Police officer Roger Singh will likely face trial in the High Court for robbery and misbehaviour in public office but his three colleagues and co-accused have been freed. Singh was jointly charged with PCs Reeves Boodoo, Errol Manphool and Neil Harripersad. The officers were last attached to the Ste Madeleine Police Station.

In a ruling on Wednesday at the end of a preliminary inquiry, Princes Town Senior Magistrate Debra Quintyne said a prima facie case had been made out against only Singh.

The first charge alleged that on or about May 12, 2012, at Iere Village, Princes Town, while performing duties as member of the T&T Police Service, the accused misbehaved by unlawfully carrying away Larry Barran against his will. It was also alleged that on the same day, at Daisy Road, Ste Madeleine, Singh, Boodoo, and Manphool, robbed Barran of $2,400 using personal violence against him. The officers were charged by Sgt Michael Veronique of the Professional Standards Bureau on July 21, 2012.

Singh, Boodoo, Manphool, and Harripersad were represented by attorneys Jagdeo Singh, Rajiv Persad, Kevin Ratiram and Petronilla Basdeo. Ratiram, Persad, and Basdeo made no-case submissions.

Ratiram submitted that there was no evidence linking Manphool to the incident, while Boodoo and Harripersad’s attorney argued that the identification parades involving their clients were defective.

The magistrate upheld the attorneys’ submissions and discharged Boodoo, Manphool, and Harripersad.

Singh, who is out on bail, has to return to court on November 15 when he is expected to be committed to stand trial on both charges.

The University of T&T (UTT) will not be able to continue full operations beyond January 2018.

The sentiment was expressed in memo by UTT chairman of the Board of Governors, Prof Kenneth Julien, given to staff on Wednesday night.

Also, there will be significant job cuts at both managerial and academics levels effective November 10 due to severe financial constraints over the past year, which worsened with the further 11 per cent decrease in UTT’s 2017/2018 recurrent allocation to $200 million.

“This development, if left unaddressed, will see the university experiencing a huge cash shortfall of the order of TT$190 million at the end of the fiscal year, and an inability to meet its payroll liabilities beyond January 2018,” Julien said.

“In light of these circumstances and the continuing comprehensive review which the board has determined UTT’s operations and structure must be subjected to, it is apparent that the existing arrangements are not in alignment with norms for tertiary-level educational institutions.

“These existing arrangements cannot be supported, particularly given the current reductions in financing and the likelihood that these reductions will extend for some time.”

Julien added: “Previous communications from the Office of the Chairman and Management have hinted at the serious challenges faced by the university. I am now to advise that without immediate effort, the university will not be able to continue operations beyond January 2018.”

The Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union, which represents the majority of the affected workers, has held several meetings with the board and on Wednesday met with membership on the pending restructuring exercise.

UTT has proposed the number of vice presidents be reduced from seven to three, with one responsible for Academic and Student Services, one for Corporate Operations and the third for Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness.

There is also expected to be a significant change in the administration of the Academic and Academic Support functions of the university.

Under the new structure, the position of provost and senior vice president, who served as the academic head of the university, has been abolished. In the proposed arrangement, a vice president Academic and Student Services will be tasked with oversight for academic systems, including Undergraduate Studies, Research, Impact and Postgraduate Studies.

The management structure is expected to be reduced by approximately 40 per cent, with resulting total expenditure reductions of approximately 25 per cent within the academic body and 50 per cent within the corporate body.

Five of the eight employees sent on administrative leave in July from the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) have been dismissed and three others have been constructively dismissed having been told that their contracts, which end in December and January, will not be renewed.

The eight workers were called to a meeting at the SporTT head office in Couva yesterday and five were handed dismissal letters while three were told to proceed on leave and not to return.

The action was taken although SporTT admitted in a brief statement to the media yesterday that the forensic audit was incomplete. The two paragraph release said, “The PWC forensic audit is substantially complete and a draft report has been submitted to the Ministry of the Attorney General.”

SporTT said the five employees were dismissed for “various reasons, but some were dismissed for conduct during the audit as well as certain findings made during the audit.”

On the others, SporTT said, “No decision has been made to dismiss the remaining three employees at this time and it is expected that their contracts with SporTT will run their course.” It added that “due to the sensitivity of the matter, SporTT will not make any further statements on the issue.”

The T&T Guardian understands that four of the dismissal letters were signed by acting CEO Jason Williams, who had resigned his post as financial comptroller and re-hired less than a month later and assigned new duties of financial comptroller and acting CEO. The letter given to former CEO Adam Montserin was signed by SporTT chairman Dinanath Ramnarine.

Attempts to contact Montserin were unsuccessful but the T&T Guardian understands he was dismissed for “loss of confidence” relating to a recommendation he made to the board.

Three other workers, Anthony Blake (facility manager), Jeewan Kowlessar (internal auditor) and Naveen Maraj (legal officer), were also dismissed for “loss of confidence” relating to an act they were alleged to have done during the probe.

