Three police detectives were charged at the New Amsterdam Court yesterday when they appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo charged with failing to attend court to give evidence in various matters.
Corporal Dwight Peters of the Fort Wellington Police Station, Corporal Chetanand Singh of the New Amsterdam Station and Constable Emanuel Ragnauth of Whim Station had been taken into custody on Thursday. Arrest warrants had been issued for the officers after they had been summoned to attend court and failed to turn up.
The magistrate gave them stern warnings and cautioned that if they fail to attend court in the future she would keep them in custody until the completion of the cases.
Peters, the lone witness in the matters, was required to attend the Reliance Court on Wednesday to give evidence in charges of three counts of armed robberies and fraudulent misappropriation before Magistrate Nagamootoo. After he failed to attend “without any reasonable excuse,” the magistrate “closed the case.” Police Prosecutor Corporal Roberto Figueira then made a successful application for a warrant to be issued for Peters’ arrest. The case has now been put off for July 14.
Singh had been summoned to attend the Albion Court on Wednesday before Magistrate Chandra Sohan to give evidence in a rape case but he too failed to attend. An arrest warrant had then been issued for him following requests by Figueira. Singh would now have to give evidence on July 12.
In the case of Ragnauth, he was expected to attend the Albion Court on Tuesday to give evidence in a murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm matters and he too failed to show up despite being reminded by the court orderly to attend.
Reports are that Magistrate Sohan had also seen Ragnauth driving past the court around 11 am, heading towards New Amsterdam. That was the second time that a warrant had to be issued for his arrest.
Reports are that the officers “never liked to attend court.”
After the warrants were issued, Commander of ‘B’ Division Stephen Merai ordered that the ranks be arrested on Thursday and kept in custody for the night.
