Police Officer Winston Cosbert to testify this week
SENIOR Supt. of Police Winston Cosbert, who allegedly witnessed a caution statement by the accused,   said to be made to retired Deputy Supt. of Police Alvin Wilson, is expected to testify at the voir dire (a trial within a trial).
The voir dire should have continued yesterday but was adjourned to today due to the non-availability of the leading prosecutor.
Deputy Supt. Wilson was still under cross-examination last Friday by Defence Counsel Mrs.  Clarissa Riehl when the trial was adjourned to yesterday   before Justice Dawn Gregory.
Witness Wilson, who has so far given evidence at the substantive trial, told the Judge and jury about an alleged kidnapping of Vivikanand Nandalall, a demand of $1M ransom for Nandalall, the discovery of a skeleton in a burnt-out canefield, the analysis of a warhead which was extracted from the skull of the skeleton, and the DNA examination of bone samples.
A witness, who was responsible for forwarding the bone samples to Canada for DNA examination, said he was satisfied with the results.
But after the witness expressed this view under cross-examination at the substantive trial, defence counsel suggested to the witness that the DNA results amounted to hearsay which was inadmissible as evidence.
The witness, in reply, told the judge and jury he had the documents which proved the success of the results, to which the lawyer explained,  “the documents are also hearsay.”
According to witness Wilson, he had cautioned the accused and told him that he and others, including ‘Bullet’, had killed Nandalall.
The witness Wilson was at this stage  being asked by Prosecutor Mrs. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin, through the court, to tender the caution statement,  when defence counsel Mrs. Riehl,  in association with Miss Emily Dodson for the defence, objected on the ground that the statement was not obtained in accordance with the judge’s rules.
The voir-dire is continuing.