THE police and army will soon launch a “Baghdad” invasion of the Laventille area to deal with gang related murders according to ACP Crime Oswyn Allard.

“It will be like Baghdad,” said Allard who said that Government has also been asked to implement a limited state of emergency to facilitate the police/army action. While he would not divulge details of the planned action, Minister of National Security, Howard Chin Lee yesterday confirmed that efforts were underway to rid Laventille of the criminals who are terrorising the area. Newsday was told that the police have several “packs of cards” of the criminals involved in the spate of murders in the Laventille, Sea Lots, Belmont and Beetham areas where 75 percent of the murders in the country have taken place. The operation is intended to flush them out. The police have not given a date for the action. Yesterday, Allard issued a warning to lawbreakers to surrender all their arms and ammunition, or face the consequences.

He added that the police are determined to stop the operations of criminals in Laventille, and the planned action will send a clear message to the criminals that they either obey the law or face the repercussions. “What I can say at this time is that the elected government is the only government, and no community leader or gang leader will be able to dictate what happens in the community of Laventille, ever again,” Allard stated.  He said that the initiative has already been discussed with Police Commissioner Hilton Guy and the police and army have already identified a base in the East/West Corridor from where the action will be launched. Newsday learned that police officers from all police divisions will be called out to assist in the anti-crime plan. Soldiers will also assist the police.

Up to yesterday 79 persons have been killed for the year. More than 75 percent of the murders took place in Laventille, Belmont, Beetham and Sea Lots. Yesterday, Minister of National Security Howard Chin Lee said that the spate of gang related murders in Laventille is alarming. “We recognise that most of murders are gang related and strategies are being put in place to deal with gun related murders, and the number of guns entering the country”, he said. He revealed that an aggressive anti-crime initiative will be launched shortly and said that this plan will yeild the desired results. He said that while he could not divulge the details, he is certain that Laventille will soon be rid of the undesirable elements. The Minister pointed out that the law abiding citizens of Laventille would also be required to do their part to assist the police and army.

A THREE DOLLAR gambling debt between two rival gangs resulted in one man being killed and his four relatives injured on Sunday — all by a single gunshot.

Up to late last evening, police were searching for an 18-year-old villager of Penal Rock Road, Moruga, who is believed to be the shooter. Investigators said the gunman used a 16 gauge sawed-off shotgun loaded with buck shot pellets, which ended the life of 46-year-old cane-cutter Anthony Hospedales, of Penal Rock Road. The father of nine was shot on the left side of his neck and died four hours after being admitted to the San Fernando General Hospital. The other wounded persons have been identified as Hospedales’ son Lyndon Collins, 23, a security guard, his nephews Laron Hospidales, 19, Quincy Hospidales, 17, and his cousin Jason Clarke. The four men were said to be warded in stable condition.

Police said the suspect is a member of one of the gangs. Prior to the killing he was allegedly beaten by the other gang after they demanded he pay off the debt of three dollars which arose out of a game of “whappie”, at a wake last Friday. According to residents of the village, members of the rival gangs were gambling at the wake and a dispute arose over $3. On Sunday, eyetwitnesses told Newsday, the suspect was attending a village cricket match at Platonite Trace. Around 3 pm he was confronted by two members of the other gang. The two men left and returned two hours later, armed with cutlasses, but did not find the suspect.  Instead they saw the suspect’s “good friend”, Rodney Seelal, sitting on a beach under a villager’s home. The two started beating Seelal. Within moments, witnesses said, several other people including Anthony Hospedales and some of his relatives, arrived and also began beating Seelal.

During the beating, the suspect returned with a gun. He reportedly stood a short distance away and fired a single shot that scattered several pellets. Anthony Pierre, a relative of the deceased, recalled that he was sitting with Seelal when  he saw the two men approaching. “They started beating on him and I run to the back,” Pierre stated. Mere minutes later, he said, he heard a loud explosion and people “bawling”. Another neighbour, Eileen Paddier, said after the gunshot rang out, the cricketers and spectators abandoned their game. She said three of the men who were hit — Lyndon, Jason and Quincy — ran into her yard. They were bleeding from wounds to the abdomen, face, knees and chest.

Paddier said she saw Hospedales lying on a bench. She said he knew he was dying because he kept saying: “I’m going. I’m going”. The bleeding man was rushed to hospital where he died at approximately 9 pm. The other victims were treated and warded. Seelal was also treated at hospital, but was discharged and spent the majority of yesterday being interviewed by police. Hospedales had been living for the past 20 years with his common-law-wife, Annmarie Collins. The couple had nine children between the ages of one year and 25 years. Visiting the scene was a party of officers from the Moruga Police Station and San Fernando Homicide Bureau. Investigations are continuing.

