Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 11, 2010 News
Chandra Narine Sharma’s child molestation case was adjourned again yesterday, when he appeared before Magistrate Gita Chandan-Edmond at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Sharma, who was charged with carnal knowledge of a child earlier this year, stood calmly alongside his defence attorney.
Prosecutor Sanjeev Datadin and his witnesses were also present in the court room.
The Magistrate was eager to start the preliminary inquiry, when she was told by the court’s clerk that there was an absence of stationery.
The Magistrate then instructed the clerk to make checks for the papers. The clerk made frantic efforts to get the stationery, but failed. The Magistrate had no option but to adjourn the case until November 15.
A special type of paper must be used by the magistrate to take the deposition. It is this paper that was not available.
Sharma’s case began in April before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson when he was refused bail on the carnal knowledge charge. After being denied bail he collapsed in the prisoners’ chute and had to be rushed back to hospital.
His lawyer, Vic Puran, had said that the prosecution was opposing bail on the grounds of tampering with the witnesses.
He said that one witness was currently in protective care, adding that the state had the manpower to protect the witnesses.
Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson subsequently transferred the matter to court two before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell.
On his next appearance, after a two-hour debate between the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack, and defence lawyers Nigel Hughes, Vic Puran and Mark Waldron, Magistrate Lovell favoured arguments from the defence and granted $2M bail to Sharma.
As part of the bail agreement Sharma was required to lodge his passport.
After bail was granted Sharma was whisked away to a waiting police van and taken to the Georgetown Prison. Sharma’s lawyer, Vic Puran, had questioned the police as to why he was being taken to the prison.
Puran said that as a lawyer practising for over 20 years, he has never seen someone being taken from the courtroom to the prison right after bail is granted.
Later that evening, Sharma posted bail.
Several days later, the embattled television broadcaster made yet another appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, on that occasion to answer a charge of attempting to obstruct the course of justice and was placed on $100,000 bail.
That charge arose from the previous allegation of carnal knowledge of a girl under 12 which he was facing.
The particulars of the charge read that Sharma willfully attempted to obstruct the course of justice by removing two of the girls at the centre of the allegations against him from their known address and taking them to a house at Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara, in order to prevent them from being questioned by the police in relation to the allegations.
Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes appeared on Sharma’s behalf, and told the court that his client had no previous record and was not a flight risk since he has significant assets in the country.
Hughes had asked for Sharma to be released on self-bail since he was already on substantial bail stemming from charges related to the carnal knowledge allegation.
Charged with him were five of his associates, including his son-in-law.
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