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The High Court has blocked the Police Commissioner from firing an officer who is now on remand awaiting trial for the murder of 3 civilians in Barrackpore 9 years ago.

Commissioner Gary Griffith feels Officer Safraz Juman should tender his resignation or be fired from the service, although he is yet to be convicted for the crime.

However Justice Ricky Rahim yesterday granted an interim injunction to the officer, stopping the Commissioner from trying to remove the accused from the service.

The police officer along with Sgt. Kemraj Sahadeo, officers Renaldo Reviero, Glenn Singh, Roger Nicholas and Antonio Ramadin are all accused in the murders.

The victims are Abigail Johnson, Alana Duncan and Kerron ‘Fingers’ Eccles.

They were killed in October 2011.

Officer Juman has been on suspension since December 2014.

In a May 1^st 2020 letter to Mr. Juman, Commissioner Griffith called on him to retire from the service, saying it would be in the public’s interest.

He gave the officer an option to retire and to explain why he should not be fired.

But Justice Rahim described the opportunity granted to Mr. Juman by the Commissioner to provide an explanation as to why he should not be fired, as an empty promise.

With the judge’s ruling the Commissioner cannot terminate the officer until the hearing and determination of Mr. Juman’s judicial review claim.

The Registered Nurses Association sends a warning to the government; the time for talk is over.

President Idi Stuart says his members have had enough of being treated like second-class citizens.

For weeks now nurses at several regional health authorities have been engaging in lunchtime demonstrations in a bid to get government’s attention to their plight.

They are clamoring for better salaries, working conditions and outstanding increments

Yesterday Mr. Stuart warned, the nurses are at their wits end.

Mr. Stuart said nurses are treated as nothing and they have had enough.    

Three days after his wife died in a crash on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway in Trincity, Christopher Figuera has died at hospital.

Mr. Figuera died as a result of injuries he received in the accident last Sunday.

His 52-year-old wife, Nicole died on the very day of the accident.

The two are parents of four children, all between the ages of 18 and 22.

They were from Court Drive, Champs Fleurs.

Last Sunday morning the couple was heading east along the highway when the vehicle was hit by another.

The two vehicles crashed on the northern embankment, close to the Popeye’s fast food outlet in Trincity.

Nicole Figuera suffered extensive injuries to her chest.

She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Her husband 56-year-old Mr. Figuera was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where he remained in critical condition until his death yesterday.

The driver of the other vehicle in the accident is now assisting police, as they investigate the circumstances.

Other passengers in the vehicle suffered injuries.

With Mr. Figuera’s death the road fatality number for this  year is 50.

Teenager Anton Campbell drowns at a waterfall in Diego Martin.

Reports say the incident took place at Blue Basin Waterfall at around 11 o’clock yesterday morning.

Newscenter 5 has learnt that the 17-year-old experienced difficulty and went under the water.

Fellow bathers pulled him out and attempted cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until the Emergency Health Services arrived.

Anton was rushed to the hospital where he died.

The drowning occurred on the day restrictions were lifted, allowing people to return to the beaches and rivers.

Over the past 3 months the bid to curb the spread of the Coronavirus led to the restrictions on recreational facilities and activities.

The search is on for Barry Ramsook.

He is reported missing.

Police say the 40-year-old man of Chase Village was last seen at 10:30pm on Friday.

A missing persons report was filed on Saturday at 6:30 pm.

Mr. Ramsook is of East Indian descent, brown complexion, medium built and a greying low hairstyle.

He was last seen wearing a black vest and a pair of black long pants.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the police.

The Domestic Violence Amendment Bill has been passed unanimously in the Upper House.

All 29 Senators present, including the Opposition and the Independents voted in favour of the Bill.

Debate on the Bill went on for several hours yesterday.

At 10:30pm it was passed.

The Bill goes to the House of Representatives tomorrow.

Earlier in the debate last evening, Independent Senator Hazel Thompson Ayee proposed an amendment to the legislation, which would cover same sex relationships.

At the committee stage of the debate, she implied that Attorney General Faris al Rawi appeared reluctant to touch what is a human rights issue.

Mr. al Rawi said there are other laws, which cover that section of the society.

He denied that he was reluctant to deal with the matter.

Mr. al Rawi sought to set the record straight, he is not afraid of controversial law or legislation.

Senator Thompson Ayee sought further clarification but the President of the Senate stopped her.

And Independent Senator Paul Richards revealed as well that he and his mother survived domestic violence.

In welcoming the Domestic Violence Amendment Bill, Senator Richards explained his childhood in a house where there was violence.

He said his father was the abuser and his mother paid the price.

The Senator said shame and stigmatisation cannot and should not be fed.

Senator Richards called on people in and out of the parliament to speak out.

The Port of Spain Mayor concedes that it is not easy to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus.

Joel Martinez says renaming a street in the capital is easier than removing a statue.

The Mayor now has in his possession a petition of over 8,000 signatures calling for the removal of the statue.

A group representing indigenous peoples has given him one week to take down the statue.

It threatens to do it if the City Corporation fails to.

On Sunday’s Take Two program on i95.5fm, Mayor Martinez said it is not that simple.

Mayor Martinez said because of the historical symbolism attached to the statue getting rid of it is not very easy.

The Mayor has promised to listen to all sides.