AN 18-month-old baby girl was one of three people shot late yesterday as the Laventille gang war continued in the Beverly Hills, Picton, area.

The toddler, Shanice Callendar, along with family members, Arlene Callendar, 36, and her common-law-husband Garvin “Pussy” Jones, 24, were warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital last night. Shanice was shot on the right hand, Arlene on the foot, while Jones is said to be in a critical condition after being shot in the chest area. The baby’s cousin Tessa Callendar told Newsday that it was just before 6pm that five men approached the two-storey house at Silk Cotton Alley, and began firing shots at the downstairs portion.

Tessa, 16, said she, together with Arlene, her mother,  and Jones, her stepfather, were all downstairs and that as the shots rang out, Jones came behind her and was shot in the chest region. After, she said, the men went upstairs and opened fire, striking baby Shanice on the hand.  The child, who Tessa said stays there because her parents work in Tobago, was in the gallery of the house. The assailants then entered the house but said nothing as to why they were shooting up the place, a visibly-shaken Tessa told Newsday.  “I have no idea why anyone would want to do this,” she said.

However, a 10-year-old girl said that the shooting is as a result of a gangwar between people from Despers and Beverly Hills.  The child said that the five men, one of whom had a 9mm, came from a track down Beverly Hills. “I just heard shots and I ran by a friend and hid in a toilet,” the girl said.  She added that when the smoke was cleared and she came out of hiding, she saw Garvin in a canal.  She said she heard about four shots. A report was later made and a party of officers from the Besson Street Criminal Investigations Department (CID) under Insp Manechand Ramnarine and other members of the Port-of-Spain Divisional Task Force visited the scene and conducted investigations. Police took the three wounded to the hospital. Investigations are continuing.

KEVIN ALEXANDER, a 25-year-old Laventille man was shot seven times while at his Rudolph Charles Link Road, Laventille, home around 11 pm on Sunday night, but his bullet-riddled body was only discovered around 6.30 am yesterday.

His murder brings to 74, the number killed for the year, 25 more than for the same period last year when 49 persons were murdered. Reports revealed that on Sunday afternoon, Alexander was confronted by a man armed with a gun and known to him, who accused him of shooting a man at the Community Centre in Laventille. The man threatened to return to the house and kill anyone he saw. Keisha Alexander, the 22-year-old sister of the dead man, said that her brother was the father of a two-month-old girl whom he had never seen and his girlfriend is now pregnant with his child. The distraught woman claimed that her brother was the caretaker of the house where the fatal shooting took place. She added that around 11pm when the seven shots were heard at the house, everyone became afraid and stayed indoors. Around 6.30 am yesterday, a check was made by Sheldon Alexander who discovered the body.

Officers of the Besson Street Police Station were contacted and well as a district medical officer. The body was ordered removed to the Forensic Sciences Centre. An initial examination of the body by the DMO revealed that one of the bullets entered Alexander’s heart and killed him instantly. The sister of the dead man said that her brother was not a bandit, but she admitted that he sold weed to earn a living. She added that her brother was a difficult person who often had arguments with persons of questionable character. Police investigators told Newsday that they have issued a warrant for the arrest of the suspected killer. Newsday learned that Alexander was a suspect in several murders and robberies. An autopsy will be carried out today.

A HIGH Court Judge has ordered that the brother of a high court judge be arrested and jailed for contempt of court.

Lochan Moosai, managing director of Moosai Development Company, was sentenced to jail for 21 days, by Justice David Myers, who issued a warrant for Moosai’s arrest. Lochan Moosai is the brother of Justice Prakash Moosai. Justice Myers made the order against Moosai (L) for failing to obey a High Court order in a $1.5 million High Court judgement against him. The judgement was obtained last year by Intercommercial Bank Limited (ICBL), against Moosai of Target Road, El Dorado. Moosai (L) is also indebted to ICBL for $23 million and according to documents filed in the Sub-Registry, San Fer-nando, he has failed to pay the sum.

The sum represented monies Moosai borrowed from ICBL to construct several secondary schools. Contracts for the schools were awared by the previous United National Congress government under its Sec-ondary Education Moder-nisation Programme, SEMP. Inter-Commercial Bank Limited is a recently formed financial institution operating in this country and is owned and managed by Indian-born steel magnate, Laxmi Mithal. On July 22, 2002, ICBL obtained judgement against Moosai in the sum of $1,517,684.95 at 16 1/2 per cent interest. The monies were not paid and on July 31, Master Patricia Sobion ordered Moosai to attend court on November 22, to give oral evidence of his revenue and assets.

