Murder-accused cop complains to judge about delays

One of six policemen jointly charged with the 2011 shooting deaths of three civilians in south Trinidad addressed the court directly on Monday and raised several issues, including excessive delays.

The matter was called in the San Fernando High Court before justice Carla Brown-Antoine.

PC Safraz Juman and his colleagues, constables Renaldo Reviero, Glen Singh, Roger Nicholas, and Antonio Ramadin and acting Sgt Khemraj Sahadeo are alleged to have killed Abigail Johnson, Alana Duncan and Kerron "Fingers" Eccles on July 22, 2011, during a police exercise in Moruga.

In 2013, a Princes Town magistrate committed them to stand trial at the high court.

On Monday, Juman told the judge that he and his co-accused had been in custody for the past ten years.

They attend court, most times monthly, and sometimes they have had to wait two to three months for a court date.

Juman told the judge that the prosecution "is never ready and always requesting time." He also said the prosecutor had changed countless times.

He said every time he and his colleagues are remanded in custody, they have "no definite indication of what is happening" with their lives.

"We are to return to subhuman conditions. Our mental and physical health are affected as well as it is a huge financial burden on us and our families with the cost of living increasing," Juman told the judge.

He referred to several cases, documents, reports and information about the treatment of remanded inmates including the Constitution and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).

"There is a public interest in this case. Where is the public interest for us? Is this due process of law? We just want closure to this traumatic experience in our lives. We plead with you and your good office to please offer us some indication as to when we can have a jury trial.

"These adjournments cause further damage to our mental well-being. We have lost family members.

"We are suffering the effects of the environment in which we are forced to return to after every court appearance for the last ten years."

The judge responded that the matter had not been before her court for ten years. She added, jury trials had been suspended until further notice.

The judge said her court did not suspend jury trials and cannot restart jury trials.

Brown-Antoine said the court is willing to do judge-alone trials.

She said the constitution does not guarantee a jury trial, but it guarantees a fair one.

"You could have a fair trial at any time."

Attorney Giselle Ferguson-Heller appeared on behalf of the State while Israel Khan SC and Ulric Skerritt represented the accused officers.

The matter was adjourned to April 27.