A Form Two student accused of sodomising a six-year-old boy was placed on $55,000 bail, yesterday, when he appeared before a Chaguanas magistrate. The student who attends a secondary school in central Trinidad, and whose name cannot be published because he is a minor, stood before Senior Magistrate Gillian David-Scotland in the first court, accompanied by his parents, as well as his stepmother. He was represented by lawyer Taradath Singh.

The accused teenager lives with his father and stepmother who operate a daycare centre from their home in Central. The victim reportedly lives close by. The victim and his family were not present in court. The courtroom was cleared for the hearing of this matter. Court prosecutor Sgt Shiva Boodoo said the victim’s brother attends the daycare and he (the victim) was accustomed to visiting him there.

The teenager is accused of luring the victim from the daycare area of the house to a bedroom on the upper floor and buggering him on Tuesday. Singh said his client had no previous convictions or matters pending and requested bail. David-Scotland set bail in the sum of $55,000 with surety or an alternative of $5,500 in cash to be paid immediately. In the event he could not raise the bail, the teen was to be remanded at the St Michael’s Home for Boys. 

As a condition of the bail the student was also ordered to have no contact with the victim and to stay 100 metres away from him. The matter was adjourned until October 17.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Secondary Schools’ Drama Association launched its upcoming drama festival on Monday.

Speaking at the launch at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre (RCLRC) in Couva, the SSDA president, Anderson La Barrie, said the SSDA encourages students to take their drama interests a step further.

“Other festivals are about performance; the SSDA acts as a stepping stone into something greater that provides opportunities for our youths,” said La Barrie. “Drama and theatre have progressed in T&T, and by now should be comparable to sporting events, in their popularity.”

La Barrie said evidence of this could be seen in the adoption of theatre arts as a Caribbean Examinations Council subject in 2003.

“Your teachers have seen it through collaborations with UWI providing the first theatre arts classes, and now since 2003, theatre arts as an examinable subject across the Caribbean.”

La Barrie explained the theme for this year’s festival, All Ah We is One Family. 

“SSDA, as our theme for this year states, becomes your family. We are all in the theatre family. We help each other,” he said.

La Barrie said participating schools are encouraged to produce original plays that reflect the 2014 theme but can also elect to portray a theme of their choice.

In addition to producing a play 30-60 minutes in length, La Barrie said participating schools can also enter the new category of productions that are 15-20 minutes long.

He explained the judging system for the festival, “Schools will be judged from the preliminary round and move on to the semi-final round based on a fixed base mark (65) or the top 12 productions.”

The SSDA drama festival will run from October 27 to November 22 and the winning school will represent T&T in the Caribbean Secondary Schools’ Drama Association which will be hosted by the SSDA in November 2015.

SSDA Calendar

Directors’ workshops—September 19
Deadline for scripts and summary—October 25
Secondary Schools’ Drama Festival October 27—November 22.

When the Florence Foundation Wesleyan Children’s Home was founded in Freeport in 1997, it became a safe haven for displaced and at-risk children. Since then, the home has housed over 40 children in their times of need, many who have gone on to create their own success stories and endeavour to help others the way they were helped. 

However, staff and board members at the home say the future of the home is now in jeopardy, as the building faces numerous problems, chief among them, a dilapidated and leaking roof. The T&T Guardian sat down with acting manager of the home, Angela Doyle, to speak about the problems facing the 17-year-old home. 

“The entire roof needs to be replaced, we have too many leaks,” she said. “The leaking water has caused the ceiling to deteriorate as well.” 

According to Doyle, the building was donated to the Wesleyan Church by a Freeport woman, Florence Small, who previously ran a half-way house in it. The upkeep of the home, she says, is undertaken by the church and several generous private citizens. But none of the contributing parties can afford to fund the roof replacement. 

“The church buys the groceries and pays the salaries of the caretakers,” said Doyle. “But we really need some help with the roof, it is too costly for us to handle.” 

In addition to the new roof, the home also needs new mattresses and chests-of-drawers for the youngsters to store their belongings. 

“Several of the mattresses are in urgent need of replacing and most of the chests-of-drawers are falling apart.”

Doyle, a retired school principal who has been with the home since its inception, said many of her former charges are now successful adults, despite growing up with the stigma of living in a children’s home. 

“Most of them never gave their addresses in school nor would they take ‘box lunches’,” she said. “They felt ashamed and abandoned at the time, but now they visit regularly and lead healthy, productive lives.” 

She said being in the home even inspired one young man to pursue a career in social work. 

“He used to ask me growing up why there were no male social workers,” she recalled. 

“He came to us when he was seven and stayed until he was 20, just so the younger boys could have a male role model around.” 

The same young man will graduate this November, with a bachelor’s degree in social work, she said proudly. 

“He still visits regularly and assists in whatever way he can, that is the kind of tradition we would like to see carried on,” she said. 

