Bailor with forged documents facing jail

Darren Gopaul admitted, he went to the Port-of-Spain Prison in March of 2003, and attempted to bail out someone with a land deed which was not his, and a false driver’s permit.

Gopaul submitted the documents to then Justice of the Peace, Winston Best, and Prisons Officer, Randolph Orosco.

However, Orosco became suspicious after he noticed the photograph on the driver’s permit had a thick black line, and the edges were rough. After closer scrutiny of the documents, the prisons officer also discovered the name on the land deed did not match that of the driver’s permit.

The Fraud Squad was called in and Gopaul was immediately arrested, and charged.

In presenting a mitigation plea yesterday in the Port-of-Spain Sixth Assizes, defence attorney Daniel Khan said, his “client had suffered facial disfiguration during a life-threatening vehicular accident. As a result, he does not believe that he should be given a custodial sentence.”

Khan also stated that his client had no previous convictions, and this “was a clear case for a non- custodial sentence.”

However, Justice Andre Mondesir was not moved by Gopaul’s visible injuries, and revoked his bail. Looking down from his bench, Mondesir told Gopaul, “you will stay with me until next Monday.”

Gopaul will know his fate on November 17.