Relatives of Omattie Gattoo are hoping she will be well enough to attend the funeral service of her three-year-old son, Ravendra, which has been set for tomorrow. In an interview, Rocky Gattoo, Omattie’s husband, said the Ministry of People and Social Development had offered to pay for the child’s funeral. “Hopefully, she (Omattie) would come out the hospital for the funeral,” he said.

Ravendra was killed on Monday when a ten-wheeler truck slammed into the four-door pickup driven by the child’s uncle, Kumar Balraj. Omattie was holding Ravendra when the truck struck them. Her six-year-old daughter, Stacy, and her parents were also in the van. The family was on its way to drop off Omattie at her Bejucal Road, Cunupia, home, after she and her children had spent the weekend in Barrackpore. 

Gattoo said Stacy was staying with her grandparents while her mother remained hospitalised, but the families would be reunited for the funeral in Bejucal. “The funeral will take place in Bejucal and everybody will come up here.” The body is expected to be cremated at the Caroni Cremation Site. Asauph Ghany confirmed that he and other officials from his ministry would visit the family today. 

“Yes, we will be going there. There will also be a senior social worker who is a counsellor going with us, to offer whatever support we can to the family.” Meanwhile, Gattoo was discharged from the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday. “She have real pain in she back, head and hand,” said her brother Ramoutar Balraj in a telephone interview.

Gattoo was discharged from the hospital around 11.30 am. Balraj said the funeral service for Ravendra will take place tomorrow at their Bejucal, Cunupia home and then Caroni Cremation site. 

Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne shocked T&T citizens this week after receiving and airing an amateur video which allegedly highlighted disturbing behaviour by a member of the T&T Police Service. 

The video, which captured an alleged incident involving two Special Reserve Police officers  and wheelchair-bound paraplegic Robby Ramcharitar on High Street, San Fernando, subsequently went viral on Alleyne’s Facebook page and the Internet, causing public furore and leading to the suspension of the two SRPs pending an investigation.

The video, which was caught on camera by an unknown individual and uploaded to social media Web sites, allegedly shows a police officer pushing Ramcharitar down the street then a man slapping him after a confrontation. However, the man has since denied slapping Ramcharitar and also claimed he had no knowledge that a police officer had interacted with the man prior to his own interaction with him. He suggested that the video was deliberately manipulated.

Alleyne has called for swift justice in the case and said he hoped there would be no cover up. In another case, Alleyne visited relatives of Darlene Arjoon, who was killed in a hit-and-run accident on December 27. Unfortunately, Darleen, 48, was killed as she and her family were celebrating her birthday. The incident occurred on a trip to Mayaro, where a man allegedly hit a vehicle of one of Arjoon’s relatives during their journey. The family initially attempted to stop the driver but he sped off. 

They continued on their journey to Mayaro and encountered traffic, where they again spotted the man’s vehicle. It was then that they approached the man, asked him how he could drive off after hitting a car, and demanded that he accompany them to the police station. At that point, the driver again attempted to get away and hit Arjoon, dragging her a short distance away with his vehicle. Arjoon died on the spot.

Alleyne obtained the police statements from all parties and began investigations. It was alleged by the family of the deceased that the driver was held by police and released, since there were no grounds to charge him. The devastated family pleaded with Alleyne for justice, as they believed the matter was being covered up. Alleyne is continuing the investigation on this case. The Crime Watch host also interviewed the mother of missing 12-year-old Jade Peters this week.

Alleyne visited the child’s mother at their Dow Village, Claxton Bay, home after Peters mysteriously disappeared, having left home to go to a nearby mini-mart recently. Jade is a form two student of Union Hall, Claxton Bay. Alleyne is asking the public to whatsapp him on 294-4081 if they have any information. Also, this week, Alleyne was asked to probe the disappearance of Basdeo Sinanan, 56, of Southern Main Road, Chase Village, Carapichaima. He has been missing since December 15. 

Relatives are appealing to the public for any assistance and Alleyne is asking anyone who may know the whereabouts of  Sinanan to contact Crime Watch. Finally, the mother of Avonelle Edwards-Best, 27, visited the set to complain about alleged medical malpractice at the Sangre Grande Hospital. 

Edwards-Best reportedly went into emergency labour on September 23, 2014, where she gave birth to a stillborn child. The infant was born prematurely, brain damaged and paralysed. The mother is also still hospitalised. The family appealed to Crime Watch for assistance and Alleyne promised to investigate the matter fully.

Exactly nine months ago today, Senior Counsel Dana Seetahal was ambushed and assassinated in Woodbrook, Port-of-Spain, while on her way home. With this anniversary in mind, Seetahal’s family and friends are now “extremely concerned” that the police investigation into her murder may have gone cold. Seetahal’s sister, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) head Susan Francois, yesterday said the family was worried that the investigations would fall off the police radar having continued into another year.

“It has been nine months,” Francois said. “The family is extremely concerned that we have not been apprised of any progress leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in this.” Francois also said the family was initially informed of the progress of the police investigations but have since been kept out of the loop. “We have not heard anything for quite some time,” she said, adding that the investigators used to meet with the family “from time to time” but no longer did.

The investigations were initially headed by former Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Dick, but have since been transferred to Acting Deputy Commissioner Glenn Hackett. Francois said she was not even aware if the person with responsibility for heading the investigation had been changed. “The family was not informed of any such transfer. We really do not know what is the status of the investigation,” she said.

The Sunday Guardian understands that Seetahal’s family is meeting next week to decide on their next course of action.

CoP: Probe at sensitive stage
Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, former lead investigator Wayne Dick, and current investigator on the case ASP Kenrick Edwards have described the investigation as “sensitive” and “at a critical point.” The three men also refused to reveal any details of the investigation. Williams said the case dominated media interest last year, which led to all kinds of theories being ventilated in the public domain.

“I cannot say which are true and which are not because to do that would be to dissect the evidence available to us and say which is correct and which is not correct,” he said. “And I cannot do that.” He said, however, the details of the probe were not for public consumption. “The fundamental issue is whether the police can solve the case or whether it will remain unsolved. That is the issue. And I can tell you that investigators are working assiduously to solve this murder,” he said.

Asked how many times investigators had met with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for guidance, Williams said that was not an important issue. “It does not matter how many times because it is not like the investigators go to the DPP with a pool of clues and leads...some cases they could meet with the DPP once and solve the case, other investigations require much more meetings,” he said.

However, the Sunday Guardian understands that the officers have held several hours-long meetings with DPP Roger Gaspard over the past few months and have recently been guided by him on the case. The investigations are “far from cold,” police sources said. Edwards, in a brief interview yesterday, also refused to comment on the case. “I am not at liberty to discuss or disclose any information because of the stage that the investigations are at right now,” he said.

Dick confirmed that he had handed over the case to Hackett, but also said he was not at liberty to discuss the case. “Yes, I have handed over the case but I cannot venture into any information that may have a detrimental effect on the investigations,” Dick said.

A look back
Seetahal was murdered in the early hours of May 4, 2014, after leaving the Mau Pau casino in Woodbrook. Reports on the incident stated that Seetahal was ambushed by attackers in two vehicles at the corner of Hamilton Holder Street and O’Connor Street, Woodbrook, and shot to death at close range with a small handgun. 

