Officers stopped a black Nissan B15 car which contained three men, aged 26, 20 and 17, all from the Freeport area. During a search of the vehicle, the officers found and seized a Taurus .9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with ten rounds of ammunition. The three were arrested and taken to the Chaguanas police station where up to press time, they remained in custody assisting officers in their investigations. The car was also impounded

According to reports, the woman left her home at about 10pm and was walking towards the fast food outlet when she was accosted by a 35-year-old man armed with a cutlass.

The man pulled the woman into some nearby bushes and raped her.

He then ordered her into an abandoned house where he kept her against her will and again raped her for a second time.

The woman was allowed to leave at about 2 am.

She made her way to the Morvant Police Station and a report was made to PC Byron who, along with other officers, returned with her to the abandoned house where they found the suspect, who is from Laventille, asleep.

He was arrested and taken into custody.

An identification parade is to be held following which charges may be laid.

The victim was examined by a District Medical Officer and is expected to receive counselling from the TT Police Service.

Yesterday, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Surujdeen Persad, commended the officers for their swift response which led to the arrest of the suspect.

Seales’ declaration to his membership to withhold their cooperation with the PCA while West remains as the Authority’s director, came after a Portof- Spain Magistrate dismissed charges laid against one of the Association’s trustees, Inspector Ian Carty, who was accused of failing to provide documents on last year’s “Day of Total Policing”, on March 23, to the PCA.

Seales and Carty, who spoke after Senior Magistrate Gail Gonzales gave her decision in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court yesterday, called for the revocation of West’s appointment as the PCA’s director.

Speaking to the media, a defiant Seales said, “He is not going to sit easy because every member of this Police Service, I now decree, will not cooperate with Mr West because it is not in your best interest.

“The PCA under his current leadership cannot function, if we do not cooperate,” Seales declared.

“My decree is, that every single member, to turn your back on Mr West.

“When his investigators come, you will not cooperate voluntarily or otherwise. It is a very serious issue for us.

“He is biased… He is not impartial…and he is reckless in terms of the use of his powers,” Seales advised his membership.

He also again insisted that the police had nothing to do with the events of March 23, 2015. “The Joint Select Committee also said the same thing,” he reiterated.

“We are not a public body but we still, in the spirit of cooperation, provided all the documents,” Seales said.

He added that even if government fails to take action, they intend to write to the President seeking to have West’s appointment revoked.

Gonzales, in ruling on a no-case submission advanced by Carty’s attorneys, held that the PSWA was not a public body which could be called on to provide documents.

She further held that there was no evidence against the association’s trustee.

Speaking after the magistrate’s decision, Carty said the PCA’s director should have been more circumspect in bringing the charges.

“There was not one scintilla of evidence to justify the charges brought against me,” he said, adding that West had impugned his own competence, integrity and ability to sit as the director of the PCA.

“His latest blunder was deeming the Police Service a ‘gang,’” Carty said.

Romans 13: 1 states that “the powers that be are ordained of God.” Verse four reads, “For he is the minister of God. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain.

For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” What this means is that governments are placed first of all to compliment good but also to deal with evil using whatever method they see fit to deal with evil.

If the death penalty is the law, Taylor is well in his rights to ask that it be implemented. Besides being a priest he is also a citizen and has a right to share his honest opinion.

Harris made reference to merciful justice, which I agree with, but it must be applied with proper judgment and with wisdom.

The same God who is a God of mercy also said in Romans 9:15, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” God knows when to make the switch and those who make the laws (governments) and enforce them must be wise enough to do the same.

With murders being carried out with no respect of people and with such brutality, the switch needs to take place. So with all respect to Harris, I suggest that the full law be implemented.

The death penalty is the law, enforce it.

Arnold Gopeesingh via email

To this end, Lewis also informed that the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB), which has internal responsibility for investigating allegations of wrongdoing, had been mandated by the CoP to pursue matters involving officers without fear or favour, and that “what the public had been witness to of late is the PSB discharging its duty.” There is no need here to repeat the mountain of evidence to the contrary, in relation to the Police Service’s abysmally poor performance to date and the hundreds of annual recorded complaints against police officers. We are however agreed that a primary duty of any CoP, acting or confirmed, is to earn the public’s trust.

In pursuit of this duty, acting CoP Stephen Williams, as head, is professionally and personally responsible for generating public trust and confidence in the TT PS.

One of the ways he is expected to do so is by containing and instituting safeguards against criminal elements within the service.

It is not sufficient for any respectable commissioner to infer that the TT PS is doing all that it could, notwithstanding any limitations to his acting position.

Williams has been acting in the position for a number of years.

