(Trinidad Express) Two Special Reserve Police officers (SRP) appeared in court yesterday charged with abduction and murder.
Kevon Marshall, 27, and Kenrol Patterson, 25, are accused of taking Johnny Noel, 32, against his will and killing him. The two are jointly charged with Mark Collette, 20.
According to the charges read out by Senior Magistrate Lucina Cardenas-Ragoonanan yesterday afternoon at the Arima First Magistrates’ Court, the trio took Noel against his will from apartment 4:3, Building 15 South, Maloney on March 11. They are also accused of killing Noel on a date unknown between March 10 and 23 at Churchill-Roosevelt Highway South. Noel is originally from Carenage.
Two other men were arrested in connection with the disappearance and death of Noel, including a 45-year-old police inspector who lives at Sixth Avenue, Malick, Barataria.
The inspector was released without charge last Friday after his attorneys successfully filed a writ of habeas corpus at the Port of Spain High Court challenging the constitutionality of his arrest without charges from March 13. The inspector, who has over 20 years service, could still be arrested and charged at a later date.
The other man, who cannot be identified as he is not yet charged, appeared before Justice Joan Charles at the San Fernando High Court and was ordered to be released. He along with Patterson filed writs seeking their release but only the other man was successful.
Noel’s relatives claimed he was taken by men in police uniform on March 11. The following day they attempted to track at which police station he was being held, to no avail. His partially-decomposed was found in a river off Churchill-Roosevelt Highway near Maloney on Friday and positively identified at the Forensic Science Centre on Monday. Noel was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest, according to an autopsy report.
When the matter was called yesterday, defence attorney Fareed Ali told the magistrate he was representing the men on Legal Aid. Ali said he was informed that Patterson, who is a diabetic and lived at Building 9 in Maloney Gardens, was supposed to have received his insulin twice daily between the hours 7.30 to 8 a.m. and 8 to 9 p.m. but this was not the case every day.
Ali said Patterson had not received his medication for the day up to 4.51 p.m. when the matter had been called. He added his client was allowed to bathe a total of six times since his arrest on March 15.
Ali also informed Cardenas-Ragoonanan that Collette, who lived at apartment 23, South Maloney Gardens was arrested on March 16 and had only been allowed to bathe twice while in custody at the Arima Police Station.
The Senior Magistrate said that such an accusation was “not a pleasant thing to hear” and encouraged Patterson, who Ali said never told the officers he was in need of insulin, to inform the authorities of his condition.
Court prosecutor Sgt Joseph Jugmohan informed the magistrate that as far as he was aware Patterson had his medication at the court but since it involved the use of a needle he needed to be supervised while taking it.
Ali mentioned that Marshall, who is originally from Cumana Village, Toco but is residing in Arouca with his brother, a police officer, instructed him that he (Marshall) was told by two police inspectors that he had to give them a statement otherwise he would not be allowed to see his three children again.
Ali said that his clients were eager to get the matter started and asked for all documents to be disclosed, including criminal records of witnesses, statements and video interviews of witnesses, police diary extracts, interview notes, medical reports relative to Patterson’s condition, the post mortem report and other documents.
The matter was adjourned to April 23.
Sgt Figaro laid the charges.