Moosai (L) failed to attend court and Master Sobion adjourned the case to December 19. On that day the case was again adjourned to January 29, 2003. Still there was no appearance by Moosai and Master Sobion transfered the case to a Judge in Chambers for Moosai’s committal for contempt of court. The case came up for hearing last Friday before Justice Myers. Attorneys Lynette Maharaj SC, Shastri Prasad, instructed by Norma Maynard Marshall and Dinesh Rambally, represented ICBL. Moosai did not put in an appearance, and Justice Myers presiding in the Second Civil Court ordered that he should be committed to the Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, to be imprisoned for 21 days. However, the judge further ordered that Moosai be given until next Friday to attend court to show why he should not be sent to jail. The judge granted leave for ICBL’s attorneys to serve the committal order on Moosai by publishing it in a daily newspaper.

For the first time in over one month, not a single doctor reported “sick” yesterday, at the San Fernando General Hospital.

Coincidentally, it was the first day on the job for newly appointed Ag Medical Chief-of Staff, Dr Anand Chatoorgoon, who was formally notified of his appointment in a letter signed and dispatched yesterday by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Hamid O’Brien. Chatoorgoon replaced Dr Austin Trinidade who had been sent on 226 compensatory days off. Yesterday the Acting Medical Chief reported that all of the Hospital’s out-patient clinics, as well as its Accident and Emergency department were fully-functional and no patients were transferred to any of the private health institutions. “Not a single sick leave form has been deposited on the desk of the Medical Chief-of-Staff all day,” he said.

Chatoorgoon added: “This is the dawning of a brand new day.” He expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations between the Joint Negotiating Team (JNT) of Regional Health Authorities and the doctors’ representatives, MPATT, would bring an end to the impasse. In a fax late yesterday from MPATT, the association said that after a meeting within the RHAs, it had offered several concessions. “Subsequently,” it added, “compromises have been made by both sides,” and said that MPATT was awaiting word from the chairman of the JNT, Imtiaz Ahamad within 48 hours as promised.

Chatoorgoon also showered praise on Gynaecologist Dr Marwan Abdullah and Consultant Dr Krishna Rampersadsingh for their role on Sunday, in the delivery of a three-pound baby boy to Gail Charles. Charles had begun to experience heavy bleeding after being admitted to the Hospital. With an “on call” doctor refusing to respond to the emergency, Chatoorgoon enlisted the assistance of the off-duty medics who responded to the call for help. The woman was examined and a C-section was performed on her. The hospital reported last evening that both mother and child were “doing well” but continued to be closely monitored by staff.

Barataria labourer Gabriel “Ninja” Joseph was yesterday committed to stand trial for the murder of Keon “Culture” Stewart at the Port-of-Spain Assizes by Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls.

Joseph, 34, of Upper Seventh Avenue, Malick, was charged with fatally shooting the 21-year-old Stewart at Cocoa Road, Febeau Village, San Juan, on September 29, 2002. He was charged following investigations by Sgt. David Abraham of the San Juan CID. Magistrate Mc Nicolls decision followed the evidence that was presented by State attorney George Busby. either Busby nor defence attorney Keith Scotland made closing submissions in the matter. Magistrate Mc Nicolls had previously cautioned the accused and gave him his notice of alibi last week Thursday. He asked if Joseph wished to call any witnesses to give evidence on his behalf. Joseph indicated that he wished to call three witnesses including his brother. The magistrate then issued a summons for the witnesses to appear in court. However, when the matter was called yesterday, Joseph through his attorney indicated that he no longer wished to call the witnesses to give evidence. He said he would give particulars of his alibi to the Director of Public Prosecutions in writing within ten days. There was no objection from the State and the magistrate recorded the request.

Magistrate Mc Nicolls then informed Joseph that he was satisfied that a prima facie case had been made against him and that he would stand trial at the next sitting of the Assizes. Scotland drew to the attention of the magistrate the state of Joseph’s clothes which consisted of a green “sliders”, and two short vests worn one on top the other. He said it was a disgrace that Joseph should appear before the Chief Magistrate dressed like a vagrant. Joseph said that his “court clothes” were dirtied after a “tragedy in the prison.” Scotland told the magistrate that his client’s rights were eroded. Magistrate Mc Nicolls informed Scotland that he would have to address the issue with the Prison Authorities. Busby also agreed with the magistrate and said he would do what was necessary in addressing the issue. Scotland indicated that he would write a letter to the Prison Authorities about the situation.