Man freed of 2017 shooting in Princes Town

A jury on October 9, returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all counts against a man accused of a 2017 shooting in Princes Town. The trial, presided over by Justice Nalini Singh, concluded after the jury deliberated for about an hour.

Jeremiah Joshua was before the court at the O’Meara Judicial Centre charged with shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

According to the prosecution, he visited the home of his children’s mother at 8.30 pm on May 29, 2017, at #203 Torrib Trace, New Grant, where an argument occurred. He allegedly threatened to return and kill the woman.

Later that night, around 11.30 pm, he reportedly returned, forced open the door, and fired two shots at the woman’s brother with a grey and black handgun before fleeing.

Investigators found two spent shells in the living room and a projectile in a bedroom. However, the items were not sent to forensic analysis until 2019, and no scientific report was ever produced. No firearm was recovered.

During cross-examination, the defence, led by attorney Roshan Tota-Maharaj, challenged the absence of forensic evidence, lack of gunshot residue testing, no fingerprint analysis, and the failure to retrieve CCTV footage or interview additional witnesses.

He also raised doubts about the alleged victim’s credibility, noting inconsistencies in her testimony on the sequence of events and his client’s position during the alleged shooting.

An alibi witness testified that Joshua was at a family gathering that night for his parents’ memorial and remained there until the next day. After the judge’s summation, the jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all charges, clearing the accused of wrongdoing. Maria Lyons-Edwards, Cassie Bisram, and Afeisha Williams prosecuted.