Anthony De Paul Hope, one of the three men accused of killing Colleen Forrester and stashing her body in a septic tank, had implied that she had gone to Trinidad and Tobago, the woman’s daughter testified yesterday.
Ayana Forrester, the daughter of the deceased, said she spoke with Hope at the William Street, Campbellville residence for which her mother had been caretaker, a few days before her body was found.
She was testifying before Justice Roxane George and a 12-member jury in the High Court, where Hope, Ralph Tyndall and Kevin O’Neil are on trial for the murder of Forrester, which they allegedly committed between December 27, 2007 and January 6, 2008.
In her testimony, Forrester told the court that a few days prior to her mother’s body being discovered, she had a conversation with Hope, her cousin, who was at the time staying with her mother.
“I went to William Street, Campbellville and when I got there I called out for ‘Papa’ [Hope]. He came out on the verandah and told me to come in,” she recounted.
After relating that her fear of the dogs resulted in Hope having to come downstairs to escort her into the house, she said her cousin told her that her mother had not yet sent the phone number from Trinidad as yet.
At that instance, the prosecutor Shawnette Austin enquired whether she was aware that her mother had travelled to Trinidad. The woman said she had not been aware of any such thing at that point of time.
This led to questions about the relationship that was shared between the mother and daughter. The young woman reported that she shared a close relationship with her mother but noted that her mother did not inform her of any plans she had to travel to Trinidad.
Austin later asked the woman to tell the court when and where she last saw her mother and to describe her appearance. She indicated that she last saw her mother on December 25, 2007 at her aunt’s house in Bent Street and that she looked healthy and strong.
During cross-examination, Hope’s lawyer, Melville Duke, questioned the woman’s claim that she shared a close relationship with her mother. Duke inquired about her knowledge of her mother’s life by asking if her mother had ever discussed her church activities or church friends with her. The woman said she did not and even admitted that she could not remember the name of the church her mother had attended.
Duke contended that since she claimed they had such a close relationship and taking into consideration that church was a major part of the dead woman’s life, she would have had conversations about church and her church friends. However, the young woman indicated that it was not so.
In wrapping up his questions, Duke asked the woman if she had told the police about her conversation with Hope where he implied that her mother had gone to Trinidad and by extension that she visited the home prior to the discovery. In response, Forrester said she did not inform the police of the conversation and she did not recall telling them about the visit.
The cross-examination continued as O’Neil’s lawyer, George Thomas, sought to decipher the last day the young woman actually saw her mother. Thomas made reference to a statement signed by the witness and which indicated that she last saw her mother on December 26, 2007 at Hotel Tower and not on December 25 at her aunt’s house in Bent Street she was claiming.
However, the woman was adamant that she saw her mother at her aunt’s residence on Christmas day, 2007. The statement was subsequently showed to the witness while she was on the stand.
Under re-examination, the woman accepted that at the magistrate’s court she stated that she last saw her mom on December 26, 2007 at Hotel Tower.
Before Forrester was allowed to leave the witness stand, she answered two questions that were posed by the jury. She was asked whether Hope had told her that her mother had gone to Trinidad and about her reaction to him implying that she was there. The woman reported that the man had only told her that her mother had not sent the number as yet and that she continued “gaffing” with him.
The owner of the William Street property, Ulric Lucas, also testified yesterday. The elderly man, who is the brother of the deceased, told the court that he had returned to Guyana shortly after being informed via phone call that his sister had died. After his arrival in the country, he said, he went to the police station and a statement was taken from him. Lucas also told the court that his sister was the sole caretaker of the property while he was away.
The trial will continue today.