“We want to show children who think they have no one, all the love and encouragement we can offer just to make them happy and give them a future.”

A catalyst for financial change. This is how Reverend Dave Alleyne describes his book, Big Event. The T&T Guardian sat down with Alleyne at his office at Flaming Word Ministry in Charlieville last week to find out more the book. Alleyne said he had first written the book in the 1990’s but it was republished in the United States this year. 

“When I had first written this book, I had predicted the financial debacle that took place in 2009,” said Alleyne. “From a biblical point of view, these things were there in the scriptures, we knew it was going to come and even more financial crises that the world underwent.” 

Alleyne, the author of more than 20 books, gave some insight into how he believes this book can change the reader’s life. 

“This book is about showing people the spiritual aspect of financial laws so that the wealth could come to the lay person,” he said. “Once people can understand the laws of finance it will close the gap between those who are rich and those who are poor.” 

Alleyne explained that in these times, too often people who are wealthy cannot sustain their wealth. 

“There is a difference between having money and understanding money,” he said. “Once people understand the financial laws in a spiritual manner, it can alleviate social ills, I have seen it happen in countries like Dubai and Singapore.” 

Alleyne said books like Big Event should be included in school curricula across T&T. 

He attributed T&T’s high crime rate to not the love of money but the greed for money, stating, “Money is not the root of evil, the greed for money is the root. People can be very wealthy and still commit crimes.” 

Alleyne urged those who can afford to, to give to the less fortunate. 

“Even the wealthy can learn from Big Event, they have a social responsibility not to hoard,” he said. 

“Without giving they are not going to have wealth that is durable and sustainable.” 

He also urged citizens remember that T&T is the flagship nation of the Caribbean when making financial decisions.

“We have a real responsibility to lead the way for financial success, the rest of the Caribbean is looking at us, to see how we handle our money.”

Big Event is available at bookstores across T&T.

Less than five months after the signing of memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Microsoft and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri), a Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC) has been launched in T&T—the 116th MIC in the world. Microsoft country manager Frances Correia said the facility, located at the Centre for Enterprise Development (CED), Innovation Avenue, Freeport, will aid in diversification of T&T’s economy away from oil and gas.

She said it also focused “on the stimulation of small and medium sized businesses and on addressing these issues in a sustainable long term way” and would boost information and communications technology (ICT) in the region. “This MIC will serve the entire Caribbean and provide training for people in new technologies,” Correia said. “We will be taking the rich app designing competency found in T&T and developing them into real world economic value.”

Correia said seven “incubatees” have already developed applications to address real world problems. “In the past four months, we have not been waiting on a building to be completed. We have already targeted seven innovation incubatees. They are producing prototype solutions for real world problems,” she said.

The apps already developed include a Krik Krak app to teach children Math skills through storytelling by Anancy, a sign language app and a cerebral palsy app so children with that physical disability can exercise their muscles. Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie congratulated Cariri on the collaboration. “Over the last several years we have had a good response to the idea of innovation and collaboration in T&T,” he said.

Tewarie said the MIC will enable business collaborations across borders. “This MIC can produce micro nationals, that is to say, collaborative businesses across international borders, using internet space to reach global markets,” he said.

Soca superstar Kees Dieffenthaller brought down the house at the inaugural Eat, Drink, Jazz concert on Sunday night, bringing patrons both young and old to their feet, with his enticing performance. 

Dieffenthaller was one of the five acts performing for an audience of just over 800 people, which was held atop the picturesque San Fernando Hill on the evening of October 5. The show opened with live pan, followed by performances from the Alternative Quartet, Vaughnette Bigford, 2013 Digicel Rising Star winner Ancil Valley and renowned Barbadian jazz sax player Arturo Tappin. 

After the invigorating performance of Alternative Quartet, Valley took the stage, reminding those present why he took home the Rising Star title last year. 

Next came ever-smiling and affable jazz vocalist Vaughnette Bigford, who charmed jazz lovers with her scintillating performance. Belting out songs from several local and international artistes, Bigford captured the hearts of all. Dressed all in white, she seemed to glow on the stage and her upbeat persona complemented her voice. 

When Barbadian jazz saxophonist Tappin took the stage next, he mesmerised patrons, who gave him the night’s only encore. 

There was a variety of food and drinks available to patrons including Richard’s Bake and Shark, More Vino More Sushi and corn soup. 

Veteran jazz promoter Phillip was presented with an award during the concert, by members of the EDJ committee. Phillip was awarded for his efforts in getting the San Fernando hill lit with streetlights and was credited as the first person to host a jazz festival in T&T. 

EDJ committee member Albert Marshall promised the event will return in 2015 to charm jazz lovers once more describing it as a “night of success.” 

The event was sponsored by Digicel.

