The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has congratulated acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs and the Police Service for their recent efforts at tackling the crime plaguing this country.
In a statement yesterday the Chamber said: “Since last week’s announcement of a new strategy in crime prevention, Trinidad and Tobago has read and heard of gun raids and drug busts. There has been a more visible police presence on the roads. Some kidnappers have been brought to justice.” The Chamber said that although kidnapping suspect Sheldon Lovell was still at large, it encouraged members of the Police Service and Defence Force to be unrelenting and diligent in his capture. “The Chamber is pleased that this initiative has borne fruit and we look forward to seeing more results over the short term.” The group urged citizens to cooperate with the police, including at road blocks and as officers directed traffic. “Let us give them our support in these difficult and trying times. Report any information you may have on criminal activities to Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS (800-8477). This is a safe and confidential way to give information”.
WESTERN Division officers stormed a Carenage house Wednesday night and seized a Smith and Wesson revolver along with six rounds of .38 special ammunition.
A 26-year-old man was arrested as a result of the find and police said he is to be placed on a number of identification parades relating to robberies in the Northern Division. Police said they had the house, situated on Beard Street, under surveillance for some time after which a party of officers headed by Sgt Stephen Joefield and others stormed the house and made the discovery. The 26-year-old man is one of 30 people that officers of the Western Division held during an anti-crime exercise spearheaded by acting Sr Supt Quashie, Supt Mohammed and Acting Insp Lezama. The operation was led by Sgts Joefield and Moonilal. The other 29 were picked up for various offences ranging from drug possession, robbery inquiries and outstanding warrants. They appeared before a Port-of-Spain magistrate yesterday to answer the charges.
The Smith and Wesson revolver is the 19th firearm the police have recovered since Acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs announced a new war on crime on July 15. The new crime initiative has also brought in over 400 rounds of ammunition and yielded the arrests of several people, among them two people who were eventually charged with kidnapping and falsely imprisoning teenagers Yves Ayoung Chee and Benedict Barrette. Warrants are out for three other men in connection with those kidnappings. Among the trio is Sheldon “Skelly” Lovell, dubbed by the police as the country’s most wanted man.
SAN Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) authorities have launched an internal investigation into the death of Patricia Montrichard, the pregnant woman who died on Monday while she delivered her third child, a girl, through Caesarian section.
South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) Communications Specialist Zenobia Nanan told Newsday a panel had been formed to conduct the investigation, the results of which will be released to Montrichard’s family upon completion. Nanan was reluctant to name who will be leading the inquiry or the other members of the panel. Attempts yesterday to reach SFGH Medical Chief of Staff Austin Trinidade proved futile. Yesterday’s autopsy on Montrichard’s body revealed death was due to amniotic fluid embolus, ie fluid from the pregnant woman’s water bag travelled up to her lungs causing a blockage and eventual suffocation. The autopsy was carried out at the San Fernando Mortuary and witnessed by Montrichard’s family. Relatives were told by other patients on the Maternity Ward of SFGH that on Monday morning, Montrichard fell and hit her head while in the washroom.
According to relatives, she was three weeks’ overdue for delivery when she was admitted to hospital. Around 11.45 am, she was declared dead in the operating theatre. Meanwhile Montrichard’s newborn baby girl, who survived the birthing process, remains in an incubator at the SFGH nursery and is being closely monitored by doctors and nurses. At birth, the girl was experiencing breathing difficulties, hence the reason for her being placed in the incubator. Doctors have given the child a 40-60 percent chance of survival.
Stating that he agreed with UNC MP Gerald Yetming, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said yesterday that he would be approaching UNC MPs individually in order to get their support for the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Manning also announced that there had been a decrease in kidnappings. He said the police had a “spectacular success” this week. He said he had been talking with National Security Minister, Howard Chin Lee and noted that there had not been a kidnapping in over two weeks. “We are optimistic that this is the new trend. One major kidnapper is behind bars and another will be behind bars shortly and a couple others have been identified and have been targetted by the authorities as they continue their plan to make Trinidad and Tobago safer,” he said. Saying that the police had a clearer idea of who the kidnappers were, Manning said Government was determined to make available to the police service all the resources they require to properly discharge their functions. He said Acting CoP Everald Snaggs had assured him that the police would do all in their power to give the public the best service possible.
