Youth leader of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen, Fuad Abu Bakr, has pleaded not guilty to two charges stemming from an incident at the Belmont Police Station last year.
Appearing before Magistrate Carl Quamina in the Port-of-Spain Third Magistrates Court yesterday, Abu Bakr who is himself an attorney, was represented by Alexia Romero.
Prior to reading the charges, Quamina was informed by Abu Bakr he had only received the summonses last week.
It is alleged that on July 23, 2015 at the Belmont Police Station Abu Bakr conducted an act of disorderly behaviour and also assaulted WPC Cindy Ann Chase by beating.
Before entering his plea in relation to the second charge, Abu Bakr began: “I don’t understand how I could assault an officer.”
He was later interrupted by Quamina who instructed him to enter a plea.
Requesting an expedited trial, Romero also pressed for the disclosure of all evidential material including audio visual and CCTV footage, station diary extracts and a copy of the summary of evidence.
She was also informed that approximately six or seven prosecution witnesses would be called to testify in the matter.
Ordering Romero to submit her request for audio visual and CCTV footage in writing, Quamina later adjourned the matter to May 10 for disclosure and July 26 for trial.
Background
The allegations for which Abu Bakr appeared yesterday stemmed from an incident at the Belmont Police Station in the early morning of July 24, 2015.
Abu Bakr, along with a group of members of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen, had visited two police stations over the course of six hours to stand in solidarity with persons who had been detained during police inquiries.
At the Belmont Police Station, Abu Bakr had gone to support Stacy Griffith who is the wife of murder accused Rajaee Ali, who was being detained at the station, allegedly without being told why.
Abu Bakr, who is the leader of the New National Vision (NNV) political party, was among Jamaat Al Muslimeen members who got into a confrontation with police officers at the Belmont Station.
Abu Bakr subsequently filed a report with the Commissioner of Police detailing his version of the events during which he claimed he was choked and assaulted in the confrontation.