Early media reports noted that as many as 15 spent shells were collected at the site, but autopsy reports revealed she was shot five times. Seetahal’s murder rocked the legal fraternity, country and the region. In the days immediately following her assassination, speculation and rumour ran wild, and several sectors of the society were incriminated in her murder.

Reports initially pointed to Muslim members of an East-based mosque, whereas later in the year reports claimed that the triggerman behind her murder was killed in a police shootout. By June 2014, published reports put the investigations at a “critical high point.” 

Conservationists, environmentalists and game wardens were taken aback over the festive season, after photos of a woman kissing the decapitated head of an iguana and a man with the reptile’s head partially in his open mouth surfaced on Facebook. 

They described the photos, which also portrayed the people posing with iguana carcasses, as utterly disgusting and called on the authorities to do more to ensure that people who broke the current hunting moratorium were brought to justice and given stiffer fines.

The photos surfaced during the hype of the Christmas season, but after it was brought to the attention of the media and the Forestry Division, the name of the Facebook profile was altered and the photos removed. All incoming calls to the cell phone of the woman highlighted in the photos were also subsequently restricted.

Contacted on the matter, Papa Bois Conservation director Marc de Verteuil said though he believed that people who blatantly disregarded the two-year hunting moratorium should be arrested and charged, the people in the photos would most likely get away scot-free. 

“Looking at these pictures, the first thing that comes to mind is: ‘Don’t play with your food. What is more concerning is the fact that the bush meat culture is entrenched in our society and that poachers have so little fear for the law that they will post these pictures online for all and sundry to see. Obviously they have no fear of being caught,” de Verteuil told the Sunday Guardian.

“I will bet that the folks in these pictures will not be charged with any crime. In fact, if they are found and charged, I will walk backwards around Independence Square with underwear on my head.” De Verteuil said that this was no isolated incident, as he often came across poachers in the bush and saw people posting photos of protected animals for sale, or proud poachers displaying their catch. He said education was the only answer to curb this type of disrespect to wildlife.

“Children must be taught from a young age that wildlife has an important role to play in the ecosystem. We need to indoctrinate them with that message so that they will become protectors of the animals and forests of T&T, not because somebody threatens to punish them if they don’t, but because they know and understand that it is the right thing to do.”

Call for stiffer penalties
Vice-president of the Incoming Tour Operators Association of T&T Stephen Broadbridge, who is also an honorary game warden, meanwhile called for stiffer penalties to be imposed for hunting illegally. He said fines should start from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $100,000. “There are plans for enforcement, including the increasing of fines from the ridiculous $500 current fine. From what I heard, there are good ideas, but I wish for these plans to be implemented immediately,” he said.

Broadbridge explained that although the wild meat industry was a million-dollar one, killing of the wildlife out of season was not sustainable. “Also to take into consideration is the toxic lead that is released in the wild meat from the bullets and pellets used. When ready to cook not all the pellets are removed and it becomes highly toxic in the cooked meat. So not only it is not sustainable, but it is not healthy and safe for many reasons,” he said.

Honorary game wardens, Broadbridge explained, were empowered under the law to take action against people caught in the illegal hunting and storage of wild meat outside of the hunting season. He said in such cases they received back up from the Police Service and from security personnel of the Water and Sewerage Authority.

“We have all right to search commercial properties without warrants, vehicles and sea vessels. With respect to private properties, we can conduct searches, but with warrants,” he said.

Manpower woes
Game Warden II Steve Seepersad condemned the latest act of illegal hunting highlighted in the Facebook photos, but said he and his colleagues’ attempts to prevent poachers and out-of-season hunting had been severely hampered by a serious manpower shortage at the Forestry Division. He called for the addition of at least 500 game wardens, in addition to the current staff of six Game Wardens I and six Game Wardens II.

“The forests are very large throughout T&T and we need the hundreds of game wardens in order to properly man our forests and protect our wildlife. “We also need unlimited equipment, including firearms and proper gear to go into the forests.” Attempts to contact Minister of the Environment and Water Resources Ganga Singh for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not answer his cellphone nor did he respond to several text messages sent to his phone.

Singh announced the two-year hunting ban on September 19, 2013, which took effect on October 1, 2013. At the time, he said the moratorium was necessary because the country’s wildlife stock was in danger of extinction.

Environmental activist and head of the Highway Re-Route Movement (HRM) Dr Wayne Kublalsingh has promised to suspend his hunger strike for seven days if there is any headway in his request for an open meeting with the Government over the Debe to Mon Desir leg of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway.

Speaking with the Sunday Guardian yesterday, Kublalsingh explained that if the National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (Nidco) agrees to hold the meeting with government officials, HRM and mediators present, he will suspend his hunger strike, which is now over the 100-day mark.

“In order to take the process forward, with mediators present and if they agree to halt work at the Debe/Mon Desir section for seven days for a chance for mediation to go forward, I will suspend my action.” Kublalsingh said Nidco chairman Dr Carson Charles had invited the HRM to a meeting this week to discuss his (Kublalsingh’s) Optimum Connectivity Proposal, but added that he will not attend unless the Government agrees to have mediators present.

“Also, if Dr Charles can give the assurance that the meeting has the support of the Government,” he said. Kublalsingh added that in the meantime, Charles said he will be given the Dr Rae Furlounge report in response to the HRM’s Optimum Connectivity Proposal. “We will accept it (Furlounge report) and will be studying it,” he said. 

The Optimum Connectivity Proposal aims to change the highway segment that would connect the Debe and Mon Desir communities to a series of alternate routes connecting to the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway. Kublalsingh started his hunger strike last year in protest over Government refusal to alter the Debe to Mon Desir leg of the highway. He is arguing that the current route will cause major damage to the environment and dislocate scores of families.

In a letter on Friday, political activist Ravi Maharaj, who launched a short counter strike in support of the highway before aborting after falling ill last year, asked Charles to be allowed to attend any meeting between the HRM and Nidco. 

A young policeman was caught by surprise and almost killed when he walked in on three men armed with high-powered guns who were robbing a Barrackpore bar on Friday night. The bandits opened fire on police constable Kashyap Ryan Lochan, 21, and his two colleagues, hitting him twice. Police believe the perpetrators were armed with mini Uzi pistols. Lochan, of Barrackpore, joined the police service just seven months ago.

Over 100 police responded to the incident and locked down the area. But despite a six-hour land and aerial search, the perpetrators managed to escape. Police said around 10.30 pm, Lochan, WPC Cholai and PC Sookoo, of the Barrackpore Police Station, were on patrol when they responded to a report of a disturbance at the Vietnam Bar at New Colonial Road, Barrackpore. They stopped in front of the bar unaware that a robbery was in progress.

But inside the bar’s gaming room, the bandits, two of whom were masked, saw when the police arrived on CCTV cameras and waited for them to enter. When Lochan approached the door to the gaming room, police said, he was greeted by gunfire. Lochan was shot in the abdomen and left leg, but he and his colleagues returned fire and he managed to scramble back to their vehicle outside. 

The police van and two other vehicles were shot up during the attack. The bandits then ran to the back of the building and escaped with over $35,000 in cash, as well as cell phones, jewelry, and other valuables they stole from the bar’s patrons.

Lochan’s colleagues tried to take him to the hospital in their bullet-riddled vehicle, but the radiator was damaged and it began overheating near Monkey Town, Barrackpore. He was transferred to another police vehicle, but on the way that vehicle ran off the road and PC Sookoo injured his leg. 

