2 WOMEN, 2 MEN CHARGED WITH KILLING TEACHER

TWO YOUNG women were among four people who appeared in court yesterday charged with the murder of retired school teacher Ralphy Ramcharan. Ramcharan’s body was found submerged in a river off Black Dirt Trace, Barataria, on March 26.

The accused are Nadia Pooran, 20, of Farm Road, St Joseph; Shelly Ann Anganoo, 18, of Tumpuna Road, Cumuto; Nicholas Ali, 22, also of Farm Road, St Joseph; and Tesfa Jones, 20, of Coal Mine, Sangre Grande. The four, all unemployed, were charged Tuesday night after instructions were given to police by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Geoffrey Henderson. Looking a bit tense, they appeared before Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls in the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrates’ Court to answer the murder charge laid by Cpl Francis Vidale of the Barataria/El Socorro CID.

It is alleged that sometime between March 25 and 26, they murdered Ramcharan, a Citizen Alliance candidate in the 2002 general election. They were not called upon to pleased since the charge was laid indictably. Attorneys Patrick Godson-Phillips appeared on behalf of Jones; Richard Mason for Pooran; while Eduardo Martinez told McNicolls that he is representing Anganoo and was also holding for attorney Joseph Melville for Ali. After the charge was read, Godson-Phillips told the court he wanted full disclosure of statements and extracts from the station diary at the time of his client’s arrest to the time he appeared in court yesterday. Martinez and Mason made similar requests to the court.

Police prosecutor Insp Lynette Ferguson said the statements will be made available, but was not certain about the extracts.  Godson-Phillip said further that he had been given extracts from a station diary in another capital matter. McNicolls made no ruling on Godson-Phillips’ application, but said he was certain that in time, a representative from the DPP’s office will be appointed in the matter. The case was adjourned to April 15. Ali, Anganoo and Jones were arrested in Tobago last Thursday by a party of officers including Insp Broome, Cpls Vidale and Hollis Jacobs and WPC Suzette Martin.  Pooran was arrested in St Joseph on Saturday.