– with having carnal knowledge of girl under seven years old
– bail application denied
MINUTES after being refused bail in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, police officers had to rush embattled Justice For All (JFA) Party leader and aspiring President, Chandra Narine Sharma, to the Georgetown Public Hospital after he, once again, collapsed. Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson informed Sharma – who is also the proprietor of CNS Channel 6 television –  of his fate after she read a charge to him that said, between July 23, 2003 and July 23, 2004, he had carnal knowledge of a girl under seven years old.
The accused was not required to plead to the indictable charge and was represented by attorneys-at-law Mr. Nigel Hughes, Mr. Vic Puran, Mr. Mark Waldron and Mrs. Tanya Warren. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack, represented the Police.
A bail application by Mr. Hughes was denied and it was when the accused was about to be taken out of the chute that he collapsed with what appears to be froth emanating from his mouth.
Dressed in a bright blue shirt, dark blue pants and sandals, Sharma complained when he entered the courtroom that Police officers handcuffed him ‘because they probably wanted to make the news’.
“Y’all don’t be lazy. You’re reporters. Take the notes. My heart beat is 120 and my pressure is high. It is 280 over 120 and if I collapse here today, I holding the people who got me in here at ransom,” Sharma told reporters from the dock.
Magistrate Robertson permitted him to sit through the court proceedings after he indicated that he preferred that over standing.
The DPP then requested that the matter be dealt with en camera (behind closed doors) in accordance with the legislation under which Sharma was charged.
Hughes responded that he fully agreed that the matter should be dealt with in this fashion but asked the court to consider allowing his relatives at least to be present. “It’s en camera but not a secret matter,” he argued.
The DPP responded that en camera refers only to the parties involved such as the accused, the victim and the witnesses. She offered that it is only with a minor that relatives are permitted to be in court.
Ali-Hack said the idea of dealing with the matter en camera is to protect the identity of the victim.
Sharma’s wife and daughter were nevertheless permitted to remain in the courtroom during the proceedings while everyone else was ordered out.
The courtyard was packed with members of the public who went in support of Sharma. As he was being picked up and taken to the police vehicle, police officers came in for criticism because ‘they were not operating with the amount of speed that was required.’ “Drive with the man. Murderers. They want to kill him,” someone in the crowd shouted.
Many in the crowd screamed after Sharma fell down and could have been heard uttering sympathetic remarks for him.
After being denied his pre-trial freedom, Sharma’s lawyers proceeded to file an affidavit in the High court but did not yet manage to get a hearing.
Sharma was reportedly released from the Georgetown Public Hospital late yesterday and up to 22:00 hrs, he was still detained at the Brickdam Police Station. At press time, it was not confirmed whether he was taken to the prisons at Lot 12 Camp Street. The matter will be called again today in Court Two.
Following the circulation of an affidavit by a girl who claimed that the controversial politician/businessman had raped her repeatedly for years, and a report to the Police on Thursday, Sharma was asked to report to the Police for questioning.
He showed up at Eve Leary with his lawyer and was taken to Brickdam Police Station where he collapsed.
It is alleged that the girl, now 13, was repeatedly raped by Sharma ever since she was seven. The girl also stated that Sharma did the same thing to her siblings and they would receive $2,000 per week after sexual intercourse.
The girl added in the statement that she and her four sisters were all raped and sexually abused by Sharma over a period of time.