The point of this letter surrounds the TT PS’ statement that there exists a “purposeful action of the commissioner… to purge the service” (of police gangs/criminal elements).

The question arises whether the TT PS statement that the commissioner has purposely acted to do just that is a verifiably true or misleading and false statement. Can a commissioner’s call to action on the part of the PSB be taken as an action in and of itself, and a purposeful one at that? The TT PS-issued statement can be described as hardly anything more than a call on the part of the CoP which makes it farcical without reasonable grounds for believing that the commissioner and his team of senior officers with oversight are imposing/will impose sanctions as a consequence of a non-adherence to his call to act.

Prior conduct (impartial investigations properly concluded and acted on) is evidence of future performance.

The evidence does not appear promising.

In light of the TT PS’ public statement and mandate of the PSB to investigate complaints against its own, it creates a duty on the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), the authority with civilian oversight of law enforcement officers, to inform the population whether the PSB of the Police Service, in carrying out its responsibilities, has had any civil or criminal actions registered against any of its members to date and, if so, what is the nature of these complaints, the seniority of officers complained against, PSB and TT PS responses, outcomes and remedies including recommendations.

The PCA may determine whether the PSB is capable of compliance, acting in compliance, discharging its responsibilities with integrity and generating civilian trust, based on the PCA’s collection of data.

Kathleen Pinder via email

Khan, of Claxton Bay, had been on trial before the nine-member jury and Holdip since December 5, on a charge of shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm with an air rifle which is commonly known as a pellet gun.

Sitting on a chair in the witness box, Shah recalled for the judge and jury that Khan is her brother’s son-in-law.

At about 8,30 am on January 21, 2013, she was watering plants along the driveway to her home when she heard the sound of bullets being fired.

Shah said, ““I heard like shots zipping over my head. I went upstairs into the back porch.

I hear shooting again.

I heard things zipping across and shooting. I went behind the door.” The woman described the gun Khan held in his hand, as a long object with a brown handle.

She said Khan, whom she knew for eight years, was pointing the gun in her direction and it was aimed at her house.

The elderly woman told the judge and jury that five pellets stuck on the door. She said that when the gunshots ran out, she called out to her daughter, Anissa.

Khan opted to give evidence in his defence, saying that he was not at home at 8.30 am and when he did fire the pellet gun, it was at an iguana and a maniucou he had seen on a Chennet tree in Shah’s yard. He said 13 pellets were fired, ten at the ignaua and three at the manicou. The jury deliberated for 90 minutes and returned a verdit of guilty. Senior State Attorney Shabanna Shah, State Attorneys Krishna Jaglal and Kimberly Gunnesss, prosecuted.

Attorney Subhas Panday defended Khan.

In passing sentence, Justice Holdip told Khan that the elderly Shah would have suffered emotional and psychological trauma by a gun being fired at her. He also ordered Khan to sign a bond for 24 months to be of good behaviour.

His application to reopen the issue of paternity was dismissed by the Court of Appeal yesterday.

Sandy is seeking DNA tests on the two children ages, five and three years and according to his application, he is doubtful as to the paternity of the two minors based on documents filed in the divorce proceedings.

On September 4, of last year, Sandy, 69, vacated the family home after he was found guilty of contempt of court and was given 48 hours to comply with the order or face jail time. He was found guilty of contempt after he did not comply with a previous order made on August 17, 2015, to vacate the family home after he was served with divorce documents and having been taken to court to answer a domestic violence charge brought against him by his 29-year-old ex-wife, Candace Chang-Sandy.

After he vacated the matrimonial home, Sandy sought to challenge the paternity of the two children, claiming he was not their father.

He was also ordered by the Family Court to pay maintenance for the two children, following which he sought the order for DNA testing to be done to prove the paternity of the minors.

The order for paternity testing to be done was dismissed by the Family Court which also dismissed a further application he made for blood tests to be conducted to prove he was not the children’s father.

It was this order that Sandy, through his attorney Alvin Pascal, appealed.

In 2014, the local appellate court ruled that Maharaj was treated unfairly by Manning’s Cabinet. No order for damages was made, and the former trade unionist appealed to the London- based Privy Council which yesterday reversed the local court’s decision on compensation.

Maharaj’s attorney, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, who is in England, said yesterday that by this judgment, “the Privy Council had developed the law to give the court greater power to redress abuse and misuse of power committed against individuals by the Government, the Cabinet or public institutions and authorities against individuals.” In their ruling, the five judges of the Privy Council held that as an action for compensation for constitutional redress under section 14 of the Constitution, Maharaj could have been awarded damages.

