Emotions ran high yesterday when Krishna Rampersad and his ex-wife were freed after spending three years in custody awaiting trial for the 2002 murders of his multi-millionaire uncle Mahase Rampersad and his wife. There were hugs after Rampersad, the nephew of Mahase, and Hilda Donna Bullock were discharged by Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington who upheld no-case submissions by defence attorneys Subhas Panday and El Farouk Hosein.
In an immediate response, Bullock began crying while Rampersad broke out in a broad smile as they sat on the prisoners’ bench in the San Fernando First Magistrates Court. “Thank you, sir,” declared Bullock’s father, Anthony, as he stood up in the public gallery. Noting that “it has been a long journey,” Wellington said despite the extensive research done by State attorneys and the amount of evidence led he found there was insufficient evidence for the accused to be committed to stand trial.
“I think on the evidence presented it is not enough to call upon the accused to answer the charge,” the magistrate said. A source, however, said the Director of Public Prosecutions would be reviewing the file to determine if to seek a judge’s warrant. Rampersad, 38, of Woodland, and Bullock, 30, of Rambert Village, La Romaine, who have a child together, were arrested and charged in February 2012 with the double murder.
The charge laid by Cpl Terry Tambie alleged that on a day unknown between August 3 and 8, 2002, at La Fortune, Woodland, they murdered Mahase, 64, and Darling, 62. The preliminary inquiry against the couple proceeded by way of paper committal in 2013 with State attorneys Trevor Jones and Chantal Hospedales tendering witness statements and other documents into evidence.
When the State closed its case in May 2014, the defence attorneys made written no-case submissions while the State submitted its written response. Emphasising a few points made in her submissions yesterday, Hospedales said the State’s case was based on mainly circumstantial evidence and agreed that there were certain inconsistencies in the statements of three witnesses in relation to time.
Hosein had argued that the prosecution must lead clear, potent and convincing evidence. Arguing that circumstantial evidence must alway be narrowly examined, Panday said, “I humbly submit to this court that there is no evidence whatsoever to support the charge of murder against accused number two (Bullock). Relatives began hugging Bullock as she walked out of the courtroom. Bullock and Rampersad also embraced each other as he walked out of the cellblock downstairs the court building.
She also hugged and shook the hands of police officers of the Court and Process Branch.
Accused: Jail difficult
The only thing on Bullock’s mind as she left the court building yesterday was her desire to go home and hug her son whom she has not seen since her arrest in 2012. Her son is now nine years old. As tears streamed down her cheeks, Bullock said, “I cannot describe how I feel. I am going straight home to my son. The last time I saw my son was three years ago when I was arrested.”
Describing Panday as “the best attorney,” she thanked him for helping her gain her freedom and her family for never giving up on her. Both Bullock and Rampersad described the time spent in jail as difficult. “It wasn’t nice. It was hard, emotional, depressing.” To her former inmates in the prison, she asked them to stay out of trouble. Bullock’s father said he felt relieved that his daughter, the younger of his two children, was free.
“People say that money would talk. The magistrate hard,” said the father, who added he was happy that justice prevailed. “The truth does always prevail,” said Rampersad as he walked out of the cellblock. He said he had no idea what he would be doing now, but he too could not wait to see his son. He said he witnessed a lot of injustice meted out to prisoners in the prison. “There is a lot of injustice for a lot of people in there, not only me.”
About the murders, he said, “I had absolutely nothing to do with it and it was proven today.” Mukesh Rampersad, the son of the murdered couple, and his wife, Savitri, declined to comment on the matter when contacted at their business place at Maska Ltd, La Romaine, yesterday.
Flashback
Mahase Rampersad and his wife, founders/owners of M Rampersad Auto Supplies Ltd, were abducted in front of their Palmiste, San Fernando, home soon after they left the home of their daughter Geeta Ramjattan, who was celebrating her birthday.
The police carried out an extensive search for the couple and three days later the Rampersads’ decomposing bodies were found at Woodland, La Romaine. The post mortem reports stated that the couple were shot in the back of their heads and their skulls were crushed.