On the issue of the CCJ, the Government needs the votes of at least four UNC MPs to pass the legislation establishing the Caribbean Court as the final jurisdiction for Trinidad and Tobago. But Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday, whose Government led the campaign for the CCJ to be located in Port-of-Spain, has done an about-turn and is not prepared to back the Bill which requires a special majority. “Sooner or later we are going to have to go to Parliament with the legislation and the Opposition would have to decide whether they support it or they don’t, ” the PM noted. Manning said he agreed with UNC MP Gerald Yetming’s statements that the party’s policy of non-cooperation with respect to the CCJ, the Anti-Kidnapping Bills and Police Management Bills was wrong. But Manning stressed that he was careful to keep “a respectable distance” from the internal affairs of the UNC.
Reminded of what the UNC leader said when he was Prime Minister – once Manning was there (as PNM leader) he would remain here (in the Prime Minister’s chair), Manning smiled, as he was asked whether, based on the recent NACTA poll, the reverse was now true. Manning said that the poll seemed to suggest that there was a symbiotic relationship between Panday and the PNM. On the CCJ, Manning said when the decision was confirmed to establish the Court in Trinidad and Tobago, the UNC Government got the support of the then Opposition Leader (himself) that he would back the court. He said this was done because the UNC recognised that it would look strange to have the CCJ located in a country which did not subscribe to all aspects of its jurisdiction. “And that is exactly what is happening now,” he said, giving the UNC leader’s stance. Manning said he did not accept the argument that Panday’s objection to the CCJ lay in the fact that he had a personal matter before the local courts and preferred to go to the Privy Court than to the CCJ in respect of that matter.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning said that the new shackles that confront the people of Trinidad and Tobago were not the whips and chains associated with African slavery but the psychological inhibitions that had been imbibed from that age.
In an Emancipation message, Manning said it didn’t matter whether one was of African descent or not. “Among our most important challenges remains the liberation of our minds to relate more appropriately to our experiences,” he said. He added that one of the main legacies concerning Emancipation must be to “inspire us to further evolve into a society in which the legitimate aspirations of our people of all walks of life can be realised.” Manning said that after Emancipation, the struggle for meaningful participation in society by various groups remained long and hard. Only persistence and perseverance brought brighter moments along the way. “There are valuable lessons in all of this for each and every one of us. Indeed, similar challenges are still with us, and will always face us, albeit in new or different forms,” the Prime Minister said.
Manning said there could be no letting up in the commitment to match the quest for individual freedoms and opportunities with the desire and commitment to duty and responsibility. “Similarly, it is important for us to strive unceasingly after a society characterised by the elimination of fetters and prejudices of the kind that stood in the way of our ancestors and forefathers,” he said. “In that way, as historic and momentous as Emancipation Day would be, its real significance will be premised on what the future should hold in preference to what the past has been,” he said.
LEADERS of the local business community will continue trying to convince Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday to be part of a non-partisan approach to fighting crime in Trinidad and Tobago. Following a meeting at Panday’s Port-of-Spain office on Tuesday with a delegation of businessmen, the UNC leader said he could do nothing to assist in the war against crime under the present Constitution.
Panday maintained the Opposition’s position that crime was linked to discrimination in TT and this was why constitutional reform must take place. Speaking with Newsday yesterday, TT Manufacturers Association (TTMA) president Anthony Hosang (who was part of the group that met with Panday on Tuesday) said members of the business community did not feel they were wasting their breath appealing to Panday to help in the war on crime. Hosang disclosed that businessmen will “keep communicating” with the UNC leader formally and otherwise because they believe a non-partisan front is necessary to effectively deal with crime. “Business-men are made up of people from all political parties. All concerned citizens must play their part,” Hosang said. The TTMA president however hinted that convincing Panday to come around may be easier said than done. “He is very firm in his beliefs and not prepared to budge,” Hosang added.
