http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161060814I challenge anyone to provide me with the race of all the kidnapped and the race of all the kidnappers, as well as the number of fake kidnapping and the races of those who pretended to be kidnapped. I beleive that they will find dat all eh as sat and Panday and dem trying to make it out to be!Two police officers were among five men convicted of the 2002 kidnapping of a former magistrate's son yesterday. Although he postponed sentencing to next week, Justice Herbert Volney-who presided over the three-month-long trial-did not hide his intention to send them to jail.
"In matters of this sort, barring exceptional circumstances, invariably a term of imprisonment can be expected," Volney stated. One of the five got some hope that he would be treated leniently, when the judge heard of his illiteracy, poor mental development and history of extreme poverty. While the prosecutor voiced his disagreement, Volney said he was inclined to be merciful to 41-year-old William Mahase.
Mahase's attorney, Ian Ibrahim, asked for his client to be released on a bond. But the judge was harsh in his criticism of one of the policeman, PC Darryl Samnarinesingh. He pointed out that in addition to being a serving police officer at the time of the kidnapping, Samnarinesingh had been living with a sister of the kidnapping victim, Rishi Permanand.
"You would expect this sort of conduct from a known thug ... (not from) a police officer who is sworn to protect and serve citizens," the judge remarked. The other police officer, PC Anand Ramcharan, was not even in court to hear that he had been convicted. He fell ill during the trial, and his attorney, Rangee Dolsingh SC, said yesterday that Ramcharan was hospitalised "on the verge of a stroke".
The judge issued an arrest warrant for Ramcharan and said he could seek medical attention at the prison infirmary. Permanand, son of former magistrate Owad Permanand (now deceased) and nephew of former Appeal Court judge Jean Permanand, was driving along Arena Old Road, off Tumpuna Road, with Samnarinesingh on December 17, 2002, when a car pulled alongside him and ordered him to stop.
A group of men came out and grabbed him and whisked him to a hut in a forested area. He was held hostage for just over two days and a $850,000 ransom was demanded. It was not paid and he was released, according to him, after bargaining with one of his captors.
The main witness was one of the kidnappers, Allan Sarran, who said PC Samnarinesingh had approached him to help with the kidnapping. He said he roped in his own father, Pooran Sarran, and two other men-his cousin, Mitchum Maraj and Mahase. He said he was the one who bargained with Permanand, and agreed to release him.
After Permanand was set free, Allan Sarran came to the Express and reported that police officers had been involved in the kidnapping. He then turned himself in to the police. He was granted an immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony.
The accused men denied they were ever involved in the plot. The jury convicted them of various charges-including kidnapping, false imprisonment and conspiracy to kidnap.
It was in his mitigation address that Ibrahim reminded the judge of evidence from a doctor who had concluded that Mahase's intelligence level was sub-normal and that he could be easily influenced by dominant personalities.
At this point, Senior State prosecutor, Wayne Rajbansie, urged the judge to at least send Mahase to jail for a short period. Attorney Daniel Khan, who represented 51-year-old Pooran Sarran-who is from Cunupia-said his client only agreed to take part in the plot to "rekindle a relationship with his estranged son (Allan Sarran)". He said his client was not the mastermind and his role was limited to driving the get-away car.
Dana Seetahal SC said her client, 35-year-old Samnarinesingh, had no criminal record. She also asked the judge to note that Permanand had not been kept in any "inhuman conditions" during his captivity.
The other defence attorneys in the case were Israel Khan SC, Keith Scotland and Wayne Sturge. State attorney Candia James also prosecuted.
Volney said he would sentence the five men on December 6.