But well-placed sources said it was curious the company spent “one million dollars to conduct an audit only to dismiss people” because they could not access information they were believed to have in their possession.

The T&T Guardian reported exclusively last week that although the workers had been sent on leave since July, they were only called to interviews with PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), the firm retained to do the forensic audit, two weeks ago and the line of questioning focused on the maintenance contract with a Chinese firm. Questions are also being asked about why the workers were dismissed when the audit is incomplete.

The workers have reportedly retained attorneys and are contemplating legal action for unfair dismissal because none of them were spoken to or issued warning letters. They are reportedly finding it difficult to understand how the company could just say they lost confidence in them and not give them an opportunity to be heard.

Efforts to contact Ramnarine and Sports Minister Darryl Smith were unsuccessful yesterday.

But contacted for comment, Jason Julien, who was fired as a board director earlier this year, said: “I feel for them. They were hard workers and for them to be treated like that makes me upset, especially coming up at Christmas.”

A teenager and two young men are expected to be questioned by police about the pregnancy of a 12-year-old schoolgirl.

The Child Protection Unit of the T&T Police Service is investigating reports that the girl had been subjected to two years of sexual abuse by relatives and neighbours.

According to reports, the girl’s 17-year-old cousin and two of his friends, ages 19 and 20, had sex with the girl earlier this year. It is not yet known who is the father of the unborn child. The girl was living with her mother in severe poverty at the time of the alleged attacks.

The series of events only came to light when the girl told her father, who was released from prison two months into her pregnancy, about her experiences. She was taken to the Princes Town Police Station where a statement was taken, then to the Princes Town District Health Facility where it was confirmed she was pregnant. She was then placed into the care of her father.

Several people were questioned about the abuse of the child but no one had been arrested up to yesterday. Police said investigators are stilling piecing the case together and more witnesses have to be interviewed.

One day after being stripped of her title, Yvonne Clarke was reinstated to represent T&T at the November 26 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas.

A statement issued yesterday by the Miss Universe T&T Committee confirmed it had “settled all issues concerning 28-year-old Ms Yvonne Clarke,” following which a decision was taken to reinstate her.

The statement, which did not say why the decision to disqualify Clarke was reversed, added, “We truly wish Miss Clarke all the best in her journey and we do hope and pray that she is able to bring home the crown. We also wish to thank the public at large and the media for their support in this matter.”

The action came a day after attorney Rondell Donawa issued a pre-action protocol letter demanding a copy of the contract Clarke was said to have breached, leading to her removal.

Clarke was relieved of her crown following comments on a TV interview in which she indicated she sought help from soca artiste Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez in getting prepared for the international competition. Franchise holder Jenny Douglas subsequently accused Clarke of breaching her contract, in particular a clause which says a delegate could not ill-speak or “make the franchise look bad.”

Efforts to contact Douglas as well as Clarke were unsuccessful up to late yesterday. But the T&T Guardian was told Clarke was trying to get rest yesterday, as she was said to have been very tired from the whirlwind 72-hour experience which began with her TV interview, suspension and reinstatement.

However, Lyons-Alvarez, who had pulled together a team, including international personalities, to assist with Clarke’s photography, hair and make-up, airline ticket, hotel and ground transportation while in the US, questioned the veracity of the franchise’s announcement yesterday.

In a telephone interview, Lyons-Alvarez said she spoke to Clarke earlier yesterday and was told of the reinstatement.

“She was happy and then I saw the release from Jenny, so I imagine she (Clarke) would be very happy,” Lyons-Alvarez said.

She reiterated that her role was not to get involved in the franchise’s business but to assist Clarke in her preparation, adding it was only recently she came to know Clarke.

“I was the management coordinator. So what I did was to get people to do all the work for Yvonne for free. But now everything has to be rushed to get done which is sad,” Lyons-Alvarez said.

She said she and husband Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez arranged sponsorship from some of their friends, including Dwayne Bravo.

Lyons-Alvarez, who had demanded an apology from Douglas, also said she was yet to receive one.

“I have not been able to reach that woman. She has not apologised and nobody from the franchise has reached out and again the cheese stands alone. That’s why I went to the news in the first place. If I could have done it by myself, out of pocket, I would not have gone to the news,” Lyons-Alvarez said.

Noting the controversy surrounding the decisions made by the local franchise, she said she hoped the reinstatement was indeed genuine as it would be a shame if Clarke now goes to the competition only to find out it was not true. However, Lyons-Alvarez said she wished Clarke the very best, noting with all the controversy she was confident Clarke would do well.

Declaring that they have little or no faith in the Government, prisoners officers and their families gathered outside the Canadian High Commission in Port-of-Spain yesterday in a bid to seek asylum in that country.

They claim their move was sparked by the Government’s inaction over their calls for special legislation to deal with attacks against prison officers in the wake of the murders of two of their colleagues last month.

Prison Officers Association (POA) president Ceron Richards said a letter was delivered to the High Commission seeking information on asylum in that country.

