andrews, and he went outside. Shortly after, Girod said, Andrews and her sister had an argument and her brother intervened. She said Andrews shouted, “Why you don’t get the f— out of here,” pulled out a gun and fired a shot in the air. Girod said she then saw the gun pointed in her direction, heard a shot and saw Prince, who was standing next to her, fall to the ground. She said he had a bleeding hole in his head and he appeared to be dead. When hearing resumes on Tuesday, Dan will be further cross-examined by King. Appearing with King is attorney Lemuel Murphy. State attorneys Jennifer Martin and Denise Badrie are prosecuting.