(Trinidad Express) Less than two weeks after siblings Simeon and Siniaya Lessey were shot dead in the carpark of Courts Megastore in San Juan, a police officer has appeared in court for their murders.
High Court Master Shabiki Cazabon today read the murder charges to 34-year-old PC Sindey Roberts, who was last attached to the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (HBI).
Roberts was remanded into custody and will next appear in court on April 5. A sufficiency hearing will take place on April 26. He was represented by attorneys Ulric Skerritt, James Caruth and Arissa Maharaj.
In addition to the murder charges, Roberts was also charged with one count of shooting with intent.
When the matter was called virtually around 9.30 a.m., Master Cazabon gave directives that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) must make full disclosure of its evidence by the end of January. It is to also file its indictment against Roberts by the end of February.
Roberts is accused of murdering Simeon Lessey, 33, and his sister Siniaya Lessey, 35, on the afternoon of Sunday December 17.
Three other people, relatives of the siblings, were also shot and injured.
Prior to December 12, those accused of murder would have had to first appear in the Magistrates’ Court where the charges would have been read.
However, given the recent proclamation of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act of 2011 (as amended), murder accused individuals will now have their matters proceed directly to the High Court, bypassing the previous preliminary enquiry system.
The purpose of the Act is to reduce the amount of time that murder accused and other people charged with indictable offences would have to wait to have their matters proceed to trial.