More than 500 former Caroni (1975) Ltd workers collected their agricultural leases for two-acre parcels of land on Wednesday, 11 years after the company was shut down. The workers, 510 in total, were invited to a distribution ceremony at Rienzi Complex, Couva, where Minister of Land and Marine Resources Jairam Seemungal handed out the leases.

As his ministry prepares to celebrate its first anniversary this month, Seemungal boasted that in the past year over 1,500 leases were distributed to Caroni workers, with 4,000 more distributed by the People’s Partnership Government before that.

“In the past year alone, my ministry has located and given out over 1,500 leases. I want to apologise to all of you for the long wait you had to endure under the previous administration,” he said. He urged recipients to use their land to aid in bringing food security to T&T. “Make the best use of these lands. Those of you who are too old to work the land yourselves, employ the youths in your area,” he said. 

“These lands, if put to proper use, can strengthen the country’s drive to diversification away from the oil and gas industry.” He added that 10 per cent of the land should be planted with local fruit trees, as children now do not know most local fruits.

“They don’t know what is sapodilla or fat pork. We need to create an environment where future generations will not forget where we came from.” He also sent out a warning to those squatting on land belonging to the former Caroni workers, telling the workers to take action against squatters. “Those lands are yours, because you worked, sacrificed and toiled for it. Do not let people exploit you, and prevent squatters from occupying your land. If you have to take them to court to get them out, do it.”

Workers glad for land
The T&T Guardian spoke to several recipients, who expressed joy over the distribution. Golin Ramkhalawan, 64, thanked Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her Government for her lease. “I want to thank the PM. If not for her we would not get this lease today,” she said. She added that the land will be passed on to her sons-in-law, as she is too old to plant on it.

“I used to cut cane at Caroni, I work real hard in my life. But now is time to pass it on, I too old to plant anything again,” she said. Former factory manager Arjune Singh, 66, who worked at Caroni for over 43 years, said while the wait for the lease was long, he is grateful for the land. “It became a headache, waiting on this lease, but I welcome it now and I intend to make the best use despite any challenges I may face,” said Singh.

Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) leader David Abdulah is calling for the media to launch an investigation into the financiers of the recent spate of pro-highway ads. Abdulah was speaking at a press conference held by members of the Highway Reroute Movement (HRM) at the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) headquarters Paramount Building, Circular Road San Fernando, yesterday. 

“We want the media to investigate who is paying for these ads, under the fictious name ‘Citizens for the Highway,’” he said. Abdulah said the ads were personal attacks on HRM leader Dr Wayne Kublalsingh and were aimed at distracting the population from the real issues. “The ads are personal attacks on Dr Kublalsingh, they do not address the fundamental issues,” he said. “When government resorts to personal attacks, it means they  cannot answer to the real issue at hand.”

Abdulah said there was a culture in T&T which allowed government to distract the population. “The HRM and civil groups are not opposed to the Point Fortin highway, we want the highway built,” said Abdulah. Vishal Boodhai, a member of the HRM, renewed the movement’s call for mediation and accused the government of demonising Kublalsingh’s name. “The movement reiterates the call for mediation,” he said. 

A woman was killed instantly as she bent over to pick up her handbag along the Solomon Hochoy Highway. Marisa Rambharose, 42, was crossing the northbound lane of the highway to get to her Springvalle, Claxton Bay, home around 8.30 pm on Saturday.
She was struck by the mirror of one car and her handbag fell. As she bent over to pick it up another car slammed into her dragging her body metres away, an eyewitness said.

Rambharose, a domestic worker, who lived alongside the southbound lane of the highway, was returning home after visiting her daughter in Marabella. The Guardian visited the woman’s home yesterday, but the house was empty. Neighbours said Rambharose with her two sons, ages seven and 18. Neighbour Roger Danglade said he was sitting on his front porch with a pair of binoculars when the accident happened. 

“She was already crossing. I saw one car hit her and swerve but the second car slam straight into her as she bend to pick up her bag. “That car dragged her quite down there,” he said, pointing to the spot where Rambharose’s body ended up. “I really sorry she ended up like that, she was really trying her best to give the two boys everything she could.” 

He said her seven-year-old son, who was at another neighbour’s home awaiting his mother’s return, saw his mother’s body and belongings scattered along the highway. “When everyone came out to see, he left the neighbour’s house, went and stood inside their gate. When I come back from the road, he ask me ‘Uncle Abu, who is that? What going on there?’” Danglade said he could not bear to tell the child, but the boy already knew. 

“I tell him, I can’t tell you that now son, but he say ‘Don’t worry, I know is mommy get bounce down, look she bag in the road,’” he said. “Only when I said yes, then he hug me up and start to cry.” The little boy pleaded with Danglade not to tell his older brother, who according to relatives is disabled, as he was afraid of how his brother would react. Speaking with the Guardian via phone yesterday, Rambharose’s sister Sarah Harrilal Singh said the family is considering requesting counselling for the child. 

