The man accused of the 2010 murder of taxi driver Trevor Kissoon was yesterday remanded to prison after being charged with the capital offence at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The allegation against Stephen Campbell is that between June 9 and 10, 2010 at Number 7 Village, Berbice he murdered Trevor Kissoon.
The Lot 5 Number 7 Village resident was not required to plead to the indictable charge when it was read to him by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry before whom he appeared.
Presenting the facts of the case, prosecutor Philip Sheriff said that on June 9, 2010, a call was made requesting a taxi from the Triple ‘S’ Taxi Service where the deceased worked.
He said Kissoon was subsequently dispatched to the location to make the pick-up.
The court heard that later that night, the base tried reaching the driver on both his radio set in the car as well as his cell phone; but all calls went unanswered.
The following day, the man’s body was found lying next to a trench with multiple injuries to his head and about his body.
According to Sheriff, investigations over a period of time subsequently led to the arrest of the accused.
The matter was transferred to the New Amsterdam Magistrates’ Court for July 3.
It believed that at about 10.50 pm on June 9, an unknown male caller contacted the taxi service and requested that the “212 driver” pick him up him up at the Canje turn. Kissoon, who was driving a 212 AT 192 Silver Carina, was dispatched and later confirmed with the base via his radio set that he had made the pick-up and was on his way to Rose Hall.
Around 7 am the next day, at the same area where the passenger was dropped off, Kissoon’s body was discovered lying face down.
Several weeks after the murder, Director of Public Prosecutions; Shalimar Ali-Hack wrote to the then Police Commissioner Henry Greene seeking assistance and intervention in the acquisition of the vital telephone records from Digicel.
It is the release of these records which subsequently led to Campbell’s arrest.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that telecommunications provider Digicel released the necessary information to police following an article in this newspaper last December.
After initially getting no response from Digicel, the police last September filed an application in the High Court for the records to be provided.
It was diligent police work which later led to the arrest of the accused at a city address over the weekend and a subsequent confrontation with a woman who had earlier provided police with important information.
A source close to the investigation said yesterday that Digicel, which police had taken to court in a bid to get the release of telephone records, provided the Commissioner of Police with information that led to the identity of the owner of the number that was used to call Kissoon’s taxi service base requesting “the 212 driver”.