“We are going to pursue this, which we believe is the only life-saving step at this point in time,” Richards said.

“Prisons officers and their families no longer feel safe in Trinidad and Tobago and there is no indication coming from the highest offices of the land ... coming from the most important space, which is the Parliament ... there is no indication that anything will change any time soon.”

Richards said for too long prison officers’ pleas have fallen on deaf ears and members are fed up of the seeing the lives of colleagues being snuffed out. As such, he said the POA had no choice but to look at alternatives for protection.

Asked whether this move could result in unmanned prisons, Richards said that was a question for Government to answer.

“We have done all we could have done under the sun. This matter is a matter that has spanned for decades and we are at the wrong end of the criminal element,” he said.

“The reality is criminal elements are training their guns at prisons officers and there is no resistance from the State. The State has a duty and responsibility to protect itself and an attack on any prisons officer is an attack on the State. The State is not showing officers it has the wherewithal to protect itself.”

Richards said the attacks, including hits being called on officers from behind the prisons walls, spoke volumes.

He said the State was not interested in finding useful solutions and instead was “pulling down the names of prisons officers.”

Contacted yesterday on the officers’ action, Prisons Commissioner William Alexander said he held a meeting with the association on Wednesday to discuss some of the initiatives they were seeking but Richards was not present. However, he said he had no knowledge they planned yesterday’s action. He added, however, that he did not believe the move, along with their continued sick-out action at the Maximum Security prison, was in their best interest.

“They are civil servants and officers must not bring the service into disrepute. I have to find out and I have no clue about that (this morning),” he said.

High Commission officials could not be reached yesterday for comment on the prison officers’ asylum requests.

The Bankers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (BATT) is calling for additional resources to be given to police following a spate of break-ins at two banks and a financial institution in Central Trinidad.

In a press release issued yesterday, the association said that it was concerned with the string of robberies as well as the overall crime situation in T&T.

“BATT believes there is a need for an increase allocation of resources into police and law enforcement agencies, in order to have more effective patrols. BATT encourages a more collaborative approach between public and private sector in crime prevention,” the release said.

The organisation stated that its members regularly collaborate with the T&T Police Services (TTPS)’s Fraud Squad and Crime Stoppers and the organisation through its Inter Bank Anti-Fraud Security Committee.

“There is constant dialogue and exchange among these bodies to the safeguard customers and to ensure the Banks’ infrastructure is sound. As a result, in most cases this sharing of information and knowledge prevent criminal activities from spreading systematically,” the release said.

The first incident took place at Cunupia branch of Scotiabank on July 16 where burglars stole an ATM vault containing an undisclosed amount of cash.

On September 24, as burglars broke into First Citizens branch at Montrose, Chaguanas. The burglars used a blowtorch to gain access to the vault where they stole approximately $3.5 million, which mostly represented overnight deposits made by business clients.

One week later, a similar incident occurred at the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR)’s office in Chaguanas, with thieves escaping with $117,000.

On October 19, two men attempted to break into First Citizen’s ATM in Caparo but were caught red-handed by a police officer, who visited the machine to make a withdrawal.

One of the suspects, 30-year-old from Valencia, was held while his accomplice managed to escape.

A high-profile team of investigators from the TTPS’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) led by Senior Supt Ajith Persad has been assigned to investigate all the robberies.

Contacted yesterday a source close to the investigation said that investigators believe that the robberies were done by the same group of criminals based on similarities in all the incidents.

The source described the group as “professionals” as they left no fingerprints and wore masks to evade CCTV cameras.

The only suspect held from the botched burglary in Caparo has not provided details of his accomplices when interrogated by police.

The source said police patrols have been increased especially on weekends in a bid to deter the burglars and possibly catch them if they attempt to target another bank.

Prison rapes are down.

That’s according to acting Commissioner of Prisons William Alexander.

Alexander made the statement while addressing a Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, Equality and Diversity chaired by Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly at Tower D, Port-of-Spain.

He said one of the keys factors which led to the reduction in prison rapes was the fact that prison cells were overcrowded.

The committee held discussions with officials of the National Security Ministry, Association of Psychiatrists of T&T (APTT), Vision on Mission (VOM) and Council of Prisons and Chaplains and Ministers into the impact of mental health and family life of inmates at the remand prisons.

The issue of the rape in prison was raised by committee member Vidia Gayadeen-Gopeesingh who queried if sodomising a prisoner could trigger mental health disorders.

In response, APTT’s psychiatrist Dr Dominic Obiajulu Nwokolo admitted that “such assaults on one’s person will always have adverse mental health consequences.”

Weighing in on the issue, Alexander described the rape as a “horrible act because you are interfering with the masculinity or the perception of their manness.”

Alexander said sometimes a prisoner who is raped may not even come forward to talk about it.

“It is something we do not take lightly. And in many ways, you know they say out of evil cometh good...because of overcrowding...it reduces it because there are more persons in the cell and somebody would speak up. As opposed to two or three persons in a cell it can more easily occur. We have found that the (rapes) have decreased tremendously.”

