PHONE RECORDS BOMBSHELL

LEAD defence attorney Pamela Elder SC yesterday produced TSTT records in court to show that the State’s star witness Brent Miller was somewhere near Chatham Beach, off Point Fortin, on June 4, 2003, when he claimed he was in a meeting in Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, with Yasin Abu Bakr and David ‘‘Buffy’’ Millard plotting to kill two former members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen. Elder pointed out to Miller that when he gave evidence in the Magistrates’ Court, he said he received a call from “Buffy” around 10 am while he was on the block in St Ann’s. After receiving the call, Miller said he went to Citrine Drive, Diamond Vale, Diego Martin, to attend the meeting.

In court on Wednesday, Miller said he received the call sometime between 9 am and noon. “But not even 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock would help you,” Elder told Miller who spent his second day in the witness box. Miller responded, “I ain’t looking for no help.” Elder then enquired from Miller what his cell phone number was on June 4, 2003. After getting the number, Elder questioned Miller about the call from “Buffy.” Miller insisted that he received a call from Buffy that day. The lead defence attorney whipped out the TSTT records to show that the first call received on Miller’s cell phone was at 1.22 pm. Miller replied, “I don’t know, I don’t work TSTT. I am not looking for help.”

Elder then asked, “do you go down to Chatham Beach? Do you know when you make a cell phone call, TSTT records show where you were when you made the call, and where you were when it ended?” Miller replied, “I am not aware of that.” Elder pointed out that the TSTT records revealed that Miller was in the Chatham area on that day. She said nobody, including the police, bothered to check the telephone records. She then listed five numbers called from Miller’s phone between 8 am and 10.30 pm all with the area code 441 which she identified as Chatham.

Miller confirmed that he went to Chatham many times, but admitted that it was very far from Diego Martin. Elder asked the witness, “nobody cloned you, there is only one Brent Miller?” to which the witness agreed. She then turned to lead prosecutor Sir Timothy Cassel QC and said she hoped that the prosecution would take a look at the TSTT records and decide where they were proceeding with the case. Cassel said he had to make enquiries about the 441 area code and wanted to make other enquiries relating to other matters in the case.

Cassel said he must look into these matters before he could advise the Director of Public Prosecutions what to do. Elder indicated that based on what was revealed, she could not go any further with Brent Miller. Although hearing was adjourned to this morning, Cassel said he needed until next Thursday to get the results of his enquiries before he could give the court a decision. Hearing ended prematurely as there was complete silence in the courtroom. No one anticipated the bombshell which Elder produced before Justice Mark Mohammed in the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court. (See pages 17A and 18A)