Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 19/Nov 18:09

Penal man acquitted of arson, malicious damage, assault charges

A Penal man was acquitted of a series of criminal charges, including arson, by a San Fernando jury on November 18. After deliberating for just under three hours at the Princes Town Judicial Centre, the jury found Sarabjit Harripersad not guilty of the charges alleging arson, malicious damage, assault and battery and resisting arrest connected to a May 10, 2024, incident at Bheemul Branch Trace, San Francique Road, Penal. Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds presided over the trial. Harripersad was represented by attorneys Larry Williams, Enrique Singh and Alejandro Gocking. Harripersad had been accused of setting fire to a house belonging to Mohanie Sankar, destroying a white Nissan Almera valued at $50,000, beating Ganesh Sankar and Rikson Andrews and resisting arrest. Throughout the trial, the defence relied heavily on what it called major contradictions among the prosecution’s witnesses. Williams argued that the conflicting statements undermined the reliability of the State’s case and supported the defence’s position of denial and fabrication. Among the inconsistencies highlighted were disputes about where the alleged assault on Andrews occurred. Mohanie Sankar initially testified that Andrews was attacked outside near a shed, but later admitted the account she gave police – that the incident happened inside the house – was the correct version. Andrews, however, said for the first time during cross-examination that the alleged attack took place outside. Other witnesses, including Ganesh and Jaiantie Sankar, said they saw no attack on Andrews. The testimony surrounding the alleged attack on Ganesh Sankar also shifted. Mohanie told the court during cross-examination that she only repeated what Ganesh had told police and admitted she never witnessed the accused beating him. Ganesh claimed he was struck with a cutlass while trying to extinguish the fire, but Jaiantie contradicted that, admitting she never saw Ganesh attempt to put out any blaze, nor did he return to the front of the house while the family hid. Witnesses also differed on where the accused supposedly poured gasoline. Mohanie testified that the accused poured gas into the back of the car and around the house; Jaiantie added that he poured fuel inside the home on a couch. Ganesh claimed he saw gasoline poured into the back of the vehicle. Vedesh Ramoutar, the officer who responded, testified he never saw the accused pour gas anywhere and later acknowledged that the red container presented in evidence only resembled the one allegedly used. Additional contradictions included opposing descriptions of the accused’s voice, whether Mohanie was awake or asleep when the incident began, whether the accused showed signs of burns, who exited the house and where family members hid. One witness said she first saw the accused revving a vehicle and attacking Andrews, while another stated the first time she saw him that night was when officers arrested him. The defence argued these discrepancies demonstrated that the accounts were unreliable and could not support a conviction. State attorneys Charmaine Samuel and Davenand Ramsaran led the prosecution. The post Penal man acquitted of arson, malicious damage, assault charges appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.