Alexander said when he joined the prisons service 30 years ago, some predators had to be incarcerated differently.

“The minute they get mixed in the population they would engage in that behaviour. So you have to lock them down in a cell by themselves which reduces your capacity to house the population.”

Alexander said for a prisoner “to be labelled a rapist in the prison will have certain consequences for you. Prisoners frown on two persons in jail — child molesters and rapists. When they come into the prison we have to house them separately. Somebody would rob, chop and shoot you, but they will hate you for raping another individual.”

It was also revealed that while 25 per cent of the country’s remand prisoners had mental health issues, prison supervisor John Lopez said only four per cent have been seeking psychiatric treatment.

Nwokolo said while no local study had been undertaken to determine what percentage of T&T’s remand prisoners suffer from mental health “if they go by international standards one could safely say about 25 to 30 per cent of remandees does have mental health issues.”

He said approximately 25 per cent of the country’s remand prisoners suffers from mental health problems.

Of the 1,065 remand prisoners who are awaiting trial approximately 266 either come in or develop mental illness.

In some cases, these prisoners await between five to ten years for a trial.

Prisoners who encounter mental illness exhibit depression, frequent outbursts, aggression, agitation and become violent, Nwokolo said.

CHILDREN OF PRISONERS SUFFER IN SILENCE

Director of VOM Gordon Husbands spoke about children of offenders who go through grief and trauma in silence.

“They try to be secretive because they do not want people to know where their mother or father is. Research suggests they are the ones who get involved in bullying in schools. They became prime targets for domestic abuse, human trafficking and they run away when placed in foster care.”

Husbands said these children eventually become high-risk, delinquent and adult perpetrators.

Some of the committee’s findings, Gadsby-Dolly said showed that family life interventions mechanisms were needed to treat with children and families of inmates.

It was recommended that standard procedures to determine deteriorating mental health in remandees be done during their detention time, psychiatric evaluation be a routine part of a prisoner’s admission criteria, research be undertaken to determine if the conditions and length of time spent on remand yard would lead to development of mental disorders of prisoners and more training of officers were required to detect basic mental illness.

Students of Malick Secondary School, where classes have been disrupted by infestations and infrastructural issues, in recent months, could return to school by November 14, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said yesterday.

The minister, accompanied by Dr Lovell Francis, Minister in the State of Ministry of Education, and officials of the ministry, met with staff at the school yesterday and toured the compound.

“We recognise there has been a demise of the school in particular and it is unfortunate the school shut down for these issues,” he told reporters.

Garcia said a meeting with be held next week to address other issues and curriculum concerns.

“We have to ensure the school is in a position to open in one week’s time and a decision was made. There are certain things to be done,” he said.

TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai described the meeting was fruitful.

“We made it our business to be here today and were part of a cordial discussion,” he said.

“With respect to what is happening and assurances were given, we hope it can get back to its normal operations. The students need to be back in school.”

The success of the meeting was also highlighted by Laventille East/Morvant MP Adrian Leonce who said: “We had a productive meeting with TTUTA, the ministry and the parents. The children are the key resource. We are concerned with this school and we must ensure the children are paramount, so we are committed in a week to getting the majority issues fixed.”

The Government’s push with international partners against financiers of terrorism and its bid to combat violent extremism are assuming front burner status.

Agreements were signed this week with Cuba and Sri Lanka to exchange information to track financiers of terrorism. Recently also, talks were held with visiting US officials, including Homeland Security members, on issues including combatting violent extremism.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, whose ministry houses T&T’s Counter-Terrorism Desk, was involved in both activities and was due back last night following a recent counter-terrorism conference in Argentina where the agreements with Cuba and Sri Lanka were signed.

Al-Rawi was in Argentina when that country mourned the deaths of five of its citizens in Tuesday’s terrorist attack in New York. The five were among eight Argentine citizens in New York for a reunion when they were mowed down by Uzbekistan born US- domiciled Sayfullo Saipov who drove a truck into them along a bike path.

While in Argentina, Al-Rawi signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of Sri Lanka and Cuba. The agreements allow T&T’s FIU to exchange information securely and enhance networking and co-operation with foreign FIUs in the fight against money launderers, financiers of terrorism and other criminal organisations.

Two US Congress delegations recently met Government to discuss regional issues, including combatting violent extremism, the US Embassy confirmed. The officials met Al-Rawi, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Stuart Young and National Security Minister Edmund Dillon at the Parliament.

Delegations were led by Eddy Acevedo, Staff Director, Sub-committee on the Middle East and North Africa, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mandy Bowers of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Both delegations met with government and other partners to evaluate implementation of the US/Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act which was signed into US law in December 2016, the Embassy said.

That law involves efforts to counter organised crime and illicit trafficking, support democracy throughout the Western hemisphere, strengthen energy security and create jobs through increased trade and investment. In addition, they discussed regional issues, including Venezuela and joint US and T&T efforts to combat violent extremism, the Embassy added.