“Right now we just trying to talk to him and help as best as we could.” Singh said she will keep both boys until further notice, as their father died about two years ago. She described her sister as a jolly, friendly person who could always keep a crowd entertained.

Chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation Leo Doodnath says residents who were affected by the Divali day floods in Fyzabad and Siparia must share some of the responsibility for the floods.

He was speaking during a tour of the affected areas yesterday with Local Government Minister Marlene Coudray. Residents of Quarry Village, Siparia, and parts of Fyzabad awoke with water inside their homes on Divali morning.

“There are too many people who indiscriminately throw all kind of things in the rivers. We took out tyres and all kinds of rubbish from the river today. This dumping has a major part to play in the flooding,” Doodnath added.

He said the corporation would crack down on those who violated litter laws. 

“We will be hiring compliance officers to go out in the field and ensure people are not doing those things,” he said.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian during her visit, Coudray said while assistance was being offered to the affected households, the main focus was ensuring the Divali day floods did not happen again. 

“We gave out some mattresses and food cards to those affected but our main objective is to make sure this does not happen again,” she added.

Coudray said the regional corporation was partnering with the Ministry of Works’ Drainage Division to clear all blocked watercourses. 

“This flooding is a result of recent development in the area that diverted the main watercourse. There was also a lot of garbage in the river and a tree that had fallen in,” she said.

Residents of Fyzabad and Siparia spent all day yesterday cleaning up after the floods left some homes under as much as four feet of water. Ricky Sampath, who lives in Quarry Village, said his family lost most of their belongings to the floodwaters. He praised the CEPEP workers for their help in the clean-up efforts but lamented the lack of assistance so far to recoup their losses. 

He said: “So far, we get some help to clean u, but we only getting some temporary mattresses. We didn’t hear about anything else yet.”

One Mulchan Trace family said Divali was not finished. 

“Tonight (Friday night) is the last night for Divali. If we finish cleaning up in time we could light some deyas,” said Varsha Moolchan. 

Moolchan said the family had been marooned in their home all day and all their preparations for Divali were in vain. 

“The boys built arches to light up the street to the main road and every year we make sweet bags for all the children in the village but this year was a big disappointment.”

The family was critical of the visit by Coudray and Doodnath, saying they were not told anything about compensation.

“They came here but we were not told about compensation, apparently they came to sightsee,” said Moolchan.

A foreign-used car parts dealership in San Fernando was destroyed by a fire on Thursday (Divali) night.

Karricharan Maharaj, the owner of K Maharaj and Sons Ltd, at Palmiste Branch Street, Duncan Village, San Fernando, speculated that the mishandling of fireworks could have caused the $8 million fire.

“I don’t know if it could have probably been someone playing with fireworks, I just don’t know,” said Maharaj in an interview with the T&T Guardian.

But officers of the Mon Repos Fire Station, who responded to the blaze, say while they are not ruling out that possibility, they are not certain what caused the fire as investigations are ongoing. 

Maharaj said it took him 13 years to build his business and was astonished to see it destroyed in such a short space of time. 

His son, Dean Maharaj, wife and eight-year-old daughter who lived on the compound were able to escape with minor injuries.

Fire investigators returned to the scene yesterday and interviewed several family members. 

Dean Maharaj said his family was asleep after celebrating Divali, when he heard an explosion. 

“I heard a noise around 2 am, something like it blew up and when I peeped out I saw the front of the building on fire. I woke up my wife and daughter and we just ran for our lives.”

He said the thick, black smoke made it difficult to see.

“We had to run out the back, but we couldn’t see anything. My wife fell a few times and I got a big cut under my foot.”

The family was treated at the San Fernando General Hospital and released. 

Maharaj said the building, containing the car parts and five vehicles, was completely destroyed. 

Acting assistant Divisional Fire Officer, Ansar Ali, said when they arrived on the scene the building was completely engulfed.

Neighbours evacuated

​
Residents of Duncan Village, San Fernando, were awakened when thick, black smoke filled the air early yesterday morning, forcing them to evacuate their homes and run out into the streets. The smoke was from the fire that destroyed K Maharaj and Sons foreign used car parts place. 

When the T&TGuardian visited the scene yesterday, one resident, recounted his experience.

“I heard a noise about half one, then the place just full up with smoke,” she said. “We had to leave the house and run, all my neighbours had to run too.”

The woman said worried residents rushed to rescue pets and other animals from the smoke, lining the street for hours, as fire fighters battled the blaze. 

“Everybody was standing on the next side of the road, there were sick people, people with their little children and even people with their animals.”

A report from the Ministry of Health shows that almost a quarter of the T&T young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are smokers. The results of the survey were revealed by County Medical Officer of Health for the Victoria District, Dr Akenath Misir, at the ministry’s second annual Anti-Smoking Poetry Slam at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts, San Fernando, last Friday.

