Clint Huggins killed elsewhere

DEFENCE attorney Osbourne Charles SC suggested to a jury yesterday that Clint Huggins could have been tied and killed elsewhere, then dumped in the car on the Uriah Butler Highway, Mt Hope, and set on fire. 

Charles, the last of three defence attorneys to address the jury in the Clint Huggins murder trial before Justice Alice Yorke Soo-Hon in the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court, also raised questions about the Army’s lack of cooperation in the murder investigation. He questioned why the Army, which was protecting Clint Hugguns, refused to give statements to the police after his murder. He told the 12-member jury it was noteworthy that Corporal Garvin Armstrong had testified that he had seen men in army camouflage uniforms  after midnight (1.45pm) at the site of a crashed Laurel motor car where Clint Huggins’ body was later found . However, at the time Cpl Armstrong said he saw the crashed car other witnesses claimed the vehicle had just left or was still in Sangre Grande.  The car and body were only discovered during the early  hours of Carnival Tuesday, February 20, 1996 .

Charles  said although Clint Huggins had jumped out of an army jeep and run away from soldiers who were supposed to be protecting him the Army refused to give investigators a statement. He asked: “What are they afraid of? Is there something to hide?” He argued that Clint Huggins’ pager was handed over to the Army without checks being made to determine the people who had been in contact with him. Referring to a piece of rope seized by police in the vicinity of the Clint Huggins’ body  and a contusion (bruise)  on the right hand of the corpse, identified  by forensic pathologist Prof  Dr Ramnath Chandu Lal, Charles suggested that Clint could have been bound by the hands and killed somewhere else. He questioned why would somebody  journey from Sangre Grande to Port-of-Spain and  not use the thick forested area they have to pass through as cover to kill someone instead of the open highway.

According to the evidence, the three accused, Arnold Huggins, Leslie Huggins and Junior “Heads” Phillip, together with  others, had driven Clint Huggins from Sangre Grande to Mt Hope where they killed him. Charles criticised the police for their method of investigation and obtaining of statements in the matter. On many occasions he  referred to them as “not too bright.” “Police have little brains, not much, but they have to do better. I mean no disrespect to them but they have to do a little better ... they have to put their act together.” When hearing resumes today, prosecutor Wayne Rajbansie  assisted by Natasha George, will address the jury.