(Trinidad Express) Six police officers were today committed to stand trial charged with murdering three Moruga civilians in July 2011.
The ruling was made by Senior Magistrate Debra Quintyne in the Princes Town First Magistrates’ Court.
The magistrate found that the State, led by Director of Public Prosecution senior counsel Roger Gaspard and senior counsel Gilbert Petersen, had made out a prima facie case against Acting Sergeant Khemraj Sahadeo and Constables Renaldo Reviero, Glenn Singh, Roger Nicholas, Safraz Juman and Antonio Ramadin.
They are charged with shooting to death Abigail Johnson, Alana Duncan and Kerron “Fingers” Eccles in Barrackpore on July 22, 2011.
The officers are being held at the maximum Security Prison, Golden Grove, Arouca.
The State’s key witness is Constable Nicole Clement, who was initially also charged with the murders. However, the charges were discontinued and Clement was granted immunity from prosecution, in exchange for her testimony against her colleagues. She was subsequently charged with perverting the course of public justice and is free on $100,000 bail.
Clement is being secured through the Justice Protection Programme. Her case is expected to be heard today.
Both Gaspard and Petersen were in court for the ruling, along with lead defence attorney, senior counsel Israel Khan.
The accused officers today declined to call any witnesses or to give evidence, after the magistrate made her ruling.
Relatives of the three victims in the case told the Express that they had never missed a hearing, and were satisfied by the ruling made by the court.