Eventually, another police vehicle took the injured policemen to the San Fernando General Hospital where they were treated. Lochan underwent emergency surgery and was warded in a stable condition yesterday. A contingent of police from the South, South Western and Central Divisions responded and, with the assistance of the Canine Unit and National Security helicopter, searched the area for the suspects. Police recovered over 20 spent shells and the robbery was captured on video.

Senior police, including ACP (South) Donald Denoon, Sr Supt Cecil Santana, Sr Supt Johnny Abraham and ASP Zamsheed Mohammed also visited the scene. Ag ASP Ali Mohammed of the Barrackpore police is continuing investigations. Traumatic experience

Recalling the robbery yesterday, bar owner Deonarine Gunness said he was in the gaming room while his wife Parbatee was in the bar. He said there were about eight patrons in the gaming room, when three armed men walked in and announced a hold up. Parbatee said, “I was in the bar and scream out hard. I try to push the door, but they push it back and they tie my hands with duct tape. They tell me lie down but I sit down.” 

She told the Sunday Guardian they threatened to slit the throat of her worker, but she begged them to leave him alone and take the money. Gunness said, “They said, ‘everybody get on the floor, lie flat on the floor and don’t look at them.’” He said the bandits ordered them all to empty their pockets and took their cell phones, jewelry and cash. Less than two minutes into the robbery, he said, the police arrived. 

“The officer kick open the door and the bandits open fire on him and there was an exchange of gunfire...heavy gunfire. The officer did not fall, he keep backing up.” In the panic, he said, the bandits forgot the bag with the money, but through a window one of the bandits ordered a patron to hand the bag to him. Gunness, who has been operating the bar for the past 35 years, said it was the second time they had been robbed. “It was very traumatising. It was terrible.”

He praised the police for their quick response and wished Lochan a speedy recovery.

Rookie cops need training
Speaking with the Sunday Guardian at the SFGH yesterday, Lochan’s cousin Rikki Rambhajan said the police service needed to introduce on-the-job training for juniors. “Something is terribly wrong. Three police officers on patrol at a time like this? Where are the senior officers? They should have been in the vehicle with them. 

“I don’t know how the service operate, they need to have on-the-job experience, especially when there is a rampant free flow of arms and ammunition in the country.” He said Barrackpore was a nice community, but it had now become a hunting ground for criminals. Despite his parents’ reservations about him joining the service, Rambhajan said, Lochan always wanted to be a policeman.

Rambhajan said Lochan was very enthused about his job despite his parents Deosaran’s and Jemma’s concerns about his safety. He said they might want him to leave the service after he recovered. However, his advice to Lochan would be to “take this as a learning experience. It will toughen you up.” Doctors, he said, told the family Lochan was out of danger, as the bullet to his abdomen did not damage any of his organs.

Warning to bandits
Sr Supt Johnny Abraham yesterday urged his juniors to be alert at all times and also sent a warning to armed criminals. “I am saying to the criminals out there again and again, if you commit crime and you get away I have no problem with that.

“But if confronted by the police please drop your weapon. A firearm means only one thing, that is to kill. I have advised my officers to be ready, to be prepared for any eventuality. These officers responded to a simple disturbance and they were greeted with heavily armed bandits.”

Abraham said he was not pleased that the bandits escaped, but was confident they would be held. He also advised businessmen with gaming machines to hire security to protect themselves and their patrons.

The female Special Reserve Police officer charged for allegedly assaulting a wheelchair-bound man has been released from police custody after being granted $15,000 bail on Friday night. But Tamika Phillip’s male colleague was charged with misbehaviour in public office only late yesterday and up to last night was trying to secure his bail at the San Fernando Police Station.

Both SRPs were arrested and charged after a video showing them allegedly abusing wheelchair-bound Robby Ramcharitar, 46, surfaced on Facebook last week. The video shows a man in plain clothes and a woman in a police uniform assaulting the man. The incident took place on December 27 along High Street, San Fernando. Both SRPs were interviewed at the police station by detectives of the Professional Standards Bureau on Friday.

Phillip was charged with assaulting Ramcharitar and maliciously damaging a car parked along High Street, San Fernando. Police sources said a Justice of the Peace granted her $10,000 bail on the assault charge while she was granted $5,000 on the other charge. Her colleague was expected to be granted bail last night, but both SRPs will have to appear before a San Fernando magistrate tomorrow to answer the charges.

Eyewitnesses claimed that Ramcharitar was cursing the officers at the time of the incident, but he has denied this and has retained the services of attorney Rekha Ramjit to sue the SRPs and the State.

In the past 10 years, over 4,000 T&T nationals were deported from the United States (US), Canada and the UK. The rise in deportees came as a consequence of amendments to each country’s respective immigration legislation. For example, the US passed the Illegal Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IRIRA) and the Anti-Terrorism Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) in the 1990s, which all had serious repercussions for lawful permanent residents or green card holders.

Under this specific legislation, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement was granted unfettered powers, basically allowing it to reclassify minor crimes such as petty theft, shoplifting, drug infractions and drunk driving as deportable offences. Previously, only aggravated felonies such as rape and kidnapping were deportable offences. 

The USA Patriot Act, passed after the 9/11 terrorism incidents in New York, also had serious consequences for migrants suspected of being involved in plotting, inciting or aiding terrorism acts. 

Statistics obtained from the US Department of State’s Homeland Security show that during a ten-year period from 2001-2010, some 72,371 people with Caribbean links were deported back to their home countries. Of this figure, 44,422 of them were deported for criminal offences. There were 4,218 Trinis among those deported and 2,433 of them were deported for criminal offences.

In the past year, according to records from the Ministry of National Security, there were approximately 175 nationals who were sent back to T&T. According to the ministry, the Government has a Memorandum of Understanding with the governments of the UK, USA and Canada regarding the sharing of information about deportees and the crimes committed in these countries. This information is shared prior to the arrival of the deportees in T&T.

On arrival in this country, deportees are first interviewed by Immigration authorities, then Special Branch and Social Welfare Officers. In addition, the Ministry of the People and Social Development has a Social Displacement Unit that assesses a deportee’s varied needs, best interests and welfare in this country after a comprehensive examination.

Deportees are assisted with housing, identification cards, employment opportunities and educational opportunities, apart from being reconnected with relatives who may still be residing in T&T. Non-governmental organisations such as Vision on Mission, Living Waters Community and St Vincent De Paul also play an integral role in the resettlement and reintegration of the deportees into the society.

Helpless feeling
One deportee, Dave Douglas, 53, of Curepe, was deported from Los Angeles, California, after he served time for domestic violence. He described his return to T&T as “being snatched from Africa and sent to T&T as an outcast and a slave.” Douglas left Trinidad at age 18 in 1978 seeking a better life. But some 27 years later he got into trouble with the law and in October 2010 was deported to Trinidad. Douglas left his seven children behind in the US.

“Being sent back here was one of the worst feelings,” he told the Sunday Guardian. “I was placed on an American Airlines flight with two US marshals, one on each side of me. I was handcuffed. “I felt equated to slaves being snatched from Africa. When I arrived in Piarco I met with customs officials and then I was allowed to leave with no money. I had nothing.”

