The sister of Nicolas Narine, one of the five men on trial for the armed robbery of Justice Nicola Pierre and her family, yesterday corroborated what her brother had told the court: that he, like his co-accused Daymeion Millington, was also at home on the night of the incident.
Pauline Hope, Narine’s sister told the court that her brother was indeed at home on the night of July 8, 2015, leading into the morning of July 9. She said that on July 8 she went home around 10.30 pm and Narine opened the door for her. Hope also told the court that on the morning of July 9, she got up around 1.15 am to use the washroom and when she passed by her brother’s bed she noticed that he was sleeping.
The witness testified that she had to pass her brother’s bed in order to get to the washroom, since they shared the same bedroom. Hope explained that she shares a room with her three other brothers and Narine, but there is a curtain which separates her bed from theirs.
Narine’s sister said she was with him at the Diamond Police Station and at the Criminal Investigation Department, Eve Leary. She said it was on July 18 that she learnt that her brother had been positively identified as having committed a robbery on the East Coast Demerara.
Narine, who is being represented by Attorney Adrian Thompson, on Monday gave unsworn testimony saying that he had not left his house until July 14 when the police turned up and arrested him.
Narine, Premnauth Samaroo, Daymeion Millington, Warren McKenzie and Anthony David are on trial for allegedly robbing the judge and her husband Mohammed Chan, of cash and articles amounting to over $3.6 million, as well as shooting at the security guard Ron Peters.
Meanwhile, under cross-examination by Special Prosecutor Nigel Hughes, Hope agreed that she did learn of her brother being positively identified for a crime during an Identification Parade that was conducted at Eve Leary. She said that when she heard the news she immediately called their parents, who later went to the police station. Hope said she never gave the police a statement, though she had wanted to, but she became emotional at that point.
Hope further admitted that she did not give a statement because she was back and forth carrying food for her brother at the station and she also had a daughter to look after.
Hughes questioned why, if she knew that her brother was innocent of the offence he was charged with, she did not come forward and give a statement to the police that Narine was at home on the night of the incident. Hope said she was unaware that she had to give a statement to the police.
Narine is the third of five men accused of the crime to present an alibi defence. Before him, there was Samaroo who had claimed to have been with friends whose car broke down at Agriculture Road, and who corroborated his story. Samaroo was followed by Millington, who claimed to have been at home and whose sister attested to this on his behalf.
After the testimony of Narine’s sister, Thompson closed Narine’s defence.
David is expected to lead his defence when the trial continues today.