“According to the Panam Steps Report, 23 per cent of persons between the ages of 15 to 24 years are smokers,” Misir said. “This alarming statistic alone shows that by engaging in this deadly habit, one could expect a lower quality of life and an increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases, such as heart (disease), stroke and cancer.” Sixteen schools took part in the Poetry Slam and Misir praised the students for their contributions.

“The performances were excellent, it is great to see the high standard that everyone adhered to. “We believe your voice and influence are most important in spreading the message of a tobacco-free lifestyle to your peers,” Misir said. Girls dominated the competition, with the top three prizes awarded to Holy Faith Convent and St Joseph’s Convent. 

Karina Rodriquez, of Holy Faith Convent, Couva, captured first place with her contribution Hashtag: Don’t Smoke. Portraying a smoker with lung cancer, Rodriquez questioned the choices her character made, likening the nicotine addiction to slavery. “From this slavery there is no emancipation!” she proclaimed. Urging her peers never to indulge in smoking, Rodriquez made them roar in approval with her closing line, “Hashtag: Don’t Smoke!”

Second-place winner Dominique Friday also gave a stunning performance, dressed as a cigarette. She told the audience putting a cigarette in their mouths was like receiving the “kiss of death.” The St Joseph’s student said while people have the power to choose, they are holding triggers to their own heads when they smoke. The third place winner, Holy Faith Convent’s (Penal) Harmony Farrell, also likened smoking to suicide and begged her peers not to become statistics.

A Point Fortin mother is calling for the immediate suspension of a male teacher at the Vance River RC school who allegedly collared her nine-year-old son, violently shook him and hit his head on a wall during class last week. Gonzales Village, Guapo resident Jame Nicholas, a security guard and mother of four, visited the T&T Guardian pleading for her son’s story to be heard.

Nicolas said her son Omari, who is a Standard Two pupil at the school, had been traumatised from the alleged attack and has been suffering from fever and headaches since then. “He told me he went to complain about another student calling him a ‘macomere man’ but the teacher told him ‘That’s because you is a ‘macomere man,’” Nicholas claimed. “Omari told him, ‘Sir, you can’t tell me that’ and the teacher collared him and started shaking him, hitting his head on the wall.” 

Nicholas said after the incident Omari was told to sit down. The concerned mother said although the incident took place just after lunch time, she only became aware of it when the school’s principal called her mother (Omari’s grandmother) around 4 pm that day to apologise. “The principal called my mother and told her she wants to apologise for her teacher’s behaviour. It was only then we found out. She told my mother she wasn’t in school and other students told her when she came back,” Nicholas said.

She said her son went to lessons after school and when he came home at about 5.30 pm she saw his head was swollen. She said she noticed two bumps on his head and asked him about it. It was then, she said, that the child related his story. Nicholas said she immediately took him to the Guapo Police Station to make a report and then to the Point Fortin Health Facility. She said the child complained of severe headaches.

“I made a police report and carry him to the health centre, the doctor gave him painkillers. But the next morning he woke up with a high fever,” she said. She said the male teacher is not Omari’s regular teacher, but was substituting for another teacher at the time. Nicholas said her father visited the school on Tuesday and she went in on Wednesday. 

“The principal told my father that Omari was being disrespectful to the teacher, but I don’t understand, if he did that why didn’t the teacher take him to the principal or call his parents?” She said she was told to “forget” the incident by officials at the school. “I asked the principal if she reported it to the Education Ministry, she said she will do it but she wants me to forget about it,” Nicholas said.

She said she came to the T&T Guardian because she feels the school officials are covering up a dangerous secret. “How long have they been hiding this teacher’s violent behaviour?” she asked. “I am standing up now so this does not happen to any other child. My child is at least alive, what if he kills the next child who ‘disrespect’ him?”

The Guardian contacted the school via telephone and spoke to a woman who identified herself as the principal. When questioned about whether the incident occurred, the woman replied, “What? You want to write about this in the paper? Ma’am I am asking you not to do this.” When a request was made to speak to the principal, she said, “I am the principal.” Pressed further, she repeated, “My only comment is do not do this, think about everything.”

TTUTA in dark

The T&T Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) was also contacted, but up to Friday president Devanand Sinanan said they had not heard of the incident. Also contacted on the allegation on Friday, Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh declined to comment, saying he was in a conference and unable to address any questions. 

However, a source in the ministry, who did not want to be identified, said there was no report of the incident by the school’s principal to the school supervisor 3 for the St Patrick district, which the school falls under, up to last Thursday. The source said once the report is submitted the matter will be investigated and the Teaching Service Commission will have to decide what action is to be taken against the teacher. 

An officer at the Guapo station confirmed a report was made last Monday about the incident and said investigations into the matter are continuing.