After four years, Douglas said, he was yet to adopt to the T&T lifestyle and he was finding life very hard. He is still seeking residence at St Vincent de Paul’s in Port-of-Spain. “When I was back home (in the US) I worked as a Class 1 machinist on several US government projects. Compared to here in Trinidad, it is very tough for me. “No one wants to hire me and I am forced to work as a security guard off and on. Readjusting is very hard.”

Douglas said he grieved because of his children and was praying his life would get better one day. Another deportee, Steve Charles, 61, returned to Trinidad about six months ago, having been deported from the US. Charles called on the Government to implement effective and efficient programmes to properly reintegrate deportees into society. “It is really hard for us. When we come here in Trinidad, we feel lost,” Charles said.

“There needs to be programmes to help us in education and training and proper employment opportunities for us so we don’t have to resort to crime and living on the streets, because this is so easy for some of us to do. We just want to live our lives as the average T&T citizen.”

Lack of funding
Supervisor at the St Vincent de Paul home, Selwyn Coutain, admitted that the organisation was going through a tough period but was continuing its efforts to assist the needy, including deportees. “We are not getting the required subsidies to have this place running properly,” Coutain said.

“Staff haven’t gotten a raise of pay for the past eight years and they are still coming out to assist with the residents, and that by itself is a risk for everyone because we are all exposed to residents who have contracted diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/Aids, herpes and scabies. “We don’t have the proper health care protection and equipment. We also have no insurance.”

According to the Vision on Mission’s Web site, many deportees encounter major difficulties in adjusting after incarceration or upon return to T&T, especially when it came to reconnecting with their families, adjusting to their new environment, finding employment and accommodation. 

“Some have even experienced severe mental breakdown as a result of the transition and separation from the families or loved ones they were forced to leave behind. A large number of deportees are unskilled and need to be trained or retrained to work within the society. They may also be plagued with substance abuse and health problems, which may require special dietary needs,” the Web site noted.

Regional problem
In the most recent Caricom Crime and Security Report, criminal deportees were widely viewed as the major force driving the increasing rate of violent crime, introducing new types of crime and generally extending the criminal repertoire of local criminals. The report said it was believed that they helped to extend and intensify the transnational links of ordinary criminals, and were involved in organising and facilitating the trafficking in illegal drugs and firearms.

The report added that deportees presented a new and special danger to Caribbean societies, but the already high levels of unemployment in some of the territories; limited opportunities for acquiring new skills; the stigma of criminal deportation; and difficulty in starting a new, conventional life made the reintegration of a deportee into society difficult.

Congress of the People (COP) leader Prakash Ramadhar says he is in support of the death penalty and will assist the People’s Partnership (PP) in pushing through legislation when the matter is brought before Parliament again. Speaking to the media after the party's executive meeting at the COP headquarters in Charlieville, Chaguanas, yesterday,  Ramadhar said a strong message must be sent to those who commit the most heinous of crimes that they must pay the ultimate penalty for murder.

“It is important for us to recognise that a message has to be sent that those who're willing to take life, that the most severe consequence is available to them,” Ramadhar said. “That is why the Government had brought legislation in the past to categorise murders, the most grievous of them, premeditated murders, assassinations. Those are the ones that once one is charged and convicted, you must pay the penalty with your life.” 

The country has already recorded seven murders for the year and Ramadhar admitted the PP must deal with the issue. “Murder is atrocious for all. It is something that certainly needs to be addressed, but we’ve taken steps in terms of the detection of crime, such as DNA legislation and labs and the use of science to solve crimes.”

He said it was easy to talk about the number of offences, but it was really about the use of technology to detect who was responsible and then bring them to justice.

Ramadhar said tremendous effort had been made by the Government to speed up trials, but before cases could get to trial they must be solved and suspects arrested, and the use of science would go a long way towards achieving those ends. He said in preparation for general elections this year, all party executives were asked last year to look at potential candidates for screening, so that they could have candidates of “good quality.”  

Responding to whether the COP would go it alone or remain in the coalition, Ramadhar said the lessons of 2007 were still with them. He said the COP was still an independent party, but it had learned well in working with its partners. Ramadhar said it was not a perfect equation, but it was one that had worked well for the people of T&T.

He also said the country was on the precipice of an economic meltdown when the Government came into office and the PP had been able to stabilise the economy and politics of the country. 

Allegations of political discrimination in the awarding of state contracts are to be placed under the remit of the Equal Opportunities Commission. This, according to the newly appointed EOC chair, attorney-at-law Lynette Seebaran-Suite, who feels although we have lived well in a plural society things could degenerate if this diversity were not properly handled. Efforts will also be made to ensure people with HIV/Aids are offered protection.

Q: Mrs Seebaran-Suite, it was with some irony I read the headline on page 11 of a recent Guardian which stated, “Equal Opportunity Commission on sex discrimination; more men complaining.” Are we men losing our cojones... not in the physical sense? 
A: (Stifling a smile) I don’t think so at all, Clevon. Not at all, not at all.

Isn’t it unusual that between 2008 and the present day, 270 complaints were received from women and 530 from men, when it’s usually the other way around?
No. It is true the majority of the complaints are from men but it is not to say that they are complaining on the basis of sex; that is not the implication to draw from that because under the... By and large, under this mechanism (EOC), men are complaining about discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, or ethnicity, so that’s where you have the bulk of complaints being received by the commission.

What area has the EOC been receiving the most complaints in?  
Ah, let me see (quickly browsing through the EOC’s latest report at her Woodford Street, Port-of-Spain, office Saturday morning). The headings under which we received complaints are discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sex, disability, geographical origin or marital status, the largest of which is race or ethnicity.

Can you give an example of discrimination on the basis of race on the job?
The EOC is handling a grievance from a retiring vice-principal who says he should be appointed principal based on his seniority, but a teacher of another ethnicity has been given the post, which he is claiming would affect his terminal benefits.

Would the commission deal with a matter like this solely on the question of seniority or academic qualifications?
Well, both. The question of promoting someone is a multi-factor exercise, so the Teaching Service Commission would have their protocols and practices. After we have satisfied ourselves that the complaint falls within our remit we would call the employer to come in to our conciliation process.

If the commission is found guilty as it were...?
Well our function is, at the end of the day, a conciliation function. So all we can do is ask the employer to sit around the table with us, as we cannot compel them to reach a decision. If one is not reached we then refer the matter to the Equal Opportunity Tribunal, a complementary organisation which is actually a court established under our legislation.

You took this office less than four months ago, but I am certain you must have heard over the years complaints about persons being denied job opportunities because of their home address.
Yes, we do have complaints on the basis of geographical origin. We have a large client base in Tobago and it is the region from which we receive the most complaints. In Tobago, as with all other regions, the largest number of reports deal with employment and there you find, for example, many complaints against the Tobago House of Assembly.

What is the basic nature of these complaints?
That they discriminate against employing people, perhaps because they are not from Tobago...from Trinidad, or somewhere else, and that is the reason they are not employed. And just anecdotally, the sense that I get is that most of these complaints are about employment or promotion, or opportunities for training. There may be certain types of jobs which by their nature would require the applicant to live in a certain geographical area in the sister island.

Mrs Seebaran-Suite, is the question of racial discrimination a real one in T&T?
We have a significant number of complaints where the ground that people are complaining on is race and ethnicity. That is the heading which is most utilised...they’re saying they did not get the job because they are East Indian, or African, or did not get the opportunity to go on the training. In 2013, we had 24 complaints on this basis.