“This is it. I am finally going to settle my roots here.”

Those were the final words of a Trinidad Guardian article published in November 2014.

The words, attributed to former national boxer Wendell Joseph, were combined with a promise that Joseph and his wife Erica, a diabetic amputee, would not move again.

It’s an odd promise to make unless placed in the context that since then, between 1998 and 2017, the couple has moved in and out of six Housing Development Corporation (HDC) homes provided by the state. Yesterday, the couple was allocated their seventh HDC unit, this time at Chafford Courts, Port-of-Spain.

The multiple moves have cost the HDC thousands in remedial costs for each vacant unit and an additional $50,000 to retrofit the last allocated house to accommodate Erica’s disability. Yet, the couple continually find their way back to a tent in the open-air of the Brian Lara Promenade and Queen’s Park Savannah.

A T&T Guardian team visited their former house in Tarodale on Wednesday. The house, which was painted a deep red two years ago, now sports a half-painted white surface where it faces the road.

The additional work done by the HDC to accommodate a person with disabilities, including a wheel-chair ramp, widened doorways and a bathroom retrofitted for wheelchair access, was clear to see.

Neighbours said the house has been vacant since last October when the couple packed their belongings and left. They were also eager to go on the record to share stories of the elderly couple - none of them were particularly positive.

“They were very aggressive and always accused someone of doing them something.

“They got along with none of the neighbours around here. We saw them on TV and couldn’t believe what they were saying,” former neighbour Claudia John said of Erica, as she referenced the woman complained to the media that they left the house because neighbours were cruel to them.

John said she was convinced the Josephs needed both social and psychological assistance.

She claimed the street, which had been relatively quiet since her family moved there in 2010, was disturbed by the Josephs’ presence and returned to normalcy after they left late last year.

Another neighbour, Virginia Mc Intosh, whose house is alongside the property once occupied by the Josephs, said when the couple first moved in she befriended Erica.

“I would look out for her and talk to her because she was this old lady in a bad way, but then things started changing.”

McIntosh said simple tasks like neighbours cutting their yard became a threat to the elderly woman, who often called the police.

The T&T Guardian contacted a close relative of the Josephs this week to get to the root of their persistent homelessness.

“Honestly, I fed up. I see people trying to talk to them and I just don’t want anything to do with it any more.”

The relative, who did not want to be identified but is intimately aware of the multiple moves, confirmed the problem had always been the couple’s inability to get along with neighbours.

“I leave them and don’t talk to them. Every time I go there I never saw bacchanal or quarrel. I used to talk to the neighbour. She (Erica) used to talk to the neighbours, but then all of a sudden it was a problem. It is always a problem. Everywhere they go it is a problem.”

Confronted with her former neighbours’ counter claims against her yesterday, however, Erica stood by her story.

“They wouldn’t tell you the truth. Thank Jesus I have the police receipt. I reported them. I don’t want anything to do with them people,” she said.

She denied claims she was a problematic neighbour and insisted the people of San Fernando were wicked.

“The children were cursing me. The criminals does lie. That entire street is bad.

“I don’t talk to nobody. I never tell them morning, I never tell them good night, I don’t want to have nothing to do with them. Sando people bad, they real bad. They make my life hell.”

7 HDC homes in 20 years

In 1998, the Josephs, who lived with their young daughter, was allocated an NHA home in Building Three, Lisas Boulevard, Couva, where they lived for several years. They began making complaints to the HDC about trouble with neighbours, before eventually vacating the premises, taking their daughter with them.

They were allocated a second unit in Tarodale phase one, though the exact year remains unverified. The couple again had problems with neighbours and vacated the property, returning to the streets until media highlighted their situation and another home was allocated. In January 2005, they started living at their HDC unit on Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain and was seemingly happy there. In March 2009 they moved to the third floor of Building A in Embacadere, San Fernando, but complained to the HDC regarding access for Erica’s wheelchair.

In May 2013, they moved to a ground floor apartment in Building Q in Embacadere. After complaining about threats from neighbours they returned to the Savannah in 2014. In November 2014, they were allocated a home at Tarodale, phase two, a three-bedroom unit on a cul-de-sac.

At last!

Erica Joseph could only describe her feelings as happy yesterday, after she was given the keys to her new home at apartment 007, Building One, Chafford Court, Port-of-Spain.

Joseph, 57, an amputee and her husband Wendell, 64, a former boxer, were given their seventh Housing Development Corporation apartment after living in the open air at the Brian Lara Promenade and Queen’s Park Savannah and for the past two years.

The Joseph claim gunmen chased them away from their last home at Tarodale, San Fernando, in 2015.

After their latest woes were picked up by the media, HDC officials stepped in three days ago and interviewed the couple at the Savannah. On Wednesday, members of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Horticultural Division had unsuccessfully attempted to move the couple before the got the good news from the HDC yesterday.