The bandit who was shot dead by a security guard on Saturday when he tried to rob patrons at a restaurant in Gasparillo has been identified as Kobina Duncan. Duncan, 35, was identified by his common-law wife, Amanda Clement at the San Fernando mortuary on Monday. Police said Duncan, of Sunflower Drive, Pleasantville, had several previous convictions for robbery and gun-related offences. 

Duncan and two other men, armed with two cutlasses and a gun, were robbing patrons at the Chinese Phoenix Restaurant and Bar along Bonne Aventure, when the guard, who was at the back of the building, was alerted by staff. Duncan was shot during a confrontation and died at the scene. The two other suspects were subsequently held in Princes Town. 

Gasparillo police and Southern Homicide Bureau led by Snr Supt Cecil Santana and Supt Zamsheed Mohammed visited the scene. 

A masked man barged into the Claxton Bay home of scrap iron dealer Timothy Francois, 55, on Thursday night and pumped two bullets into his head, killing him instantly. Francois’s girlfriend, Rehana Brown, 24, who was lying in bed with him around 10.30 pm when he was shot escaped because the gun failed to discharge when the killer pointed it at her and pulled the trigger.

At this point the assailant fled into some bushes. A handyman, who was at Francois’s home when the incident occurred, was also shot at by the man. The handyman has not been seen since. Police said there was no trail of blood to indicate he was injured and believe shock may have caused him to go into hiding. Police are investigating a cause for the killing as Francois’ children said he was a good man who had no enemies. 

His girlfriend was removed from the home by police. Francois, whose left leg was amputated from below the knee a year ago as a result of diabetes, was the father of four sons, one of whom died as a toddler. One of them, Shawndell, who lived with him, was at home when the incident occurred but in a different room of the house and was not harmed.

Meet the Caribbean’s top Mathematics and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) student, 19-year-old Mandela Patrick. The former Naparima Boys’ student from Palmiste, San Fernando is currently an ICT student at Harvard University. Patrick received ten distinctions in his CXC examinations and is ranked eighth in the Caribbean in the game of squash.  SHARLENE RAMPERSAD spoke with Patrick, who talked about some of the secrets to his success, gave an insight into his life at Harvard and the possibility of finding love at the University. 

Q: Did you expect to top the region in Mathematics and ICT?
A: I had a very strong feeling that I would because I topped Pure Mathematics, placed second in IT and placed fifth in Applied Mathematics in the Caribbean during Year One of Cape and I had the highest marks in these three subjects in my school during Year Two. 
 
What was your study routine like? How did you cope juggling sports and academics?
My study routine wasn’t very rigid, most of my studying was concentrated during the couple months before Cape examinations but I tried to do past papers throughout the academic year.
It was definitely tough juggling both squash and academics but I believe the best way to excelling at both is to know when to give each activity its due priority. For example, leading up to my exams, I had to give squash a break but when I had squash tournaments, I spent most of my time sharpening up my skills.

What do you think are the greatest challenges facing young people today?
One major challenge facing young people is the education system, it has become so competitive and there is constant pressure by parents for their children to succeed, so a lot of young people are unable to find time to enjoy their youth. Many students are sacrificing playing a game of football with friends to go to extra lessons and this can have a burn out and disenchanting effect.  

What advice can you give to young students like yourself?
Dream big! Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. Secondly, success doesn’t come easy. You have to make sacrifices to reap the rewards. 

Who contributed to your success? How? 
God has definitely contributed to my success. I strongly believe that a spiritual background and a relationship with God is a necessity to succeed. Secondly, my parents, Raymond and Hyacinth Patrick, and my brother, Nku Patrick, contributed significantly. And my teachers. There are so many teachers that had a positive impact on my success.

What contribution do you hope to make for our country? What are the biggest challenges facing T&T at this time?
I think that technology is heavily under-utilised in the education system in T&T so if I can make an impact in this area, I’ll be happy.  I’m hoping to make educational apps that simplify the learning process in core subjects such as mathematics, science and English.

What recommendations can you make to improve our educational system?
There should be an emphasis to promote innovation rather than the consumption of information. The current education system produces students who are extremely good at cramming and regurgitating information but who are unable to think critically and logically. Secondly, extra lessons are the main avenue to do well at examinations; however, a lot of the poorer students are unable to afford extra lessons. Therefore, this creates a vicious cycle where the poorer students find it difficult to excel academically and compete with the richer students. Thirdly, technical vocational subjects should be expanded so that students who are not academically inclined can still excel. 

Why study ICT? 
ICT, specifically computer science, is a burgeoning field. Every industry requires a computer scientist so a computer scientist is never short of job options. In America, there is a big startup culture and most of these startups are tech related. These startups are owned by some of the richest people in the world. For example, Snapchat, the popular picture messaging service, was a final computer science project of a couple of Stanford seniors who are now multi billionaires. 

