This week was a very sad one for T&T’s National Security agencies as it lost three of its law enforcement officers—a soldier, a senior prisons officer and a Special Reserve Police (SRP) officer—all by the gun. CNC3’s Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne has since launched investigations into all three incidents.
On October 30, at about 9 pm Special Forces soldier, Cpl Shervaun Charleau, 39, was shot in the head during a robbery at Fort George, St James. He died while undergoing emergency treatment at the St James Medical Facility. Alleyne, who visited Fort George showed footage of the area where the incident occurred. He also got a contact number for the 23-year-old woman from Morvant, who was said to have been in Charleau’s company.
However, when he called her she hung up after Alleyne identified himself to her. Repeated attempts to contact the critical witness proved futile. Alleyne received information that Charleau and the woman bought two bowls of soup and went up to the area that night to eat it.
Charleau was caught off-guard by a man wearing a grey hoodie who ordered him to lie on the ground and shot him once in the head. His service pistol and 45 rounds of ammunition was stolen. The woman told police she was able to escape on foot and made a report at the St James Police Station.
Alleyne also received critical information on the identity of a man, of Dundonald Hill, Dibe, who he said could assist in his investigation. His investigations have revealed a link between the woman and the shooter.
On Monday, at about 8.30 am, senior prisons officer, Supt David Millette, 50, was seated in his car just outside his home at Second Caledonia, Morvant, when he was approached by four gunmen, two of whom opened fire on him, killing him on the spot.
Millette, who was on vacation, was reportedly targeted by remand prisoners after an incident at the Maximum Security Prison, Arouca, the night before, where prisons officers injured an inmate after he refused to hand over a switchblade.
In the third incident, just after midnight on Wednesday, Special Reserve Police officer Govindra Ramroop, 25, had just returned from a police patrol at the Guapo Police Station when he was accidentally shot in the abdomen by a colleague clearing his weapon.
The incident occurred at about 12.08 am. Ramroop was taken to the Point Fortin Area Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Alleyne went to Ramroop’s home, Penal, where he spoke to several relatives, including Ramroop’s brother, Garvin, his mother, Parbatie, and Ramroop’s wife, Susan.
Susan told Alleyne she and her husband have been married for the past 15 months and were both fasting for Divali. She told Alleyne Ramroop was also a youth officer at his temple and a very religious person as he would light a deya (an earthen lamp) every morning and offer prayers.
Susan also disclosed that on Wednesday morning she had a bad premonition and warned her husband to be very careful at work given the horrid dream she had. She reminisced of their life together and described him to be a very loving and kind husband and one who was very much dedicated to his job as a SRP.
Alleyne said his investigations are continuing into the incident, which has been so far labelled as “accidental.”
ABUSE TO MINORS
This week, high on Alleyne’s agenda was domestic violence and abuse to minors. Alleyne showed an exclusive video of a man allegedly beating his teenaged daughter who was heard saying she wanted to take her own life.
He was able to locate the family and brought them on his show where she highlighted years of alleged abuse. After the family appeared on Crime Watch, the woman went to a Clerk of the Peace seeking a protection order for her children and herself. A date has been set in the Arima Magistrates’ Court for hearing next week.
Sexual assault
In an unrelated incident, a distraught mother, Lu-Ann Marcelle, of Chaguanas, alleged that a close male relative had taken away her three children—ages four to nine years—last month. She told Alleyne she made a report to the Chaguanas Police Station. However, the man and her three children were yet to be found. She pleaded with Alleyne for his intervention.
Alleyne also highlighted an incident where a 14-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by one of her mother’s former male friends. Alleyne was told by the teen’s mother she made a report to the police and alleged that nothing ever came out of the report.
Alleyne made it clear that his stance against domestic violence and abuse towards children were clear and called on people to report any such incidents to him by contacting him on 294-4081.