From where you now sit Mrs Seebaran-Suite, do you see this trend, if you can call it that, turning into any serious conflagration in T&T?
(Vigorously nodding in disapproval) No. I don’t think the problem would reach there. You do have a sense that there have been complaints of preferences in terms of a general division of the goods and services of the State, the awarding of contracts and putting people in positions of authority. 

You do anecdotally get a sense, not necessarily from our statistics, that there has been that complaint and I daresay because of the nature of our society that is a complaint we have been having from the time we knew ourselves as a nation.

Do you have that status or heading, political discrimination, under the remit of the EOC?
(Running her fingers gently through the left side of her shoulder-length hair) We don’t have as yet, although it is certainly on the cards for us to make a recommendation that one of the grounds that should be included is discrimination on the basis of political affiliation.Even before the advent of my term there had been a recommendation that discrimination on the basis of age and HIV are something that should be looked at, since 2011.

Mrs Seebaran-Suite, is it politically prudent for your organisation to tackle issues under the heading of HIV and LGBT at this time?
Let me put it this way, the UNAIDS did a survey of attitudes of the general population towards persons who are gay and 73 per cent of the respondents—and it was a very sophisticated, well-designed survey—felt that persons should not be discriminated against because they are gay.

Madame chairperson, do you firmly believe in a general sense that there is no basis in fact for the LGBT population to feel they are being discriminated against, all things taken into consideration?
Clevon, Trinidad and Tobago is a fairly liberal society and there is a fair degree of tolerance. There are many persons in high and important positions who are not affected by their status. But there still exists individual instances of persons who are victimised on the basis of sexual orientation and at one of our seminars an individual spoke about an employer who hired a woman, and when it was found out she was gay they fired her.

So even though we have a liberal society there are cases where the not-so enlightened employer would dismiss you when they discover your sexual orientation.

So even though we have matured to a certain extent away from the days when these persons were terrorised by us “straight” persons, we are still seeing a certain degree of homophobia?
 Yes, and especially by the strongly religious people.

Are they being unfair to these citizens who pay their taxes and live exemplary lives just like the majority of us?
Yes, I think so and it goes back to the nature of what are human rights, which is not something that the majority should decide on. The individual should decide this and it is the individual who has the right to decide not to be discriminated against.

Finally Mrs Seebaran-Suite, overall, is T&T an overtly discriminating society?
No. I think we have problems associated with being a plural society and we must acknowledge there are special issues from which Trinidad and Tobago suffers, if I can use that term, that there is a potential for terrible problems if that multi-ethnic nature of the population is not properly managed. 

The lived experience of the two major races before we achieved political independence at the level of the street, at the level of the village and at the level of personal interaction, we have wonderfully worked out how we live together.

So we good to go?
Yes. We are good to go.

The 18-year-old driver accused of slamming his car into a group of family members, killing a mother of three, has claimed he was trying to escape after being attacked by them. Police said the driver claimed the family blocked his car and assaulted him and his father. Darling Arjoon, 48, of Brothers Road, New Grant, was killed and seven members of her family injured after being struck by the car during an incident at Bristol Village, Mayaro, last Saturday. 

The family members, about 12 of them, were in three cars heading to the beach to celebrate Arjoon and her son’s birthday when the road rage incident allegedly occurred. Arjoon’s sister is still warded at the Sangre Grande Hospital in a stable condition. 
Last Sunday, Arjoon’s husband Primnath Churkoo called for justice after he heard that the driver was released from custody. 

Contacted on the matter, detectives told the Sunday Guardian that the investigation was at a sensitive stage. They said the teenager gave police a statement in which he claimed he and Arjoon’s family were involved in an incident at Rio Claro which culminated in Mayaro. 

The teen claimed when they got to Mayaro the family blocked his car with their cars and began beating him and his father. He claimed his father was also pulled out of the car and beaten. The teenager told police he was trying to escape when the accident that led to Arjoon’s death occurred.

Conflicting stories
However, Churkoo has denied this version of the events. Churkoo claimed the teenager bounced his son’s car while they were on their way to the beach and got angry when his son pulled alongside him to speak to him about the accident. Churkoo said the teenager began cursing them, “revving up” his car and driving back and forth. He said they (his family) came out of their cars and were standing on the side of the road.

He said the teenager then reversed and struck his wife, other family members and his (Churkoo’s) car. On impact, he said Arjoon’s body was thrown into the bushes. He said his wife died in his arms while he was taking her to the hospital. An autopsy revealed that Arjoon died from blunt force thoracic trauma. Ag Cpl Douglas of the Mayaro Police Station is investigating.

Guave Road farmers are calling on Planning Minister Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie and the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) to reveal to the public the real scope of phase two of the Chaguaramas Development Project. President of the Guave Road Farmers Association, Joseph Richardson, is making the call on behalf of his members, who claim that the land area scheduled for development is much bigger than what the public is being told. 

Speaking with the Sunday Guardian on Wednesday, Richardson said, “What the CDA didn’t mention or include in the CEC (certificate of environmental clearance) they received from the EMA (Environmental Management Authority) was the 100 acres of Wetlands 55.

“They claim that Wetlands 55 is just the Cuesa River only, which is 40 feet across, but the wetlands extend over 800 metres from the Cuesa River heading east to the Guave Road entrance on the Western Main Road and they’re shielding that from the public. “If it was mentioned that so many acres of vital ecosystems of mangroves and prime agricultural land would be destroyed for housing and recreational development, work could not have started on the project.” 

He added, “Most people don’t know that mangrove forests provide protection against beach erosion, storms, tsunamis and floods. “The tsunami that hit Asia in 2005, there were no deaths in areas where there were mangrove forests compared to those areas without coverage that suffered massive casualties.”

In advancing his argument, Richardson said there were two sluice gates built by the US soldiers during World War II at the road next to the Chaguaramas Boardwalk that were now covered with large rocks and plants. He said the sluice gates’ purpose was to drain the wetlands, which was a catchment area that collected water during the rainy season.

He said when the water reached a certain level, like three feet, it was gradually released into the sea and the sluice gates were so designed that water from the wetlands could go out but seawater could not enter. He said if the sluice gates were covered with concrete and the wetlands filled to begin housing development, not only would the wetlands, beachfront and major parts of the peninsula be flooded, but traffic chaos would ensue and families would be displaced. 

“It will be like the Red Bull Flugtag 2011 traffic nightmare every day in Chaguaramas,” he said. Richardson said the farmers believed the CDA was catering to the elite and to foreigners. He said the CDA wanted access to the entire front of Tucker Valley for its grand plan, which entailed creating an exclusive area for the business elite. This included restaurants, resorts jutting out of the Boardwalk, cable cars in the air, a game park, water park and a golf course, he said. 

He pointed out that the CDA was very clever in its operations, doing the project in incremental stages—phase one was the Boardwalk to please the “common people” followed by its extension and the mega development projects for the super rich. Richardson claimed a jetty scheduled for construction not too far off from the Alcoa jetty was in reality a windbreaker for the yachts the CDA wanted to cater for inside the Carenage basin.

Tewarie: Concerns weighed in plans
Planning Minister Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie says the concerns of the farmers, residents and special interest groups had been taken into consideration and the current construction work being done in the peninsula would ease the congestion in the long run. 