What has been your experience as a Caribbean student at Harvard? 
So far, unbelievable! I’ve met so many brilliant students who are willing to share their knowledge. There is a big collaboration culture here, which is a boon to my experience.  My roommate has his own software company and has already written a computer science book.  I’ve met someone who speaks 26 languages and the top astrophysics student in the world. Harvard also is the number one ranked national squash team in the country and the squash team has made my transition to college very smooth. 

Have you faced any discrimination at the college?
Thus far, I have not faced any discrimination as a Caribbean student. I must admit my accent is hard to understand for most, but everyone has treated me very well.  I’ve made some great friends and I feel loved here.  

Do you think you will find love at Harvard?
If I can find a girl who can actually understand my accent and what I am saying half of the time, finding love here at Harvard is a possibility, haha. I can’t predict what the future will bring but I will admit Harvard girls can’t compete with Trini girls. Trini girls are the best!

What life lessons have you learnt so far at Harvard? 
The main lesson I have learnt is that in order to succeed here, you have to reach out for help. Never be ashamed to say you don’t understand a concept because no one judges you and all are willing to help you till you get it.

What do you miss most about T&T?
Trini culture and music is what I miss the most. Since I grew up singing and listening to calypso and soca music, they have become part of my identity. I miss Trinidadian parties because soca music is all the DJs play. Every Carnival Tuesday I would go with my dad and my brother to watch mas however, I will have to do without Carnival for the next four years because Carnival occurs during the height of my squash season. I miss Trinidadian food like bake and shark, doubles, roti, crab and dumpling. The food here is okay but it can’t compete with Trinidadian food. There are also no Caribbean restaurants near Harvard so it has been a struggle and I miss Matouk’s Ketchup as Heinz Ketchup ain’t cutting it. I also miss my family and friends because they actually understand me and I can totally be myself around them. 

After futile searches for two missing men, the police are now calling on the public to come forward if they have information about the disappearance of Michael Knights and Cedros fisherman Ian Dookie. Police said the two cases remain open, but they have no new leads. Knights, the nephew of calypsonian Luta (Morell Peters), was last seen at his workplace at the Marabella Secondary School, where he was a stores attendant with MTS. 

He left his Third Street, San Fabien Road, Springland, Gasparillo, home for work with his father Eric Knights, around 6.30 am on August 5 and was dropped off under the flyover in Gasparillo. Co-workers said Knights was at work for the entire day and was last seen heading towards Gasparillo. He was wearing black pants, a yellow long-sleeved shirt and brown shoes and had a black knapsack.

Dookie was last seen on October 31, when he left his home at 3 am and got into a taxi which took him to Icacos to begin work. He has not been seen since and calls to his cell phone have gone unanswered. Police have interviewed several people, including a man who may have been the last person to see him alive. Relatives of Knights, 25, and Dookie, 38, used the police town meetings held at Gasparillo and Cedros to appeal for help to find their loved ones. 

At the Cedros meeting Deputy Commissioner of Police Glen Hackett told the Dookie family he had referred the matter to the Anti Kidnapping Squad (AKS) and had also appointed Insp Anderson Parryman to follow up. Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams told Knights’ father Eric he felt his pain and assured the police would do their best to find him. Senior Supt Cecil Santana also assured the investigation into Knights’ disappearance was continuing.

These assurances, however, brought little comfort for the families, who continue to lose sleep over the missing men. Ian Dookie’s father Michael confirmed that members of the AKS have been visiting regularly, but there is no new information. Dookie said this loss has taken a toll on the entire family, especially his wife, Sheila, who cries and prays constantly for her son’s return.  

“She is so worried, like she’s tripping off, you can’t understand what she’s saying. She cries a lot still, but she also praying right through.” Dookie was last seen wearing black three-quarter pants and a black chequered jersey. Anyone with information on Knights can contact Marabella police station at 652-6777 or relatives at 684-2246. People can call Cedros police station at 690-1196 with information on Dookie.

Plumes of thick, black smoke covered La Romaine, San Fernando, yesterday evening as fire officers battled a multi-million dollar blaze that gutted a business complex. The buildings, located at Allahar Street, housed Diamond Systems Ltd, a computer company; Progmastics, an IT company; Sports Outlet, a clothing company and Trinidad Gaskets, a manufacturing company. The entire compound was owned by Southern Industrial. 

The fire reportedly began around 4 pm and members of staff were evacuated before the Fire Services arrived. When the T&T Guardian visited the scene around 5 pm, thick smoke could be seen billowing from the ruins as firefighters of the Mon Repos Fire Station attempted to extinguish the blaze. Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Ansar Ali told the media the officers were able to contain the blaze to the building in the middle which housed Sports Outlet and prevented it from destroying the main administration building and the warehouse at the back, which stored chemicals of an unknown nature.

Ali said five units, 30 officers and five water tankers responded. One woman, who said she was part owner of Diamond Systems, said none of her employees were hurt. She could not give an estimate for the damages as there were other companies who also lost their stock. Councillor for the area, Roland Hall, visited the scene and praised the Fire Services for their speedy response.

