Magistrate dismisses private complaints against former Badminton Association members

THREE private complaints against former members of the TT Badminton Association (TTBA) by local player Nekeisha Blake who alleged they unlawfully imprisoned her against her will and destroyed evidence, were on Thursday dismissed by a Sangre Grande magistrate.

In a ruling on the complaints, which were filed by Blake in 2015, Magistrate Erica Baptiste-Ramkissoon said having heard all the evidence, the player failed to prove her case.

As a result, the charges of unlawfully imprisoning Blake against her will, conspiring to obstruct justice by destroying evidence and conspiring to pervert the course of justice were dismissed against Derwin Renales and Wendell Labastide.

Blake had alleged that on March 22, 2015, the two, other with another player, assaulted her, and falsely imprisoned her at Labastide’s house in Sangre Grande.

However, in their defence, two other players of the association, who were also present, said it was a meeting called by Blake who was the aggressive one and the others were simply trying to calm her down.

They denied she was held against her will or “falsely imprisoned” as she contended.

Baptiste-Ramkisson said there was no proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the incident occurred in the way Blake alleged.

A separate complaint, in which Blake alleged Allister Espinoza assaulted her, will come up for hearing on May 1.

Renales, Labastide and Espinoza are represented by attorney Kristal Maraj, while Blake was represented by Ivan Daniel.

In 2015, Blake was handed a lifetime ban by the association, but in 2016, the ban was reduced to one year after Blake and her club appealed to an appeals committee, stating it was a breach of natural justice and the TTBA’s disciplinary committee failed to clearly state the reason why she was banned.

The ban was imposed after a series of altercations with TTBA members. Blake has represented TT for decades at the regional and international level.