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian, Tewarie said, “Ironically, the question posed addresses precisely why the Guave Extension Road project was envisaged in the first place, that is, to reduce traffic congestion and make for a safer, easier access into and out of Chaguaramas.

“But access to and from Chaguaramas will continue to be a problem until we build an alternative route and this is what we’re considering now. But it can only get to the consultation and possibly design stage this year. The actual road to and from Chaguaramas will be a second-term project.”

He added, “The CDA has conducted a careful development plan for the peninsula that considers so many needs, the meticulous preservation of the natural environment, the allocation of the best areas for agricultural purposes, the optimisation of road networks, the people-centred development of the community, the creation of thousands of jobs, the execution of world-class recreational facilities and the ideal of making Chaguaramas an area of opportunity for all.”

Tewarie said he met with consultants recently and gave his input and he was satisfied they would have a people-centred plan for the sustainable development of Chaguaramas very soon. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar opened phase two of the boardwalk project at Chaguaramas on December 18, while a group of Guave Road farmers protested a short distance away on the Carenage Main Road. 

She said phase two would entail an extended boardwalk, activity pond and food court. Work to develop Chaguaramas to its full potential would continue with the CDA’s plans, she said, which included world-class marinas, hotels, waterfront restaurants, an amusement park and a golf course resort.

The PM said several upgrades were also scheduled, such as the Chaguaramas Hotel and Convention Centre, a golf course to meet international standards, Chagville Beach rehabilitation and the reafforestation of hills and green spaces.

She said the objections to the project did not matter, as plans for Chaguaramas would bring the peninsula back to the people. The PM said the Government was aware of the traffic woes in Chaguaramas and “novel” access points were included in the plans.

De Verteuil: Brace for traffic, flooding
With the onset of the new year, upcoming Carnival activities, coupled with development works at Guave Road, Tucker Valley, mean residents and visitors alike should brace for traffic gridlock in the northwest peninsula. This is the view of Marc de Verteuil, a director of the Papa Bois Conservation group. 

Speaking with the Sunday Guardian at Guave Road, while construction work was going on, De Verteuil said the CDA’s intent was to build a 6.75 acre car park, farmers’ market and tramway. Construction of all this infrastructure, he said, was a logistical transport nightmare in the making. He said Chaguaramas already suffered from daily traffic jams that could take an hour or more to navigate and there was no transport or infrastructure capacity to allow for additional people entering the peninsula. 

De Verteuil said 21st-century mass transport was needed to fulfil Chaguaramas’ transit needs. He said flooding could also compound traffic problems in the area. 

Just last month, the CDA issued an apology for the traffic congestion due to the infrastructural drainage and water works being carried out in Chaguaramas to alleviate flooding that had become commonplace.

He said the CDA’s plan included the repaving and expansion of roads, construction of a bicycle path, a tramway, a farmers’ market and a “frighteningly massive” 27,300-square-metre car park, approximately 6.75 acres, which would destroy the ambiance of the area. He said for all intents and purposes, Guave Road was a part of Tucker Valley, an area rich in biodiversity and of huge importance for recreation. 

De Verteuil said this was simply the wrong kind of development for this particular location. He said Tucker Valley—where there wre red howler monkeys and ocelots, among a plethora of other animals—was turning into a suburban park for Port-of-Spain. He said the area was part of the World War II naval base and represented a wild area close to the capital city of T&T. 

Tucker Valley unique
De Verteuil said Tucker Valley was unique and irreplaceable, as well as popular, because it was natural and easily accessible. He said it was a major part of what made Chaguaramas a popular recreation area and Guave Road was the first phase of a creeping development into Tucker Valley. He said he was not opposed to sustainable development, but the planned project was not the ecotourism that was required but rather was a zoning mistake of the first order. 

De Verteuil said there was enough unused land in Chaguaramas outside of Tucker Valley where low-impact high-rise car parks could be built. He said Tucker Valley should be declared a national park in order to protect it. Many people falsely believed that development was not allowed in Tucker Valley, he said, but there was no legislation to prevent it. 

He said he was inviting concerned citizens and users of Chaguaramas to form an independent lobby group so that all stakeholders would be adequately represented. De Verteuil can be contacted by e-mail at: marc@papaboisconservation.org 
The Sunday Guardian’s queries regarding the concerns of Chaguaramas residents, farmers and environmentalists were also sent to the CDA and the EMA which did not respond. 

The murder toll has climbed into double figures in just four days in the new year, after four men were killed within seven hours of each other between Saturday evening and yesterday morning. All of the victims were shot dead and no one has been held for any of the killings. The most recent incidents which pushed the tally to 10, began with 18-year-old Sean Carrabayo, of Amowsville, Carenage, who was attacked while liming with friends on Saturday evening. 

Police said around 5 pm, Carrabayo was playing cards in a basketball court at Fitzwilliam Street in Pt Cumana, when he received a phone call and walked acrosss the road to answer it. His friends were startled by a series of gunshots minutes later and saw Carrabayo collapse on the sidewalk. The group told police that they did not see the gunman’s face as they rushed to Carrabayo’s assistance. The gunman ran away through a nearby track.

When a news team from the T&T Guardian visited the teen’s home yesterday, his relatives, who were busy planning his funeral, were adamant that Carrabayo knew his attackers. “He get call to his death. The man who call him, put him in place,” said one male relative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The man could offer no reason for his relative’s murder as he claimed the teen had just left school and was not involved in crime. 

However, these claims were disputed by police who said that Carrabayo had fallen under their radar in relation to gang-related activity over the past two years. This was corroborated by people in the village who said they were not shocked by the teen’s murder. “He was a good boy,” the woman said as she smirked sarcastically, “It wasn’t a surprise when we got the news.”

In another incident, a murder was committed around 1 am yesterday morning in Belle Vue, Long Circular Road, St James and claimed the life of 34-year-old parlour owner Levi Snaggs. Around 12.30 am, residents contacted police after they heard gunshots. When police arrived minutes later they found Snaggs, a father of two, lying at the side of the road in an unconscious state. He was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he died while undergoing emergency surgery. 

Speaking with reporters yesterday, Snaggs neighbours claimed that Snaggs was an innocent victim in an ongoing gang war between rival factions living at opposite ends of the street. “The situation up here not nice with this war. He (Snaggs) didn’t really deal with them fellas. He went to check somebody for a job and this happen to him,” a female resident said. 

Four hours after Carrabayo’s shooting, relatives of 54-year-old building contractor Krishendath Mahabir contacted police after he was shot at his home in Biche. They told police around 9.40 pm, Mahabir when to a shed on his property, at 16 and 3/4 mm, Cunapo Main Road, Biche, to take an outdoor bath, when they heard a volley of gunshots. 

They found him lying on the ground in his underwear with gunshot wounds to his chest. He was taken to the Rio Claro Health Facility where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigators had not established a motive for his murder up to late yesterday and neither did his relatives, who said they were still left in shock. “We really don’t know why this happen. He had just went by the pipe to bathe when we hear the shots,” Mahabir’s nephew said in a brief telephone interview yesterday evening.

In a separate incident, 38-year-old Roger Frederick was ambushed by two gunmen as he left his home at First Street, San Juan shortly before midnight on Saturday. Police said, around 11.30 pm, Frederick was walking to his car which was parked at the side of the road, when a black Nissan Almera, which was parked a short distance away, pulled alongside him. 