Erica was all smiles as she accepted the keys to her home yesterday. She sat in her wheelchair with her teddy bear, Grandpa Scrooge, and doll Pepper.

“I am very happy, no more ISIS again. They (HDC) came with a vehicle and came with a crew and get me out,” she said.

She will now be paying a $350 a month rent but said she had to put down $1500.

Erica said she was very comfortable with the new arrangements as she was close to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) and the city.

“They have to fix the bathroom and the front door for me to come out. I don’t think I am going to leave. I am comfortable,” she said.

She said when she lived in San Fernando she paid a driver $500 to take her to the PoSGH so she could keep her appointments at the surgical clinic.

“I could go down town and buy my groceries. I have no problem with this now. Any time I have to leave here HDC have to be breaking down this. They have to break it down with me,” she said.

Erica said she was glad to be finally away from the savannah because they were verbally abused by passers-by daily.

‘They used to curse me and tell me to go. All I wanted was some place to live. When we figured we were settled and now I lost all that money I put into that house,” she said. Wendell was also smiling and pushed her around the apartment in the wheelchair.

“The first thing, I can’t comment I just arrived. I just happy that we off the road now,” he said.

HDC manager Marcia McCleave said they would continue working with the family, adding their new accommodation was permanent.

“It is not temporary,” she said.

St Vincent de Paul representative and St Ann’s resident Jeremy Francis said he had gone to visit the Josephs at the savannah when he saw the truck come to get them and decided to accompany them to their new home.

“I came to visit them as normal and I stayed around. I am very glad,” he said. Francis said the organisation will help them settle into their new home this weekend.

In an emailed response yesterday, Housing Minister Randall Mitchell confirmed they had given the couple an apartment at Chafford Court.

Asked what led to the decision, given that this was the couple’s seventh home, he said: “I am told that they Mrs. Joseph was recently discharged from the hospital after having surgery. They were unable to return to their home in Tarodale, San Fernando, having been allegedly chased out of that unit. Subsequently, she and her husband took up residence in the Queens Park Savannah.

“The HDC took the decision to effect the transfer based on a recommendation made by officers of its Social and Community Services Department, which is guided by an Emergency Housing Assistance Policy.

“This policy encourages the HDC to act in the case of vulnerable individuals who live in conditions that pose immediate threat to health and safety.”

Told the Josephs’ previous neighbours had denied Erica’s claims they were cruel to her, Mitchell said: “The HDC does not have a policy to move tenants who cannot get along with neighbours.”

The senior police officer who was criticised for issuing a ticket to a man who was using the Priority Bus Route to take his wife, who was in labour, to the hospital, has been issued a ticket for a similar offence.

Supt Edwin Phillips, of the Transit Police Unit, was issued with a fixed penalty for $2,000 for unauthorised use of the Priority Bus Route (PBR) on Thursday night.

Phillips, who was driving a blue Hyundai vehicle, was stopped around 7 pm at Red Hill Junction, D’Abadie. If he fails to pay the ticket, he has to appear in the Arima Magistrates Court on January 16, next year to contest the charge.

In October last year, Phillips stopped Donny Laban-Ammon, who was using the PBR to take his wife, Arlene, to the hospital. Phillips then instructed a female officer to charge them for using the PBR illegally before ordering them off the PBR.

The couple got stuck in traffic for over two hours before they arrived at the hospital. The baby, named Armani, was delivered via C-section.

Another police officer, Seema Jacob, was also issued with three tickets for traffic violations at Samaroo Access Road, Aranguez.

She was slapped with a $1,000 on October 26 for allegedly parking driving/parking on the footpath, $1,000 ticket for failing to wear a seatbelt and $500 ticket for parking nine meters from a corner.

A 34-year-old Laventille man was granted $200,000 bail after he appeared in court charged with having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Aaron Albert, of Success Village, Laventille, appeared before Magistrate Adia Mohammed in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court charged with sexually penetrating the minor on four occasions between April 1 to October 14.

As part of the conditions of his bail, Albert was ordered to stay 500 metres away from the victim and to refrain from contacting her, whether direct, indirect or through social media. The case was adjourned to November 27.

The charges were laid by acting Cpl Yohan Mc Kain, of the T&T Police Service’s Child Protection Unit.

Four Guyanese nationals were arrested on Thursday in connection with robbing a police officer.

According to police, the men were held after the owner of their getaway car made a false report to police that her car had been stolen.

Police said the officer, who was not identified, was robbed of his wallet just after using an ATM along the Eastern Main Road, Curepe around 2.30 am.

Following the robbery, his two attackers fled in a car.

Police said the men found out that they had robbed a police officer after searching through the victim’s wallet and contacted the owner of the car, a Guyanese woman to file a report to the St Joseph Police Station that her car had been stolen.

Officers from the St Joseph Police Station arrested the woman and the three men who had all overstayed their time in the country.

The suspects are also linked to other offences of robberies in the Trincity area, police said. They are expected to appear on identification parades this weekend.

