“[…] People seem to think that this latest ruling means that all persons charged with murder in Trinidad and Tobago will automatically be granted bail. This is not so. “The Court’s judgement merely means that persons charged with murder in T&T may now apply for bail…” The following Letter to …
Read More »Dear Editor: Should Trinidad and Tobago not give Abu Bakr his due: a national award of dishonour?
“[…] There is no greater example of our misapplication of the national watchword, tolerance, than the way we treat Yasin Abu Bakr… He hosts press conferences, and participates in national discussions as if he is qualified or worthy. He is not. His very presence at the table is an insult …
Read More »Dear Editor: Demonising Andrew Morris won’t change the facts of his brutal killing
‘[…] When we begin to condone extrajudicial killings of unarmed citizens, we are saying that we choose to give up our rights. We choose to leave decisions of life and death to the court of public opinion and to the emotions of a select few …’ The following Letter to …
Read More »Dear Editor: Questions for Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith on death of suspect
The following open letter to Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith about the death of a suspect, Andrew Morris, while in police custody was submitted to Wired868 by Kirk Waithe, the political leader of the Nationwide Organisation of We the People (NOW) : Dear Commissioner Griffith, 1) Pathologist Professor Hubert Daisley …
Read More »Dear Editor: Victims of our own conceit; man must live, so only justice can counter crime
“Corrupt politicians and unscrupulous business owners are responsible for the runaway crime rate in our country. “[…] Crime existed ages before there were government contracts and crime is the hallmark of an unregulated society, one that is full of oppression. History would show that all such societies implode over time.” …
Read More »Daly Bread: Thema’s case; why we fought for wronged star T&T gymnast
In 50 years of practice, I do not recall ever giving an interview on the courthouse steps about a case in which I had appeared before the court. Public interest in the Thema Williams matter did not permit my usual reticence. It has always been my position that my role …
Read More »Living Law (Pt 2): The rule of law and the ordinary citizen; professor shares guiding principles
The rule of law is an abstract concept but that does not mean it is difficult to understand. Here goes: Let us suppose the government passed a law to empower the police to come into your house and take all your money away and freeze all your bank accounts? How …
Read More »Daly Bread: Break-ins, break-outs and Govt’s blunder of appeasement
This troubled Sunday morning, let’s view the continuing Chief Justice saga through the prism of Watergate. On 22 July 1973, the headline on the front page of the Washington was ‘Nixon sees witch-hunt.’ At that time, the now famed Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, were actively pursuing the …
Read More »Day in the Life of a judge: Giving everyone 100 percent
If Madam Justice had had her way, she would have been a primary school teacher. However, as it is wont to do, Life intervened and Madam Justice became instead a puisne judge of the High Court of Judicature of Trinidad and Tobago. Assigned to the Family Court since its inception …
Read More »Dear Editor: How to avoid successful challenges to sport decisions: fairness and transparency
“To begin, no formal disciplinary hearing should be arranged until the matter has been investigated. Investigations must be undertaken in an open and transparent manner by persons appropriately skilled and trained in investigating such matters. “The question of whether there is any substance to the claim must be answered and …
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