2 senior police in court for indecent assault, harassment

TWO superintendent of police who were arrested on Wednesday by the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) appeared in the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

One was charged with indecent assault on a woman and the other with harassment.

Acting Supt Rohan Pardasie was first to appear before senior magistrate Wendy Dougdeen-Bally, who read a charge that on July 4, 2014 at Chaguanas Police Station, he indecently assaulted a woman.

The charge was laid indictably and he was not called upon to plead.

Attorney Kevin Ratiram, who represented him, said Pardasie, 58, has 38 years’ service in the police.

At the time of the alleged offence, Pardasie was working in the Central Division.
Ratiram said Pardasie was granted bail of  $100,000 at the station upon his arrest on Wednesday, and asked for the court to continue the same bail.

Dougdeen-Bally obliged but told Pardasie that it was conditional on Pardasie’s not communicating with the alleged victim, whether directly or via social media. He is to reappear on November 5. Acting Snr Supt Samuel Seepersad, 58, was next to appear.

Dougdeen-Bally read the charge to him that between March and June this year, he engaged in inappropriate behaviour by harassing a woman at the Chaguanas Police Station.

The magistrate drew to the attention of prosecutor Sgt Rosan the charge having been laid indictably by ASP Anthony Remmy when the offence is a summary one. She stood the matter down.

Seepersad reappeared shortly before midday but Rosan said he needed state attorney’s advice to decide whether to withdraw the wrongly-laid indictable charge.
Attorney Renuka Rambhajan, representing the officer, submitted that a charge does not exist against Seepersad and asked Dougdeen-Bally to dismiss it if the prosecutor could not withdraw it.

The magistrate did not dismiss the wrongly-laid indictable charge, nor did she read a new charge to the superintendent, but instead postponed the hearing to August 14, by when the correct charge should have been served on Seepersad.
Both Pardasie and Seepersad were arrested by officers of the PSB, headed by Ag ACP Totaram Doohkie.

Seepersad has 39 years’ service. They spent two days in detention while advice was sought from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.