A social media firestorm erupted yesterday after a landslip mere metres away from the recently-opened Golconda Interchange caused a portion of the shoulder of the highway to collapse.
Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms were abuzz with rumours that a portion of the interchange, which was formally opened last month by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, had collapsed. 

However, National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) chairman, Dr Carson Charles, yesterday dismissed social media rumours of the collapse, telling the T&T Guardian the issue being blown out of proportion. “It was just a crack by a small landslip on the eastern side of the highway,” Charles said. “It was caused by heavy rains undermining earthen drains at the bottom of the embankment.”

Facebook users commenting on the T&T Guardian’s post about the collapse seized the opportunity to show support for Highway Re-route Movement leader Dr Wayne Kublalsingh. Kublalsingh has been on a hunger strike for the past 58 days, calling for mediation on the Debe to Mon Desir leg of the extension of the Sir Solomon Highway to Point Fortin. The shoulder collapsed sometime during the morning period, the T&T Guardian was told. HRM members alerted the media to the situation.

The T&T Guardian visited the scene shortly after noon and saw five employees of Brazilian firm, Construtora OAS Ltd, at the site. They refused to speak to the T&T Guardian and walked away. 
Workers also stopped an excavator which was on site and operating. The collapsed portion of the shoulder was hidden under white tarpaulin which was held down by cement. The area was blocked off with concrete barriers and large traffic cones.

In a release yesterday, Nidco confirmed there was a “minor landslip” along the Golconda to Debe segment. The landslip, it added, occurred approximately 400 metres south of the Papourie Road underpass, on the south-bound carriageway of the extension and occurred because of water seeping into the bottom of the embankment due to incomplete drains in the area. 

Yesterday, Charles said that may have happened due to the current drainage system. “Anywhere you have earthen drains this can happen but this is not affecting the highway in any way,” he said. 
Charles said OAS was supposed to pave the drains but that was not done yet. “The contractor was supposed to pave the drains, after that (paving) is done there will be no more problems. This has nothing to do with the structure of the highway. It is a drainage problem,” he added.

He said the contractor was working feverishly to rectify the problem. “The contractor went in to make sure the landslip is stopped,” he said. He said no retaining wall would be put up because once the drain was paved the issue would be resolved. 

HRM: Poor studies done
Highway Re-route Movement (HRM) member Vishal Boodhai, who spoke to the media yesterday at the site of the collapsed shoulder, knocked the Government for failing to carry out proper scientific studies before beginning construction. Boodhai said about 100 feet of the shoulder had collapsed. He said: “The HRM is very disturbed about what transpired here today, where almost 100 feet of the shoulder of the Debe-Goloconda highway caved in. “They basically did some work to mask the damages that happened this morning and they put some plastic and cemented it into place to hide what happened.”

Boodhai said yesterday’s incident was a perfect example of the need for scientific studies before beginning construction on such a large project. He added: “We were always lobbying for scientific studies to be undertaken before any construction was started. “Today we see a perfect example of what happens when you don't do the proper studies before embarking on a project of this size. “We see the most expensive highway on planet earth. It’s not even finished and we are already seeing signs of it falling apart.” 

Two days after a San Fernando man went missing after diving off a boat in the Gulf of Paria his body was picked up by the Coast Guard a mile off the La Brea jetty. Deodath Goolcharan, of Retrench Village, San Fernando, was last seen alive when he dived off a friend’s wooden boat on Monday. It was the same friend, Om Roopchan, who, along with other neighbours, found his body after setting off on their own search early yesterday morning.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian by phone yesterday, Goolcharan’s sister, Rita, said the family felt a sense of relief her brother’s body was found and they no longer had to wonder what happened to him. She said the family got a call from Roopchan around 10.30 am to say her brother’s body had been spotted in Oropouche. She added: “Apparently the undercurrent carried his body down to La Brea. The same guy he went out with that day (Monday), helped to find him.” She said after Roopchan contacted them, the family called the Coast Guard and police.  “The Coast Guard went down there and took the body out the water around 1.30 pm,” said Rita. 

However, she said their worry has shifted to the health of her 78-year-old mother who had not been told at first that her only son was missing because the family feared for her health. “She ended up finding out he was missing and she was not eating or anything,” said Rita. “My sister carry her to the doctor this morning and he said her pressure and sugar so low she could go into a coma.”

She is urging seagoers to be more cautious when venturing out, especially during bad weather. “Whoever going out to sea, be extremely careful. Get yourself  lifejackets and look at the weather before doing those activities,” the grieving sister said. “The sea was still rough after the bad weather on Sunday. They could have taken more precaution but I wasn’t there so I can’t judge anybody,” she said. She said tentative funeral arrangements are being made for tomorrow.