Court hears how Clint Huggins ducked soldiers

Superintendent of Police Stephen Quashie recalled yesterday in the Port-of-Spain Third Cri-minal Court  how State witness Clint Huggins ran away from soldiers as-signed to protect him and sometime later met his death by assassins.

Under cross-examination from attorney Keith Scotland, Quashie recalled that it was Carnival Saturday night — 1996, and Clint wanted to party some more, but his security detail, comprising soldiers of the Defence Force,  had  persuaded him it was time to leave the PSA fete at Long Circular, St James.

A reluctant Clint, boarded an army vehicle with his “bodyguards” and was being taken back to his safe house at Teteron Barracks. When the vehicle stopped at a traffic light in St James, Clint jumped out the vehicle, ran and boarded a maxi taxi heading to Port-of-Spain. The soldiers  ran after Clint but before they could have reached him he had already boarded the maxi. Arnold Huggins, his cousin Leslie Huggins and friend Junior “Head” Phillip, are charged with the Carnival Tuesday morning February 20, 1996, murder of Clint. Prosecutors in the matter are Wayne Rajbansie and Natsha George while Phillip is being defended by Osbourne Charles SC and Christilyn Moor, Leslie by Scotland and Dawn Mohan and Arnold by Ian Stuart Brook.

Quashie said he had contacted a Major in the Army and had made arrangements for statements to be taken from the soldiers who were escorting Clint back to Teteron, but nobody showed and no statement was given. Prior to questioning Quashie on this issue, Scotland wanted to know why Quashie did not attempt to retrieve jeans belonging to the accused that were allegedly dumped into Leslie’s Mulchan Trace, Guaico home latrine, after the killing of Clint.

Quashie explained that such information had only come to his attention three years later, in 1999. A time span of about three years, during which time the latrine was in use, and by then the jeans would have been of no use to him. He said: “I did not want to  mess with that.” Scotland: “Oh you don’t want to mess with that.” Justice Soo-Hon: “Mr Scotland, I don’t know why you are dwelling on that issue.”

Scotland insisted that he wanted to know why Quashie did not search the latrine for the clothes. Justice Soo-Hon: “ Well, if you think it’s necessary, stay in the latrine as long as you would like to stay there.” His answer had the entire Court in laughter.  When hearing resumes on Monday, Scotland will continue his cross-examination.