Two men got out of the car and shot Frederick several times. The gunmen escaped in the waiting car. Frederick was taken to Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Like with Mahabir, police are yet to determine a motive for Frederick’s killing.

List of victims
1. Vernon Carter, 71, Woodstar Avenue, Maloney Gardens
2. Sheflan Rampersad, 32, Johns Trace, Claxton Bay
3. Kevin Francis, 23, Maharaj Trace, South Oropouche
4. Dorothy Rodrigo, 30, Jokhan Trace, Carapo
5. Steven Carrington, 30, Carolina Village, Couva
6. Daryl Bastien, 32, Quinam Road, Siparia
7. Sean Carrabayo, 18, of Amowsville, Carenage  
8. Krishendath Mahabir, 52, Cunapo Main Road, Biche
9. Roger Frederick, 38, First Street, San Juan
10. Levi Snaggs, 34, Belle Vue, Long Circular Road, St James

This country will see heightened activity among security forces as the Ministry of National Security has escalated the alert state of all law enforcement agencies  from green to amber following the 10th murder in four days. There were 13 murders last year for the comparable period. In a news release yesterday the ministry confirmed that the raised alert level was a direct response to the “spike in gang related homicides.”

The release said the alert state was being led by the T&T Police Service (TTPS) and the National Operations Centre (NOC) the joint exercise coordinating agency, which will result an increased visibility of joint patrols of police and soldiers throughout T&T. “This alert state is necessary to bring this situation under immediate control.” It will also result in air patrols and air surveillance, increased roadblocks and stop and search activities.

The ministry asked the public to comply with all instructions of law enforcement personnel, especially when stopped and questioned. National Security Minister Gary Griffith yesterday assured “is in no way intended to curtail civil liberties but has become necessary to ensure the safety and security for all.” “This has nothing to with a state of emergency,” Griffith assured.

The attorney for paraplegic Robby Ramcharitar yesterday questioned Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan’s decision to order a psychiatric evaluation for her client. Rekha Ramjit said her client was victim of a police beating and psychiatric evaluations were usually ordered for people accused of criminal offences. She said Khan should have instead looked at the mental health of the two Special Reserve Police officers charged with assaulting a man confined to a wheelchair.

Yesterday, Ramcharitar was kept under guard at Ward 9 of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH). When the Guardian visited him yesterday, Ramcharitar said he went to the St Ann’s Mental Hospital on Saturday night where he was evaluated and returned to the SFGH. “The doctors told me I am not mad, I was never mad. Maybe I drank a little alcohol that Saturday when the officer slapped me but I am not mad,” Ramcharitar said.

While speaking, a security officer came to his bed and told him, ‘I talk to you already. You had enough of the media already.’ The officer would not identify himself, but tried to stop the conversation. Speaking by telephone yesterday, Ramjit said it was possible that Ramcharitar’s rights were violated, but would have to check what basis Khan used in determining that an evaluation was needed.

 “I spoke to Mr Ramcharitar and he said they told him that he is under protective custody and he does not know why. The only reason he can be in protective custody is if the police think his life is in danger. “I am not sure on what authority or basis that the Health Minister asked that he be taken for psychiatric evaluation. There is nothing in the video to suggest that Mr Ramcharitar did anything untoward. 

“Mr Ramcharitar did not do anything to suggest that he was out of his normal senses. He may have reacted in a manner that was unacceptable, but certainly, hundreds and thousands of people in T&T would act in that manner on a daily basis,” Ramjit said. Snr Superintendent Cecil Santana said Ramcharitar was not under police protection as it would have been officers in uniform guarding his bedside.

Robby Ramcharitar, the man allegedly assaulted by police on a Facebook video was sent to the St Ann’s Mental Hospital on Saturday night before promptly being sent back to San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) a few hours later. Ramcharitar, who has been living at the SFGH for months, was referred to the St Ann’s institution by a psychiatrist at the San Fernando facility. At around 10.30 pm on Saturday he was taken in an ambulance, along with a nurse and attendant.

Medical Chief of Staff at the SFGH Anand Chatoorgoon said he was flabbergasted when he was informed on yesterday that the St Ann’s hospital had turned Ramcharitar away. He said Ramcharitar had been given a psychiatric evaluation by a San Fernando doctor and it had been decided that he should go to St Ann’s as the south psychiatric unit was overcrowded.

Chatoorgoon said he had spoken to the Medical Chief of Staff at St Ann’s and was told that everything was in place to receive the patient. Up until yesterday, the hospital could not locate Ramcharitar’s family and he was being housed in the psychiatric unit on Ward One. Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan yesterday said he had the authority to refer a patient for psychiatric evaluation in the face of criticism.

In a telephone interview, Khan said he had the authority to ask the Medical Chief of Staff to look into doing a referral from one medical institution to another under the Regional Health Authority (RHA) Act. Section five of the RHA Act says a board shall exercise its powers and functions in accordance with such specific or general directions as may be given to it by the minister.

“That is what I did. I spoke to the Medical Chief of Staff and asked him to look into it,” Khan said. He was responding to questions on what basis he could have referred Ramcharitar for an evaluation. Khan had previously said Ramcharitar should be admitted to St Ann’s as his behaviour in the video which went viral, showed he used obscene language to a police officer, was cause for concern.

But former Medical Chief of Staff at the St Ann’s Mental Hospital Dr Ian Hypolite said the Health Minister may have had more information about Ramcharitar than him. He listed the ways in which the Mental Health Act provided for admissions to mental hospitals. “Before being admitted patients must fall into one of several categories,” Hypolite said. Ramcharitar admitted he was a long-term patient living at the San Fernando General Hospital.

Asked yesterday if this was proper procedure, Hypolite said only that he felt that Khan perhaps had more information.

Remember Miller
In 2012, then Gender Minister Verna St Rose-Greaves ordered a ministry employee to be taken to the mental hospital in St Ann’s after she had an outburst at work. St Rose-Greaves was criticised for not following the correct procedure. The employee, Cheryl Miller, an assistant accountant was committed to St Ann’s against her will. She spent more than two weeks at the medical facility, before being released on Good Friday. 

Mental Health Act:
Part one of the Mental Health Act which deals with the admission and detention in psychiatric hospitals or wards lists the ways for people who are reasonably believed to be in need of psychiatric treatment to be admitted to institutions.
These admissions are as follows;
(a) as an urgent admission patient;
(b) as a voluntary patient;
(c) as a medically recommended patient;
(d) by an order of the Court made pursuant to section 13;
(e) by an order of the Minister of National Security made pursuant to section 14; or
(f) on the application of a Mental Health Officer under section 15.

Police said yesterday they have gotten helpful leads to capture the bandits who shot a police constable responding to a bar robbery on Friday.  Head of the Southern Division Snr Supt Cecil Santana said the wanted men should being caught within a few days. PC Kashyap Ryan Lochan, 21, was shot in the abdomen and left leg when he and two other officers confronted armed bandits at Vietnam Bar, Barrackpore.

Santana said Lochan continued to make great improvement at the San Fernando General Hospital. Yesterday, Lochan’s cousin Dylan Rambhajan said he has been talking to relatives, but doctors want him to rest after Saturday’s three-hour long surgery. Rambhajan said Lochan could not identify any his shooters as all he saw was a red T-shirt. He said relatives aren’t really taking about the shooting because they don’t want him to relive it just yet.