Former Property and Maintenance Manager of the North/West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA), Reynold Makhan, will not have to face a judge and jury on a charge of misbehaviour in public office.
The committal order by Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls made on November 27, 2002, was quashed by High Court judge Justice Rajendra Narine yesterday. This means that Makhan has so far eluded all charges laid against him by the State. On November 27, 2002, Mc Nicolls had overruled a submission of no case made by Makhan’s attorney on his behalf, with respect to the charge of misbehaviour in public office. However, on charges of larceny, Mc Nicolls agreed with Makhan’s attorney that the State had not made out a prima facie case against him on that charge. Two other NWRHA officials, Ramesh Sharma, the CEO and Dr Ranjit Sookdar, Chief Operations Officer, faced the same charges. They too, benefited from the no case submission with respect to the larceny charges, but their committal order on the misbehaviour charge is yet to be tested.
This charge was that they conspired to misappropriate the sum of $1,635,840, the property of the NWRHA. Makhan sought judicial review against Mc Nicolls’ order and was granted leave on March 12, 2003. His matter was argued by Alvin Fitzpatrick SC and Rikki Harnanan, instructed by Byrne. Mc Nicolls was represented by Andre De Vignes and Ms John. In his 29-page judgement, Justice Narine said: “ In this case I have come to the conclusion that there has been a substantial error in the committal proceedings leading to manifest injustice and substantial adverse consequences for the appellant (Makhan). I therefore exercise my discretion to quash the committal made by the respondent (McNicolls) on 27th November 2002, committing the applicant to stand trial at the next sitting of the Assizes. The respondent will pay applicant’s costs certified fit for Senior Counsel.”
MONDAY’S NACTA exit poll which said Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday is “the biggest asset” to the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) remaining in government, is a plot to destabilise the Opposition United National Congress (UNC). This was the view expressed yesterday by UNC chairman Wade Mark who said the party would “never take advice from its enemies.”
The UNC chairman told Newsday that after reading the poll, it was clear “NACTA has its work to do and the UNC has its work to do”. Mark said it appeared there was a plot being hatched by forces opposed to the UNC to create dissension and chaos in its ranks. He declared that notwithstanding this plot, the UNC would not fold or allow the PNM to run riot in Trinidad and Tobago. Recalling that the party will hold internal elections either later this year or early 2004, Mark said the UNC’s membership will determine the composition of its leadership “at the appropriate time”. He added that unless certain changes are made to the party’s constitution prior to those elections, all financial members will be able to contest all 23 executive posts in the UNC (including political leader). Panday himself has not publicly commented on the poll but party sources say given the UNC leader’s low opinion of NACTA polls, he will condemn it outright and remain at the UNC’s helm until he decides to leave. While several NACTA polls have touted Opposition MPs Winston Dookeran, Kelvin Ramnath and Kamla Persad-Bissessar as possible successors, UNC sources express doubt whether anyone will challenge Panday for the leadership.
Attorney General Glenda Morean-Phillip sees child brides as one of our failings to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, she told the launch of a report on the convention on Wednesday at the Hilton Trinidad.
While this country was up to date in reporting on our implementation of the convention, she said there remained many concerns. She said one area of concern was the disparity in the minimum age of marriage under the various marriage laws. Morean said: “Girls as young as 12 years have the capacity to marry.” She explained that in 1998, a committee was formed to review existing marriage laws in an attempt to harmonise them. She recalled: “The committee held consultations with the various denominational groups but there was no consensus on the raising of the minimum age of marriage. This is an area of concern to the Committee on the Rights of the Child as it has implications for the women of tomorrow. It is still being vigorously pursued.”