Investigations were led by Insp Robert Joseph, Constables Valmiki Lalsingh, Leon Paul and Joel Kerr.

One day after prison officers visited the Canadian High Commission seeking information about asylum in that country following the murder of two prison officers last month, the Prison Officers Association have secured a meeting with National Security Minister Edmund Dillon.

The Association has also been requested to submit proposals on ways officers can be protected off the job.

The Association was contacted by the legal officer assigned to the Parliament who requested their proposals as legislation was being drafted to help protect prison officers.

The legal officer was instructed to contact the association, a spokesperson for the association said, to get the information that may contribute to the new legislation.

The association intend to provide the requested information.

The association will meet with Dillon at 3.30 pm on Tuesday to further address their concerns. The meeting follows the murder of prison officer Glenford Gardner.

Gardner, 44, was shot dead outside a house he owned at Sea Trace, Savannah Road, Diego Martin on October 26.

Gardner, a father of one, was the captain of the vessel which transported prisoners to Carrera Island Prison.

He was shot dead hours after prison officers confiscated cellphones and other contraband items at the Port-of-Spain Prison.

Gardner’s killing came 19 days after another prison officer, Richard Sandy, was killed by an ex-convict at a bar in South Trinidad.

Following Sandy’s killing the association reiterated their calls for some of their officers to be given firearms while off-duty and for safe housing for others. They repeated their calls following Gardner’s killing.

Speaking with the media outside the Canadian High Commission on Thursday, president of the association Ceron Richards said: “Prisons officers and their families no longer feel safe in Trinidad and Tobago and there is no indication coming from the highest offices of the land ... coming from the most important space, which is the Parliament ... there is no indication that anything will change anytime soon.”

Gardner’s daughter, who is living abroad, arrived in the country on Thursday to finalise funeral arrangements for her father. Gardner, originally from Tobago, lived alone in Trinidad. Most of his relatives reside abroad.

Within hours of a video of two teenagers brandishing two objects which appeared to be firearms was circulated on social media, one of the suspects was detained by police.

According to a release issued by the T&T Police Service (TTPS) yesterday, the 17-year-old suspect was detained around 11 am, as he went to the Chaguanas Police Station to report to police, as part of his bail conditions for an unrelated offence.

Detectives of the Chaguanas CID allegedly recognised the suspect, whose face was clearly visible in the 17-second clip which was shared on social media between Thursday night and yesterday.

In the video, the teenage suspect is seated in the back seat of a moving car and is urged by the driver, to show the objects.

“Show them how we cutting the f**king flick,” the driver said.

Pointing the objects at the camera the detained suspect responded by saying: “Say a f**king word. We just doing it mad and unruly.”

The release said that the arrest of the driver was imminent. Investigators were expected to interrogate the suspect and search his home for the alleged weapons.

Contacted yesterday, an experienced criminal defence attorney said that police could not charge the suspect with firearm possession simply based on the video, as they (the police) would be required to prove that the objects were firearms to sustain the charge.

“If that was the case a lot more people would be in jail for firearm possession,” the attorney said as he explained that police had merely seized his clients’ cellphones after finding photos of them with guns.

“They just send the cellphones to the TTPS Cyber Crime Unit for further investigations,” he added.

Richard McFarlane, a Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) board director who raised concerns about a fellow director with links to the Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) and the selection of employees for a forensic audit, says he stands by the concerns raised in his letter and has no intention of resigning from the board.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian by phone yesterday, some 24 hours after five of eight employees on leave were fired, McFarlane refused to say whether his letter, dated October 30, was prompted by an anonymous email sent to board directors on October 27, which raised concerns about another director with links to the SCG.

“As much as I think things should be dealt with openly and honestly, my concern is that entering into discussion now will be inappropriate for me. As far as I am concerned my communication was and is to the chairman and board of directors. I am quite uncomfortable that the letter has made its way into the public space, ” McFarlane said.

Told that the letter was included in correspondence sent to the Integrity Commission by former minister Devant Maharaj, McFarlane said, “I am not aware that it has been sent to the Integrity Commission. That was certainly not any of my intention at all. I am quite surprised.”

McFarlane declined comment on whether SporTT chairman Dinanath Ramnarine had reached out to him since he sent the letter, which raised his own concerns about the forensic audit being done by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and about a director whom he said was a sub-contractor to Shanghai.

He also declined comment on whether the letter was recorded in the minutes of the October 30 board meeting, as he had requested.

McFarlane, however, made it clear he had no intention of submitting his resignation, saying, “At this time I have no plan to do so.”

He added: “I remain part of the board of the Sport Company. I was asked by the people of Tobago to represent Tobago’s interest by accepting a directorship on the board. I gave a commitment and at this point in time that is unchanged.”

McFarlane said as far as he was aware, “no date has been set for another board meeting.”

On Thursday, the eight employees who had been on ‘administrative leave’ for the past four months were called to a meeting.

