One day after he successfully petitioned the High Court to stop CNC3 Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne from speaking about his court matter, businessman Shaun Sammy appeared in court and pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol. Sammy, who was represented by Gilbert Peterson, SC, changed his original not guilty plea yesterday and would be sentenced on December 2.
On Wednesday, Justice Joan Charles granted an injunction which restrains Alleyne from speaking, broadcasting, publishing or uttering anything in relation to any matter of Sammy’s case in the magistrate’s court. On September 18, Sammy pleaded not guilty when he appeared before a magistrate in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court. When Sammy appeared before Magistrate Marissa Gomez yesterday no mention of a missing file was made.
There were reports that the police file in the matter had gone missing. Before she read the charge out to Sammy, Gomez said she was not prejudiced and her “mind was clear” after Peterson expressed concerns about comments made about the case on television. According to police reports, Sammy was driving his vehicle along French Street, Woodbrook, around 5 pm on August 23 when he was stopped by Cpl Maraj of the Woodbrook Police Station. A breathalyser test was done on Sammy which stated he had a blood alcohol level of 86 microgrammes of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of breath, 51 above of the legal limit.
