Beetham man charged for Hinds ‘flood assault’

A 31-year-old Beetham resident will appear before a Port of Spain magistrate on Tuesday charged with assaulting Laventille West MP Fitzgerald Hinds.

Richard “Snake” Marcelle was charged by Insp Mc Gurik, of the Besson Street Police Station, with assault by beating and use of obscene language. He was one of 86 people arrested during Operation Strike Back exercises between Thursday and Friday.

Hinds visited Beetham Gardens on August 14 following two days of flooding and was doused with muddy water as he toured the area with councillor Akil Audain. Hinds and Audain were then chased out of the area.

Beetham resident and political activist Anderson Wilson said the action of the residents was a sign of their discontent with the PNM.

Social media users said the residents were paid by the UNC and photographs of Wilson wearing a UNC T-shirt was used to bolster their claim.

Hinds at the time of the attack was acting attorney general. He entered the area without a police escort as a police car remained parked on the Priority Bus Route because of the flooding.

The two officers who were in the vehicle did not walk through the flood as they had no boots to wade through the water with Hinds and Audain. Police said also that Hinds went to the community as the Laventille West MP and not as acting attorney general and made no request for an escort.

The heads of the Port of Spain Division said they were not told of his visit and only found out after he had arrived and was touring.

Hinds made an unofficial report on the phone after the attack and the following day, he went to the Besson Street station where he signed a statement. Audain did not file a police report.