For the second time in a little over a year, a Chaguanas car dealer was arrested in relation to an allegation of domestic abuse against his wife.
According to reports, shortly after midday yesterday the dealer was arrested by large contingent of police officers at his popular used car dealership in Chaguanas.
Police sources said his arrest stemmed from a domestic disturbance report made by his neighbours on Monday morning.
The T&T Guardian understands that police received the report around 12.05 am on Monday but could not act on it, as when they visited his Chaguanas home, they noticed no signs of an ongoing crime and would have needed to obtain a warrant to enter the property to investigate further.
Investigators reportedly returned to the location later that day to obtain a statement from the dealer’s wife.
She allegedly provided the statement but said she did not wish to press charges against her husband for a second time. They reportedly then spoke to the dealer and then left before returning to arrest him yesterday.
The businessman remained detained at the Chaguanas Police Station up to late yesterday but had not been charged.
The T&T Guardian was told that investigators were considering whether he was in breach of a protection order granted by a magistrate before his wife withdrew assault charges against him in October last year.
Interim protection orders are usually granted during domestic violence cases and would have expired when the case against him, for allegedly assaulting his wife on two occasions in February last year, was dismissed.
However, in this case, a three-year order barring him from coming into contact with her and physically or verbally abusing her was granted by Magistrate Joanne Connor in March last year.
Investigators were said to be exploring the possibility that the fixed-term order may not have automatically expired after she refused to testify against him.
Legal sources said police may prosecute him for breach of the order even without his wife’s full cooperation, as prosecutors would merely have to prove he breached the terms of the order.
Police said they would consider whether to charge him after they interview several other witnesses over the next few days.
Investigations are continuing.
