A POLICE Corporal was granted leave yesterday by the High Court to seek judicial review after the Police Service Commission (PSC) transferred him from Police Southern Division to Northern Division. Corporal Shafeeq Mohammed, who was attached to St Margaret’s police station, was granted leave by Justice Peter Jamadhar when the matter was called in the First Civil Court of the San Fernando Assizes. Mohammed, 53, of Southern Main Road, Duncan Village, near San Fernando, is represented by attorney Chateram Sinanan, with instructing attorney being Kevin Ratiram.
In Mohammed’s affidavit he stated that he joined the police service in 1971, and had served in the Northern and Central Division for 18 years. He stated that on January 6, 2003, he was transferred to the St Margaret’s police station. The applicant stated, however, that in May he submitted a medical report to the Senior Superintendent of Police in San Fernando, informing his seniors that he suffered from heart disease, hypertension, and hypercholesterolaemia and had been advised by doctors that travelling long distances could adversely affect his health. Mohammed was later informed by a senior police officer that arrangements would be made for him to work daylight duties only. On July 1 he was given notice of a transfer back to the Northern Division. He is claming the PSC acted illegally because of the poor state of his health, his age and service outside the Southern Division.
A Tobago policeman with 28 years’ service was yesterday jailed for two years with hard labour by a High Court judge after he was found guilty of stabbing his girlfriend, a fellow police officer, two years ago. PC Johnny Isaac, 48, of Moriah, was sentenced by Justice Hubert Volney presiding in the Tobago Assizes. The jury deliberated for about 30 minutes before finding Isaac guilty on a charge of wounding PC Lystra Marcelle with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm on July 29, 2001, at Goldsborough, east Tobago. Charges were laid by Det Ag Insp Selwyn Boatswain. Isaac was represented by defence attorney Larry Williams.
State Prosecutor Narissa Ramsundar led evidence that around 3 pm Isaac took the victim for a drive in a deserted area at Goldsborough in the vicinity of the Works Division Washing Plant.
During the course of a conversation, the victim indicated her intention to end the relationship and an argument ensued. The court was told that Isaac pulled a knife from the pocket of the car and dealt several stabs to the victim, who sustained wounds to her shoulder, upper arm and the palm of her hand when she held on to the knife. The victim then asked Isaac to take her to the Scarborough Hospital, and while on the way, she threw the knife into a river after asking him to stop at Goodwood. Isaac was later arrested and charged with wounding with intent.
A DISPUTE between two men, allegedly over a woman, led to a 41-year-old Princes Town man being stabbed in his chest and critically wounded on Wednesday night. Up to late yesterday, police were still searching for a 35-year-old suspect, who is believed to have gone into hiding since the incident. Meanwhile stab victim Lincoln Teasdale remains warded in critical condition at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). According to police reports, around 8.30 pm, Teasdale was standing outside his home when he was confronted by a man who accused Teasdale of being with his girlfriend.
As a result of the accusation, a heated argument broke out, during which the man pulled a knife from his waist and stabbed Teasdale once in the left side of his chest. As a bleeding Teasdale clutched his chest and slumped to the ground, his attacker ran off, leaving him on the roadway. Neighbours who witnessed the attack telephoned an Emergency Health Services (EHS) ambulance as well as the police. Teasdale was taken to the SFGH where he underwent emergency surgery. Newsday was told by the time Teasdale arrived at hospital, he had lost a great amount of blood. Police who arrived on the scene carried out a foot and mobile search of the surrounding area where the stabbing occurred in the futile effort of catching the suspect. Detective Cpl Burroughs of Princes Town police station is continuing investigations.
