Angry shouts echoed outside the Siparia Magistrates’ Court yesterday, as Yucklan Sancaro confronted Anthony Sinanan, the man charged with murdering her son David Sancaro.
As Sinanan, 37, of South Oropouche, was being led out of the court and into a police vehicle after his appearance, a stern-faced Yucklan stood at the side shouting at him.
The father of two had earlier appeared before Siparia First Court Magistrate Margaret Alert, charged with murdering Sancaro, 17, of Belle View, South Oropouche, along the Southern Main Road, Otaheite, on July 16.
Following the advice of deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul last Friday, Sgt Adesh Gokool laid the charge against Sinanan, who worked as a driller at Well Services Ltd.
Alert explained that the charge was laid indictably, so Sinanan was not called upon to plead nor could he access bail. She adjourned the matter to August 21.
Sinanan’s attorney, Dane Halls, requested disclosure from the station diary in connection with the report Sinanan made at the Oropouche Police Station following the incident, after he allegedly knocked him down with his Ford Ranger pick-up. He also asked the court to take note of the media reports that were published before and after Sinanan was charged, saying that some of the details were erroneous. He asked Alert to warn the media against publishing material that had the potential to prejudice the right of the accused to a fair trial and which has the potential to prejudice the State’s case. Halls said now that Sinanan had been charged, the matter was now sub judice. However, Alert said she was certain that the Halls’ airing of his concerns would suffice and that she believed the media understood sub judice.
Speaking to the media following the matter, Halls said he voiced his concerns with the court as a pre-trial issue because he believed the publicity of the incident was negative. He said if the matter advances to the High Court, Sinanan would be judged by his peers, who could have been prejudiced by media reports. He said he also planned to write to the Commissioner of Prisons Sterling Stewart, as he feared that Sinanan would not be safe, given the threats he has seen on social media. He said Sinanan has already reported the threats to the police and he was not sure why it was not investigated.
“What I recognised the media has done over the past week… even up to yesterday, they carried a negative report, which suggests that my client rolled over the victim in the matter and reversed again on top of him. That is not the police’s case, that has not been my instructions and that was never put to the accused in the interview I had with the police and my client. That clearly is misinformation that only served to get the public to the certain level of outrage,” Halls said.
“My client has been receiving threats as a result of that and we have now this untamed social media where people believe that they can make all sorts of negative comments and not be mindful of the fact that a matter has to go through due process. My client is before the court, he has been charged and all we are asking is that the media are mindful.”
He added, “I understand that the certain section of the population is outraged and the only reason I can possibly explain the outrage is because of the misinformation that they may have.”