Connectivity issues interrupt Sean Luke murder trial

CONNECTIVITY issues briefly interrupted the taking of evidence at the Sean Luke murder trial on Friday.

The court is currently engaged in a session called a voir dire, at which the defence challenges the admisibility of certain evidence the prosecution intends to lead at the trial. The voir dire for Richard Chatoo began on Friday,and is expected to continue on Monday.

Despite the connectivity challenges, which led to the prison virtual court link dropping from the sitting, three prosecution witnesses were still able to give their evidence from the San Fernando High Court and the Judiciary’s virtual access facility in Port of Spain. The portion of the hearing that Chatoo was not able to view was replayed for him when the matter resumed just before 1.30 pm.

Chatoo, 30, and Akeel Mitchell, 28, are before Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds at a judge-alone trial. They are remanded at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca, and although the trial is being held both virtually and in-person, covid19 court rules do not allow for prisoners to be brought to court.

Mitchell’s voir dire came to an end on Monday, and the judge was expected to give her ruling on Friday. However, his attorneys filed submissions late and the judge had to postpone her decision.

She said she had to be fair to the prosecution and gave them until Saturday to submit arguments on the admissibility of evidence relating to Mitchell’s case.

Ramsumair-Hinds put on the record that she was displeased by the “disregard for the court and the court’s time.

“And I am not going to hide it.”

She said in future there will be no variation to the “rarely used, until now” criminal procedure rule on court-imposed deadlines, and anyone who wants additional time to file submissions will have to get the court’s permission.

At a previous hearing, the judge set March 15 for the tentative start of the actual trial.

Luke’s body was found in a sugar cane field near his home two days after he went missing. The six-year-old was sodomised with a sugar cane stalk which ruptured his intestines and other organs, and which caused his death from internal bleeding.

Mitchell and Chatoo are represented by attorneys Mario Merritt, Evans Welch, Kirby Joseph, Randall Raphael, Kelston Pope and Gabriel Hernandez. State attorneys Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal Anju Bhola and Sophia Sandy-Smith are prosecuting.