‘Skelly’ gets off murder charge

Sheldon “Skelly” Lovell’s attorney Rangee Dolsingh SC confirmed that about midday on Friday his client was served with a notice of discontinuance for the charge of murdering Curepe businessman Dennis Persad-Jodhan.

The notice, dated July 27, 2006, was signed by DPP Geoffrey Henderson and delivered to Lovell at Golden Grove Prison in Arouca. Newsday was informed that notices of discontinuance were also served to Shawn “Gumbo” Vincent and Brent “Small Brent” Danglade, who were jointly charged with Lovell for that murder.

The charges were dropped on the grounds that the State could not find its main witness, Joel “Footy” Phillips. At the last hearing before Madame Justice Alice Yorke Soo-Hon at the Port-of-Spain Assizes on July 6, the DPP said the case could not get off the ground because Phillips could not be found and it was feared he might be dead.

The trio, along with two other men — Richard Kirton and Jason Joseph — were also charged with Persad-Jodhan’s kidnapping.

Those charges were dropped on June 26 before Justice Larry Lalla for the same reason — the State’s inability to locate Phillips, who was also the main State witness in that matter.

Persad-Jodhan was abducted outside his father’s business place on the Southern Main Road, Curepe, on December 24, 2002. His body was found in Aranjuez on December 28 that same year.

Despite the discontinuance, however, Lovell, who has been incarcerated for the past three years, remains in custody on two pending kidnapping charges — the kidnapping of Ronald John and Sangre Grande jeweler Henry Francis. Attorneys Keith Scotland and Sean Cazabon represented Vincent and Danglade respectively.