A group of murder accused nearly rioted at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday, on learning that their nearly completed matters may have to re-start. Some of the accused have spent over five years awaiting adjudication.
Three of the men, Nigel “Dufu” Mayers, Miguel Roberts and Nick “Skinnies” Noriega, were forcibly removed from the holding cell of the Port-of-Spain Eighth Court after they began cursing. The trio, who are charged with murdering a shopkeeper at her parlour seven years ago, never stood before acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby-Earle Caddle to be told that their matter would have to re-start.
After being taken into a holding cell by Court and Process Branch officers and being freed of their handcuffs, the men became agitated and started shouting expletives.
“I talking for my rights. This is f—g s—t. I doh care, they could charge me for cussing. Allyuh hadda kill we,” Mayers shouted as he and the two others were being corralled out the courtroom by officers who had been assigned to the court in anticipation of some hiccups with their court appearance.
While the men were being escorted out the courtroom, their relatives, mostly women, started crying. The men were taken down to the courthouse holding cell, where they continued shouting and cursing resulting. This resulted in the officers refusing to take other prisoners to the court and forcing the magistrate to leave the courtroom until all was settled.
Instead of waiting for the completion of all court matters at the end of the day, officers decided to take Mayers and his co-accused, along with others, back to prison. However, some of the accused began rocking the transport bus when they were loaded onto it, shouting “Freedom”. The swaying bus could be seen by members of the public on St Vincent Street and from the corridors of the courthouse. As this occurred, some relatives of the men could be heard whispering about the “wickedness in this justice system” and “justice delayed is justice denied.”
Officers at the courthouse said they understood the men’s frustration and so did not charge anyone although there were clear violations of the law. Inside, meanwhile, some inmates also refused to go before the acting Chief Magistrate and opted instead to return to the prison.
But after the earlier disturbance, the remaining murder accused were much more docile and accepting of their new fate.
Prior to Mayers and his co-accused, another group of murder accused, Chicki Portello, Anton Cambridge, Kareem Gomez, Levi Joseph, Anthony Charles and Israel Lara, also expressed dissatisfaction at their matters being restarted. The men suggested they may have to escape from prison, as was done by Hassan Atwell and Allan “Scanny” Martin, both of whom were killed shortly after they escaped from the Port-of-Spain prison two years ago. Like Mayers, the men were also charged in 2010 for allegedly murdering Russell Antoine.
“Like man hadda pick up a gun and shoot dey way out ah here,” said one of the men, as another said it was not his fault the matter had to be aborted and questioned why he had to suffer.
The six men were less agitated than Mayers and the two others, but as they left the courtroom they too cursed and shouted.
Even less agitated were Jonathan Phillip, Tyrell Toney and Johnson Joseph, who are accused of a 2009 triple murder in Carenage. Phillip went on bended knees in the courtroom begging.
“Ma’am, is eight years, three months and 14 days I lock up. I does check it every day. When I went inside my son was two, he is ten now. What I do? I guilty until proven innocent? A man spend one day inside and hang heself. I didn’t because I strong,” Phillip said, pounding his chest.
Busby-Earle Caddle said of all the matters, Phillip and the five others would be given priority because of the length of time they had been on remand for. She told many of the other murder accused, some with less jail time, her plan was to begin their cases and with daily sittings and complete them within a month, permitting the availability of the State and defence attorneys.
“I brought my calendar to set dates to start your matters but there are persons objecting to me starting over the matters. For sure it would not take years to complete, it may take a month, if that long,” she promised.
She also apologised to many of the murder accused, saying: “I am sorry your matter began before another magistrate who is no longer with us and your matters have to restart.”
The cases involving the agitated men were adjourned to June 27 while other cases were adjourned to later dates.
Busby-Earle Caddle presided over 39 of the 53 cases that are due to restart following the appointment and subsequent resignation of Marcia Ayers-Caesar as a High Court Judge.