Morean-Phillip also lamented the increasing reports of sexual abuse against children. She said: “According to the Police Modus Operandi Records Bureau, there were a total of 166 sexual offences involving children in 2000, 197 in 2001, and 258 in 2002. “NGOs have stated that there is a general problem of under-reporting of such offences and the actual figures are likely to be much higher.” The Attorney General said that the environment in most children’s homes was generally not conducive to the positive, holistic development of children. She said: “Adequately trained staff has been lacking in these homes and children do not get the level of attention they need. There is a need for greater diversity in the type of activities for children and for counselling to be made available.”
Noting that the number of juvenile offenders had grown from 281 in 1999 to 421 in 2000, Morean said that a UNICEF study had documented many existing problems in the administration of juvenile justice. By way of remedies, the AG said: “One important initiative in the protection of our children is the Pilot Family Court Project that is about to be launched. It is children who are expected to be the major beneficiaries.” She said Cabinet had accepted a report in July 2002 from a committee to establish a Family Court, which she said would try to resolve disputes in a consensual manner. She said: “The Committe is working assiduously to launch this pilot project later this year. This Family Court Pilot Project will represent a radical departure from the traditional procedures in which family disputes are resolved within our existing legal system. It is expected to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for dealing with family matters where in one building you will have judges and magistrates, social workers, psychologists, mediators, probation officers and court staff. “In this environment there will be a shift from the traditional adversarial approach to a more concilliatory approach when dealing with family disputes.”
DESCRIBING him as a “menace to society,” a San Fernando High Court judge yesterday sentenced a chutney singer to 20 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to charges of raping and buggering a woman, who believed him to be a taxi driver.
Justice Prakash Moosai told Nicholas Gosine — a 29-year-old singer made popular locally by the CD titled Bhowgie From Suriname — that all women should be protected from him. Moosai, presiding in the San Fernando Second Assize Court, sentenced Gosine to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for raping the 26-year-old wai-tress/cashier on July 7, 2000. The judge slapped an additional five-year jail term on Gosine for buggering the woman. Both sentences, Justice Moosai ordered, are to run concurrently. Around 12.30 pm on that day, the woman was standing at Fyzabad Junction awaiting a taxi to take her home in Santa Flora. Gosine pulled up in his car and pretending to be a taxi driver, offered to carry the woman home. Just before she entered the car, the woman told a male friend, who at the time was standing with her, to make a note of the licence plate number of Gosine’s vehicle.
Gosine later took the woman to a lonely road where he raped her on the back seat of his car. She screamed and fought back, but the accused still proceeded to bugger the woman, who is a mother of one. Gosine then drove to Murray Trace in Siparia where he ordered the woman to perform oral sex on him. When she refused, he told her he had connections with a well-known Muslim organisation and he would have her killed. When the case last came up, Gosine pleaded guilty to charges of rape and buggery. State Attorney Brambhanan Dubay prosecuted while Gosine was defended by attorney Dexter Bailey, who yesterday made a stirring plea in mitigation to Justice Moosai, who asked the judge to temper justice with mercy. Bailey displayed the chutney CD as well as a cassette containing Gosine’s songs. The attorney even asked Justice Moosai to have the music played in court to demonstrate the rapist’s musical talent. The judge refused the request, saying that he was no doubt convinced of Gosine’s musical ability.
The victim, who sat next to her mother, cried openly when prosecutor Dubay told the judge that only last month, Justice Malcolm Holdip fined Gosine $10,000 for the unrelated offence of having sex with a minor. In passing sentence yesterday, Justice Moosai told Gosine that his acts had such an effect on the victim that she had suspended conjugal relationships with her husband and was afraid to go to work. The woman, the judge added, was simply scared to travel in taxis. Justice Moosai further told Gosine that the victim as a result was overprotective of her daughter. “You are a menace to society. Women must be able to travel in maxis and taxis without fear. “They should be protected from you,” Justice Moosai said as he passed sentence.
