Suspects in tourist attack released

The advisory, issued last Friday, declared that law enforcement in Trinidad and Tobago was "weak" and stressed that the Tobago authorities’ inability to apprehend and prosecute persons in the attack on the tourists was a "serious concern".

The advisory further warned British citizens regarding the crime situation in TT. Meanwhile, the four suspects detained by police in connection with a recent cutlass attack on the three British nationals during a failed robbery attempt at a Mt Irvine villa, were released after they could not be pointed out during an identification parade.

The men, ranging in ages from 20 to 27, were reportedly detained during an exercise by police in the Bethel district days after the incident. The victims – John Michael Jones, 69; Christopher Stock, 67, and Stuart Anderson, 70 – who were in Tobago to participate in an International Pro Am Golf tournament, were reportedly attacked by four masked armed men on February 5.

The three were at the time relaxing with their wives around a swimming pool at the villa in Pinehurst Avenue, Mt Irvine. The visitors managed to fight off the bandits who subsequently fled the scene empty-handed but not before raining missiles on the premises. Jones and Stock were injured, while a car was damaged, police said. Stock was transferred to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for specialised treatment for injuries sustained to his left eye. The visiting group was later relocated to a hotel at Crown Point.