Five of them were given letters of dismissal and the others were told their contracts would be allowed to run their course and they would be paid, but they were not to return to the compound.

Asked whether he had any concerns about the action taken against the employees although the forensic audit was incomplete, McFarlane said, “At this time I don’t want to comment any further. I think it would be inappropriate of me to comment at this stage.”

Education Minister Anthony Garcia is not totally surprised at reports the University of T&T (UTT) is facing financial constraints and will not be able to operate beyond January 2018. However, Garcia says he has had a discussion with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley about a way forward and expects to meet with Finance Minister Colm Imbert for further discussions.

Saying he has been speaking almost daily with UTT’s vice-chairman about the situation, Garcia said it is important for students to have access to affordable tertiary education.

“We have been discussing all these challenges for quite some time now so I wasn’t totally surprised,” Garcia said after meeting with staff at the Malick Secondary School yesterday.

In a memo to staff on Wednesday, UTT chairman Professor Kenneth Julien announced plans for restructuring of the cash-strapped university.

“This development, if left unaddressed, will see the university experiencing a huge cash shortfall of the order of $190 million at the end of the fiscal year, and an inability to meet its payroll liabilities beyond January 2018,” Julien said.

UTT is proposing to reduce staff of the academic and academic support functions of the university. But a source at UTT said yesterday it has not yet been decided whether any of the campuses will be closed.

“It was decided that management was a bit too top heavy, especially given the current economic times, but to say campuses would be closed, this is premature. We are still having discussions. Nothing is finalised as yet,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Chaguanas East MP and former Tertiary Education and Skills Training minister Fazal Karim yesterday condemned the Government for allowing UTT to get to this position.

He said the UTT cuts were coming on the heels of dismissal of staff at the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC) and MIC Institute of Technology within the last year.

He said the education system was in crisis under the People’s National Movement Government, noting in two short years the PNM has mismanaged the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) programme, dismantled the UTT without cabinet approval, diverted over $300 million to UTT, Tamana Park with no plan for its use, squandered millions on consultancies at UTT with no tangible results and closed down the UTT Aviation Campus, which could generate millions of dollars in revenue to the State.

“The abysmal incompetence of this administration to nurture our nation’s most critical resource – our human resource – will only spiral in future mass job losses and paralyse an already weakening economy,” Karim said.

Wednesday will make is exactly four months since Pernell Bruno, the councillor for Barataria, passed away following a brief battle with cancer. Bruno, 52, died on July 8. And as a result of his death, the electoral district of Barataria was declared vacant by chairman of the San Juan-Laventille Regional Corporation (SJLRC) Anthony Roberts on July 26.

However, despite all the time that has elapsed since Bruno's death and his electoral district being declared vacant, a date for the by-election for the Barataria electoral district is still to be announced.

Speaking to the Guardian earlier this week, Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Kazim Hosein said the country can expect a date for the by-election to be announced soon.

Bruno had been the People's National Movements (PNM) representative for the Barataria electoral district since 2013.

His friend Roberts, an alderman, has so far assumed the role of caretaker for the Barataria electoral district.

Roberts has been tending to the needs of the burgesses in Barataria in the interim until a by-election is officially held, public relations officer of the SJLRC Maurice Burke has said.

But so far, no one knows exactly how long that will be.

According to Section 29 of the Municipal Corporations Act there is no specific time-frame by which a by-election is to be held.

"On being satisfied that the seat of a councillor has become vacant, the President shall issue a writ addressed to the Returning Officer of the appropriate electoral district for the election (hereinafter referred to as a 'bye-election') of a new councillor," the Act states.

While there is no specific time frame by which a by-election for a councillor must be held, just over a month after the electoral districts of Malabar South and Auzonville/Tunapuna became vacant in 2015, Cabinet agreed that by-elections would be held to fill the vacancies.

Those by-elections were eventually held just under three months after the seats became vacant.

The two electoral districts became vacant when local government councillors Anthony Garcia and Esmond Forde successfully contested the constituencies of Arima and Tunapuna respectively in the September 7, 2015, general election. The by-elections for the two electoral districts would be held on December 5, 2015, and the PNM convincingly retained both electoral districts.

The votes

Local government elections were held on November 28, 2016.

In that election Bruno won the Barataria electoral district for the PNM by only 392 votes over the UNC's candidate, according to the official results from the Elections and Boundaries Commission.

Bruno had been the area's councillor since 2013.

In the 2013 local government elections Bruno received 2,130 votes while the UNC's candidate Vijay Mahabir and the Independent Liberal Party's (ILP) Lawrence Mark got a combined total of 2,177.

The UNC's Harrylal Persad had previously been the electoral district's councillor when he won in 2010.

Persad received 2,570 votes in that election while the PNM's Farid Hinds received 1,562.

In the 2003 local government elections the PNM's Dalvin Thomas won the seat over the UNC's Earl Cunningham by 84 votes.

Local government elections are constitutionally due in this country in November 2019.