The State was yesterday forced to drop a major drug trafficking case after its main witness, a police officer, was found to have concocted evidence against the accused. As a result, Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard SC intends to refer the matter for a police investigation. “The integrity of that matter was compromised. It will be refered to the police for a full investigation,” Gaspard said in a telephone interview.
Legal sources said that the police officers involved in the case could face a charge of perverting the course of justice and possibly perjury. Anthony Blackman, 39, of Maraval, walked out the Port-of-Spain High Court a free man shortly after his trial began before Justice Devan Rampersad. When the case was called in the First Assizes, State prosecutor Brent Winter told the court that the State did not wish to lead evidence in the case.
Rampersad then dismissed the charge against Blackman and discharged the nine-member jury selected to hear evidence in the case. T&T Guardian understands that while preparing the case, prosecutors realised the there were inconsistencies in the evidence of the main witness PC Darryl Hunte, who arrested Blackman. Hunte, who was assigned to the West End Police Station, was reportedly questioned on the issue and reportedly persisted with his version of the events.
During the preliminary inquiry into the case, evidence was led that on April 23, 2007, Hunte and his colleagues were on patrol along Maraldo Street, Maraval, when they saw Blackman driving a car. The officers claimed that while searching the vehicle they found three bags and three buckets of marijuana which allegedly weighed 200 kilogrammes. Back then, police had described the drug bust as one of the biggest for the year.
Hunte is also a witness in the kidnapping and murder trial of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman, which is currently in its pre-trial stage and is due to begin early next year. Blackman was represented by Mario Merritt.