“Compared to yesterday, he has improved a lot. His eyes are bright, he is more responsive and  he is moving about his bed pretty well. He wanted to show us his wounds, he is not too afraid. Although he is small person, he has a lot of spirit. He is showing a lot of fight and a lot of courage.”

In a message to young police officers, Santana called on them to not allow Lochan’s shooting to dissuade them from their duty. Santana said officers being shot was one of the risks in the oath they swore to protect and serve the public. “We are asking them not to be discouraged by this shooting and to remember the oath that they took. I want them to continue the work that they have started off as police officers,” Santana said. 

A religious leader yesterday made a plea for drivers to exercise more caution on the roads as mourners gathered to say their final goodbye to a three-year-old child killed in an accident. Pundit Ravi Maharaj said drivers to be more careful as dangerous driving continues to take lives in accidents around the country.

"Sometimes we wonder where these drivers got their licences. Did they buy it or as we used to say, they got it in a cereal box? Drivers must be considerate for others as they have the lives of other people in their hands," said Maharaj at the funeral service for Ravendra Gattoo. Gattoo died in a vehicular accident last Monday. His mother, Omattie Gattoo, who suffered serious injuries, was discharged from the San Fernando General Hospital on Saturday, to attend the funeral. 

She sat in a wheelchair for the funeral service and wore bandages on her right arm and right eye. The funeral service took place at the family’s Bejucal Road, Cunupia home and the child was cremated at the Caroni Cremation Site. About 200 people attended the funeral. Relatives described Ravendra as a loving child. Some of his favourite toys, including a car and a tractor, in his tiny casket. Maharaj singled out truck drivers saying that they needed to police themselves.

"We must all take precautions. Must the police be watching our every move? These truck drivers, are they watching their speed limit? They need to be more considerate," he said. "This was very tragic and no one expected this to happen. When I first heard of this tragedy I put myself in the family's position. This is one of the saddest situations that could happen to anyone," he said.

About the accident:
On December 29, 2014, members of the Cunupia family were returning home around 11 am, after spending the weekend by relatives in Barrackpore when a 40-foot trailer truck collided with their van along M2 Ring Road, Picton, San Fernando. 

Ravendra, his mother, his six-year -old sister Stacy and their grandparents, Laloutie Balraj and Maniram Balraj, were in a Mitsubishi four-door van driven by Kumar Gattoo. The truck which was reportedly swerving along the roadway hit the right side of the van and the force of the impact sent the van into a nearby ditch. Ravendra was killed instantly. He was sitting on his mother’s lap and suffered head injuries. All the other occupants were injured, treated and discharged. The driver of the truck was questioned and released.

RC Archbishop Joseph Harris yesterday implored the congregation at the Sacred Heart RC Church to respect its sacredness and to maintain its newfound beauty. As the church turned 100 years yesterday, Harris blessed the renovated building along Queen Street, La Brea—which was constructed in 1914 under parish priest Fr GV Sunderland. 

Still bearing some architectural features of the British colonial era; it now includes new stained glass windows, doors, stairways, walkways, altar, fence, toilets and a centenary memorial grotto. At a special thanksgiving mass, Harris said the church, alike the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port-of-Spain, had to be renovated because of T&T’s poor culture of maintenance. He said this showed a lack of respect for sacred space and its people.

“Every people that I know respect sacred space, except perhaps, us. We do not respect as sacred space or the people who surround us. That is why all the murders and abuse, and all the things which are happening at the moment are caused by our lack of respect for sacred space. 

“Now you have made your sacred space very beautiful. One of the problems we have in T&T is that we have no culture of maintenance and unless there is a change until the next time I come, this sacred space might not be as beautiful as it is today. Why? Because we really don’t respect it and we really don’t keep it nice and pretty.” 

“We have to spend $70 million on the cathedral, why? Because when a coat of paint would have stopped the rot, we did not do it. This church had to be renovated for the same reason,” Harris said. He gave responsibility for the upkeep of the church to the congregation as he told them that their parish priest, Fr Shoji Zacharias was being relocated to Princes Town.

Shortage of priests
Harris lamented a shortage of priests to lead the 62 parishes under his archdiocese, blaming it on parents’ reluctance to see their children in a life of priesthood. With 15 parishes already without priests, he said there would be mergers and unless the Catholic community starts producing priests, things would get worst. 

Already priests are being asked to carry out several services in one day while lay-ministers’ roles have increased within recent times. Harris announced yesterday that the parishes of La Brae, Point Fortin and Cedron would be joined with two priests overseeing the districts. Currently the archdiocese has 110 priests, but Harris said approximately 60 are active with others either in retirement, ill or are in the monastery or college. He said to function efficiently, the archdiocese needs about 80 priests. 

“We can source priests from other countries but my answer is always: Why must I ask the parents of somebody in India to give up their sons to come to Trinidad when parents in Trinidad don’t want to give their sons? It is not fair is it? If we are a church, we should be able to generate enough clergy for our church,” Harris said.

Rorey Gaya 
Student, Hugh Wooding Law School

What is an arrest?
An arrest may be defined as the seizing or touching of someone with the intent of restraining him. If the person being arrested knows that he cannot leave, then this constitutes an arrest. It should be noted that to hold a person against his will without arresting him is an unlawful act. The law enables both police officers and private citizens alike to make arrests.

Private citizens’ power of arrest
It is the right and duty of every citizen to arrest anyone who, in his presence, is actually breaching the peace or is threatening to breach the peace. Breach of the peace is defined as any act done or threatened to be done which either actually harms a person or, in his presence, his property; or is likely to cause harm; or which puts someone in fear of such harm being done.

In addition to the common law power to prevent a breach of the peace, section 3(2) of the Criminal Law Act, Chap. 10:04, grants the power to any person to arrest without warrant anyone who is, or who he, with reasonable cause, suspects to be, in the act of committing an arrestable offence. In T&T, an arrestable/indictable offence is one for which the penalty is at least five years’ imprisonment.

Police officers’ power of arrest
Police officers have the power to arrest people both with and without warrants.

Arrest without warrant
For indictable offences, police officers have the same power granted to citizens under section 3 of the Criminal Law Act. Generally, only police officers have the powers of arrest without warrant for summary offences (otherwise known as petty offences).

Under section 104 of the Summary Courts Act, Chap. 4:20, an officer may usually arrest any person whom he finds in the act of committing a summary offence. However, if the arrest is not made at the time of the offence or immediately afterwards, then the police cannot proceed by way of arrest without warrant.

Arrest with warrant 
Police officers have the power to arrest with a warrant once a charge has been laid. To obtain a warrant of arrest, a complaint (summary offence) or information (indictable offence) in writing must be sworn to before a magistrate, or justice of the peace, or judicial officers in the magistrates’ court where an offender must first appear. This is outlined in sections 106-107 of the Summary Courts Act above and sections 8-9 of the Indictable Offences (Preliminary Inquiry) Act, Chap. 12:01.

Rights upon arrest
Under section 5(2)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of T&T, Chap. 1:01, every arrested person must be informed of the reason for his arrest, his right to an attorney, and must promptly be brought before the appropriate judicial authorities. Failure to disclose this important information may result in an illegal arrest. 

This column is not legal advice. 
If you have a legal problem, you should consult a legal adviser. 

Co-ordinator: Roshan Ramcharitar