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Mar 13, 2012 News
Amidst a series of objections made by him in the absence of his lawyer, Jarvis Small, the co-accused in
the murder of Queen’s College student Neesa Lalita Gopaul, requested of Chief Magistrate Priya Beharry that he be granted bail, as the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the matter continued yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The man who was jointly charged with his lover Bibi Gopaul, the mother of the slain teen, made this request after continued exchanges between himself and the court about certain evidence he felt that the court should not entertain in the absence of his lawyer, Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos.
The court however explained to Small that his application was not one it could grant. Small was advised that for a matter of this nature the Magistrates’ court was prohibited from granting bail but his application was one which could be taken to the High Court.
Before Small’s objections, prosecution witness Detective Constable Jennifer Summers took the stand to relate her evidence–in–chief, led by state prosecutor Prithima Kissoon. The policewoman returned to offer further evidence which was in relation to an alleged statement taken from Neesa Gopaul as it related to Small.
The man tried feverishly to not have the evidence heard in court, and especially in the absence of his lawyer. Small asked “Isn’t this a murder trial?” He also argued that the policewoman’s evidence was not relevant to the case.
The accused also said he felt that his rights were being violated, since he claimed that sensitive information was being heard in the absence of his attorney. But the court reminded Small that his lawyer was well aware of the dates for his matter, and it was thus his lawyer’s prerogative to be present for the hearing. De Santos was also absent on the last occasion.
The proceedings continued with a second witness, Assistant Superintendent of Police Terrence Paul, being recalled. The officer informed the court that he is attached to the Criminal Investigations Department while being posted at the Leonora Police Station. He
related alleged conversations he had with Gopaul.
The last witness for the day’s hearing was a businesswoman who was an alleged acquaintance of Bibi Gopaul, and she testified to an alleged conversation she had with the woman about her daughter.
Vic Puran, Bibi Gopaul’s lawyer, indicated his intention to cross-examine witnesses today.
Sixteen-year-old Neesa Gopaul’s body was found at the Emerald Towers Resort, on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway on October 2, 2010. The girl’s disfigured corpse was found stuffed in a large suitcase, dumped into the Madewini Creek, with a length of rope wrapped around the body. Two dumb-bells, weighing more than 80 pounds, were attached to one end of the rope, apparently to keep the body submerged. The two accused were subsequently arrested and charged.
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