The trial of Curt Thomas for the 2016 murder of Parika fuel dealer Seeram Singh commenced yesterday morning before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
Thomas is accused of shooting and killing Singh on Saturday April 30th, 2016 during a robbery at Parika.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Testifying yesterday was Corporal Damian Williams who recalled arresting and putting the allegation to the accused, which he said was the only role he played in the investigations.
Under cross-examination by defence attorney Lyndon Amsterdam, Williams agreed with counsel that when he executed those roles he had neither evidence nor any account from an eyewitness(s) as to who may have committed the murder.
The Corporal told the court that he had been acting on information he had received and instructions from his superior.
When asked, he told counsel that he had been given a description and told to go to Super Beat and arrest a “male negro” who was there in a “vest and short pants.”
Amsterdam suggested to the witness that he did not know of the alias `Yankee’ before he made the arrest, but Williams answered in the affirmative, stating that he did know the accused by that name, before arresting him.
He, however, again agreed with counsel that at the time he effected the arrest and put the capital offence allegation to Thomas, he did not put any allegation of robbery to him.
Again, the witness said that he was only acting on instructions he had been given and that those instructions did not involve any allegation of robbery.
Amsterdam then suggested to Williams that after he arrested his client, Thomas was very cooperative. But the witness exclaimed that this was quite the contrary, stating “I had a very hard time with the accused when I arrested him.”
Further pressed, Williams told Amsterdam that he did not include in his police statement how the accused behaved towards him after being arrested nor did he mention it in the Magistrate’s Court when he testified as he had never before been asked.
The witness then agreed with counsel that at the time he was arresting Thomas, he (Thomas) was demonstrably adamant that he had nothing to do with the murder/robbery and that he (Williams) was wrongfully targeting him.
Also taking the stand yesterday was Constable Delon Younge who recalled receiving a phone call instructing him to proceed to the scene at Parika where there had been a shooting.
He said that when he arrived, Singh’s body had already been taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital.
Asked whether he had spoken to anyone at the scene in a bid to ascertain whether there may have been any eyewitness(s) to the shooting, Younge told Amsterdam he did not.
Detective Sergeant Keno De Souza also testified yesterday. He recalled witnessing and photographing the autopsy of Singh’s body.
The seven photographs taken therefrom were admitted in evidence.
Amsterdam challenged the detective over the integrity of the exposures which were developed, suggesting that they may have been tampered with, but the witness was adamant that they were not.
The lawyer pointed out that there were markings which were obscuring the full and clear view of the photos taken and questioned whether those markings had been so placed at the time the photos were taken.
The witness said that they were. He said that they were markings made as the autopsy was being performed.
While he said that it was he who had taken all the photographs, De Souza was unable to say when shown the photos yesterday, which body part was being exhibited with injuries.
The trial continues this morning at 9.
The state’s case is being presented by Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy.
