Accused sympathises with Magistrate

A man accused of murder yesterday sympathised with the plight of the presiding Magistrate in scheduling an adjournment date for him and two other accused. Akiel Paris, Renderick Junior Paris and Maseo Murphy appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle in the Port of Spain Magistrate's Eighth Court to face charges of murder.

Earle-Caddle informed the men that their attorney Melissa Mano, who is currently on maternity leave, was not present at the hearing and she would have to adjourn the matter to October, at this point the accused expressed their discontent with such a late adjournment. However Earle-Caddle informed the men that the only other available time for the matter to be heard will be in November.

Paris said that he understood Earle-Caddle's challenges in scheduling a date for the matter and while he understood that the fault was not hers, he said that he and his associates have already spent two years languishing behind bars awaiting a trial date.

"Your worship, I understand that this isn't your fault, it is you alone here having to deal with all of these cases and I appreciate you trying to move this along, but we have been in here for the past two years. We've been coming here and our lives are just wasting away on the inside."

After deliberation, Earle-Caddle set the trial date for September 4.