Rabindranauth Seemangal, who is currently serving an eight year sentence for his part in the July 2011 $7M Bel Air heist, yesterday concluded his testimony after defence lawyers wrapped their cross-examination.
Seemangal, who had been jointly charged with Chandraradha Rampersaud, Jermaine Mitchell, Aubrey Simon, Rayon Jones and Hardat Kumar for the July 12, 2011 armed robbery of Rampersaud’s daughter, Annie Ramsood, began his testimony for the prosecution last week.
Attorney Michael Somersal, who is representing Rampersaud and Kumar, questioned Seemangal about his claimed identification of Rampersaud by her voice over the phone during the planning of the robbery. Seemangal maintained that he was positive it was her voice because he had heard it on two occasions prior to the phone call.
Somersal suggested to Seemangal that Rampersaud never spoke to him over the phone. Seemangal said that he was not accepting the suggestion.
Somersal then got Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry’s permission to show Seemangal his statement to police. Seemangal confirmed that it was indeed his. “I was not comfortable with providing the statement, they handcuffed me and I was not permitted to go to the washroom,” he told the court. He also said that he was sick and tired of giving statements to the police.
Somersal had no more questions for Seemangal and closed his cross-examination.
The trial will continue today.