In sending the matter back to the local courts, the judges advised that the judge carrying out that exercise will need to address the question of “vindicatory damages”, which they noted were designed to “reflect the sense of public outrage, emphasise the importance of the constitutional right and the gravity of the breach, and deter further breaches. “These are matters which par excellence fall within the province of a local tribunal, better equipped than is the Board, to make a judgment about the significance of the failure of the Cabinet to verify the claims made by Mr Achong and, more particularly, to revisit the decision after Mr Maharaj’s comprehensive refutation of those allegations,” the judges said.

The local court of appeal found that Maharaj was treated unfairly by the Cabinet’s failure to take reasonable steps to verify allegations made against him before determining whether to re-appoint him as a member of the Industrial Court.

Tang Nian was making remarks during the question and answer session of a forum entitled “A New Era of Commerce…Cuba the new Frontier” held at the headquarters of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce at Westmoorings.

He said there are opportunities in Cuba but businesspeople need to visit the island themselves in order to get an idea of the opportunities.

He said there are more than 140 embassies in Cuba, more than in the United States, which he said was an indication of the number of countries which are lining up to do business with Cuba. However, Tang Nian said that because of its relationship with Cuba in the past, Trinidad and Tobago has a special advantage.

The EXIMBANK head advised local businesspeople considering doing business in Cuba not to be overly discouraged by what are presented as obstacles to doing business in the Caribbean island, but to do their homework and research and build collaborative relationships with their Cuban counterparts.

He said that one of the advantages to doing business in Cuba was that the Caribbean island was crime free, adding that people could be seen walking the streets in many areas at all hours of the night with no sign of fear.

Norris Herbert, acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said Cuba is one of the largest economies in the Caribbean with an estimated Gross Domestic Product of US$82 billion and a market estimated at one hundred million persons. He said he had been told by the Cuban Ambassador, Guillermo Vazquez Moreno, who was at the forum, that Cuba had about four million visitors this year with the expectation of increases on that four million. “So for us the numbers are important.” Brian Benjamin, Manager-Projects of exporTT said that while the theme of the forum was “Cuba the New Frontier,” this country has had relations with Cuba for a number of years under the Caricom/ Cuba Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement which was signed in 2006. He pointed out that the agreement contained four hundred and forty- six products which could be traded between Cuba and TT, adding that Cuba later offered an additional three hundred and ten items for the reduction or elimination of tariffs and Caricom requested that Cuba reduce tariffs on more than thirty other items. He said this amounted to 786 goods that could be traded between Cuba and TT.

“Now, don’t tell me we can’t find 50, and 50 competitive products, that we can’t get into Cuba. Don’t tell me we can’t find some raw materials from Cuba that could be inputs and this is how the agreement works: you can take raw materials from Cuba, bring it to Trinidad, add value, send it back and it will go duty free. You can take raw materials from Trinidad, you can send it to Cuba, it can come back to Trinidad and it will come back duty free. Seven hundred and eighty-six, tell me we can’t be competitive in at least 50 of these tariff lines.”

Batting first, Hinds slammed 29, while West Indies cricketer Nicholas Pooran pitched in with 17 to guide S&S Web Source to 75 for six. Donny Supersad was the best bowler for Reload, snatching 2/9.

In reply, Reload fought hard, but could not get over the line, posting 72/5 with Michael Harry top scoring with 31. Hanuman Moonsammy scored 13 for Reload but Hinds returned with the ball, grabbing 3/7 to lead S&S Web Source to the slim victory. West Indies spinner Sunil Narine also lined up for S&S Web Source this season.

In the Over 40 Division final, X Men defeated Anthrax by four wickets to snatch the crown, while Wreckin Crew came out on top against Suicidal Crew by four wickets in the Best of the Rest Final.

SUMMARISED SCOR ES: Grand Final S&S Web Source 75/6 (Terrance Hinds 29, Nicholas Pooran 17, Donny Supersad 2/9) vs Reload 72/5 (Micheal Harry 31, Hanuman Moonsammy 13, Hinds 3/7) S&S Web Source won by three runs.

Over 40 Division Final Anthrax 65/7 (Sunil Boodoosingh 27, Kirk Alfred 4/5, Dexter Ramdhanie 2/16) vs X Men 66/6 (Clint Williams 16, Ken Cupidore 14, Kirk Alfred 12, Alex Fredericks 2/12) X Men won by four wickets.

Best of the Rest Final Suicidal Crew 66/8 (Nickolas Wellinton 22, Sunil Khan 2/8, Kareem Ali 2/16) vs Wreckin Crew 67/7 (Akeel Ali 16, Kareem Ali 12, Kevin Ramsharran 2/7, Ryan Bruscp 2/15) Wreckin Crew won by four wickets.