A QUIET, humble man who was sometimes mistaken for a priest — that was how Richardson Henry, retired former Deputy Commissioner of Police, was remembered yesterday at his funeral service. Henry died on Sunday from cancer. He was 69 years old. At the service at the St Joseph RC church, St Joseph, three eulogies were read by ACP Gosine, Major Ronald Hogan and Henry’s sister, Flora. Gosine said Henry was a humble, polite man who was unique in that he never lost his temper. He recalled that Henry joined the police service in 1965 and was among the few who joined as an Assistant Superintendent. Henry served in various divisions including the Southern and Eastern Divisions. Gosine further told the packed congregation of mourners that Henry’s demeanour baffled many who were grounded in the “rough and gruff” of the police service. But he said Henry, who appeared docile, had a searching attitude and was sometimes mistaken for a priest. Henry became Deputy Commissioner of Police in 1990 and two years later was a member of a Cabinet team to implement reform in the police service. Gosine said he never lost faith in the Service.
He was also a sports enthusiast, especially in the game of lawn tennis. He became an umpire and had the distinction of umpiring at Flushing Meadows, New York and Wimbledon, England. Major Hogan of the Cadet Force, in his eulogy, said Henry was not only quiet but a man of punctuality who maintained high professional standards and “knew how to disagree without showing disagreement”. Henry reached the rank of Lieutenant in the Cadet Force. His sister Flora in her eulogy said he was a “gentle man of few words, witty and a model father and gave entirely of himself”. Henry was from a family of nine boys and three girls. He was also a teacher and lover of photography and ceramics with an interest in horticulture. Henry was also a keen ballroom dancer. Flora said Henry met his wife Yvonne while taking photos at the wedding of a relative. The homily was delivered by Fr Henry Charles who reminded mourners that every funeral service was a dress rehearsal for dying. Henry’s daughter Camille also gave a reading. The service was attended by dozens of police officers including Acting Commissioner of Police, Everald Snaggs, and former Commissioners Hilton Guy and Jules Bernard and Independent Senator and attorney Dana Seetahal. Members of various organisations to which Henry was a member were also in attendance. Henry was buried at the Lapeyrouse Cemetery.
To not become a victim of violent street crime, should you fight, flight or submit? It depends. So advised US security expert, Mr Kelly Mc Cann, delivering a Personal Security Awareness Seminar hosted by AmCham at the Hilton Trinidad yesterday. Seeking to reduce seminar participants’ chances of getting attacked, he established some truisms about the reality of street crime and advised them how to react in different scenarios. McCann is a former US Marine Corps Major, security and military analyst for CNN, and senior vice president of Kroll’s Protective Security and Training Group, USA. Taking participants into the workings of the criminal mind, McCann explained what acts such people were capable of doing and how potential victims should respond.
“Have you ever thought about stabbbing someone?” he asked rhetorically, adding “But they will stick a knife in you without even thinking about it. The fact that you may go to jail is devastating to you and your family but not to a criminal. “You will never get the same comfort with crime as the criminals have.” He asserted: “Criminals are not stupid although they do seek the path of least resistance.” Saying there was no such thing as a random crime, McCann revealed the factors criminals considered when selecting a victim. These included the physical characteristics of the person plus how expedient the circumstances were to commit the crime. McCann took participants through a variety of circumstances — both urban civilian and military warfare — to illustrate how people cope with violence or alternatively deny in their mind that it is happening to them. For example, he recalled that two British SAS soldiers monitoring an IRA funeral had panicked when attacked by a mob and had been killed using one soldier’s own pistol. In contrast, two US special forces soldiers in Somalia in the Black Hawk Down incident had known they were going to die but had overcome or “flatlined” their fears to function efficiently at shooting their enemy. McCann advised that if one saw a threatening situation developing, one should bolt away before a potential assailant produced a weapon. But a more judicious approach was advised if one was already under assault, he warned.
The driver of a van died instantly and two others suffered injuries when the driver of the van lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a taxi at Wrightson Road on Thursday. Reports revealed that around 9.30 am on Thursday, Clyde Solomon was driving his van west along Wrightson Road when he lost control and crashed into a Kingswood taxi driven by Gunness Seenath Mohan. A passenger who was in the taxi was also injured. All three were rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where Solomon died late Thursday. The wrecked van was removed to the side of the roadway while Solomon’s relatives awaited the arrival of a wrecker. The taxi was also towed to the side of the roadway. Officers of the Central Police Station are investigating.
OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday wants to know what has become of a “special response unit” which was being formed to combat crime. Referring to Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s announcement in June about Government’s intention to establish “a special response unit of 400 officers from the army and police to fight crime”, Panday claimed yesterday that unit “has not materialised” and wondered whether the deployment of 1,000 police officers to the nation’s streets was a new plan. In a subsequent statement, the United National Congress (UNC) claimed Government’s new anti-crime initiative was nothing but “a last ditch attempt” to save National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee’s job. “In what was obviously a last ditch attempt to save his job, Senator Chin Lee presented a wishy-washy crime plan that sounded no different from previous plans, all of which have failed,” the UNC stated. The UNC said Chin Lee gave no indication where the 1,000 police officers would come from or what means of transportation would be provided for them to do their job. “In what is obviously an about turn of policy, the nation was told that 1,000 new officers would be placed on the job. This once more demonstrates the PNM’s infinite capacity to govern by vaps. Over a short period of two months, the PNM has come up with two totally different crime plans with differing strategies,” the Opposition declared.
The UNC said Chin Lee’s “new crime plan”did not mention “the need to give the police the requisite training and technology that are necessary to combat crime”. Addressing Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference, Manning said whatever financial resources were required to fight crime would be made available, there was no ad hoc arrangement in sourcing the 1,000 police officers and Government was dealing with both the enforcement and social aspects of crime. The UNC reiterated that the central issue to crime in Trinidad and Tobago was the “symbiotic association” between the PNM and criminals. The party called on the business community to call on the PNM to “dissociate itself from known criminals, so-called ‘community leaders’ and terrorists”.
THE eventual decision to charge fees for persons wishing to tour the protected National Park — San Fernando Hills — would be implemented at other similar parks. This according to San Fernando West MP Diane Seukeran, who spoke to Newsday on Thursday. Seukeran said the present situation with the famed landmark has necessitated a “review of all parks” in the country. The second and third stage of the rehabilitation of the Hills, she said, still had to be undertaken and includes the building of an amphitheatre. The MP said the paying of fees would help with funding and also enhance efforts of security at the Hills. Seukeran said she recently held talks with Public Utilities and Environment Minister Rennie Dumas who, she said, is looking into the matter.
Minister Dumas last week issued a statement which stated that the fees would not be put in place until a National Park Management Policy was developed and a decision taken in relation to collecting revenues for the Hill, was agreed on. Seukeran, who is also the Junior Trade Minister, said: “Whatever is done is done in the interest of the Hill and the city of San Fernando. A Cabinet decision would have been taken.” Seukeran went on to say, “We need to start looking carefully at our environment.” She said other parks such as Cleaver Woods, Hollis Dam and Palmiste Park were being studied by the authorities for future development.
AFTER deliberating for just 20 minutes, a High Court jury returned a verdict of not guilty against a 39-year-old La Brea labourer who had been on trial for two sexual offences. The nine-member panel and Justice Prakash Moosai began hearing the case on Monday in the Third Criminal Assizes of the San Fernando High Court. The labourer, defended by attorney Dexter Bailey, had been charged with rape and serious indecency. The prosecution’s case was led by DPP attorney Brambhanan Dubay.
PRISONERS in the holding block of the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court yesteday caused a small disturbance when they started shouting and cursing. About six inmates were said to be the ones involved in the noisy display. During sitting of the courts, the remand prisoners’ shouts were heard but were not loud enough to casue a disturbance to the courts and justice was dispensed as usual. When the situation threatened to get out of hand, Court and Process police moved quickly and some 17 remand prisoners were quickly whisked away from the Courthouse around 12.30 pm in an Amalgamated Prisons’ vehicle.
According to reports, the shouting started after two prisoners refused to be taken to court to hear their pending matters. They were subsequently remanded in absentia and are due to appear there on Monday. A senior police source at the court said that though the problem was initiated by a small group, police moved in to ensure law and order were preserved. Just over one month ago, there was a riot at the same cell blocks with remand prisoners locking themselves into their cells with electrical wire and hurling abuses and human faeces at Court and Process police. That incident led to a “beefing-up” of the security in and around the court.
