Suspended cop yet to hand over uniforms

INSP Michael Sooker, who was suspended by acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams on May 7, is yet to hand over his uniforms, which remain locked in his office at the Morvant police station.

After Sooker was suspended, he was asked to officially hand over his uniforms to head of the North Eastern Division acting Snr Supt Surendra Sagramsingh, but up until yesterday he had failed to do so.

Sooker told Newsday in an interview last month he was in the habit of leaving his uniforms in his office and felt he had been set up by colleagues because he was in line for promotion.

He said he always left his office open and had no idea how a Latina woman was able to get her hands on his uniform and pose for three selfies which went viral on social media.

After Sooker’s suspension, ASP Ferdinand of the Professional Standards Bureau was assigned to investigate the authenticity of the photos of the woman in Sooker’s uniform.

CCTV footage was taken from the Morvant police station and attempts were made to interview the Latina woman at a Barataria bar, but she could not be found.

Newsday was able to verify that Sooker has not yet been interviewed by Ferdinand and his team, and investigators have not yet found anything in the footage suggestingt the woman had visited the Morvant Police Station.

Yesterday investigators were liaising with Immigration officers.