PSB head pleads not guilty to dangerous driving charge

Head of the Professional Standards Bureau, Snr Supt Suzette Martin, has pleaded not guilty to a criminal charge of dangerous driving at her first court appearance on Friday.

Two Fridays ago, Martin was served a summons to attend court on the charge laid by acting ACP Wayne Mystar.

Yesterday, the charge was read out to her by Magistrate Rehanna Ali. It alleges that on April 18, on the Priority Bus Route at the Croisee, San Juan, she (Martin) drove PED 9635 in a manner dangerous to the public.

Martin said she was “not guilty.”

The dangerous driving charge relates to an incident where a 14-year-old schoolboy's foot was injured.

At Friday’s virtual court hearing, Martin’s attorney, Jagdeo Singh, said his client wanted the matter dealt with expeditiously.

“This case has reached you in strange circumstances. This file was closed by police investigators in clear, unmistakeable and unimpeachable terms.”

He asked for the complainant (Mystar) to provide the defence with “expedited disclosure” of the police’s decisions before closing the file. This, he said, could be provided “in a matter of days.”

Singh also said he wanted the court to put on record his client’s “emphatic plea of not guilty” and asked for a six-week adjournment.

However, Ali said she would not make an immediate order for disclosure since the file had to go to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for a state attorney to be assigned because of Martin’s “professional position.”

She ordered the police prosecutor assigned to her court to send the file with a note of urgency to the DPP’s office.

Ali said her regular date was in April, however, she would give the court and process department two months to send the file across for state counsel to be appointed.

“Taking into account the experience of the court in having to wait for files to get to the office of the DPP, two months is quite reasonable. This is a first hearing….It would be a waste of time to come back in six weeks, especially as we all know what’s happening at the Office of the DPP.”

Ali adjourned the matter to January 9, when she said she would make the disclosure orders and Singh could make any preliminary application he chose to.

Appearing with Singh for Martin are attorneys James Philbert (a former police commissioner), Rishi Seepersad and Darren Mitchell.

The summons for Martin’s court appearance was granted on October 19, the deadline of the six months to file a summary offence.

Although the police had initially closed the investigation into the matter - which was communicated to Martin, Singh said on Friday - investigators relied on additional information from a Police Complaints Authority probe, Newsday previously reported.

Martin remains as head of the PSB since police regulations do not require her to be suspended from office pending the hearing and determination of the matter.

Martin has been leading investigations into several high-profile matters involving police misconduct, extra-judicial killings and allegations against firearm dealers.

She has also been reportedly shortlisted by the Police Service Commission as a candidate for one of three vacancies for deputy commissioners of police.