State granted further time to file affidavits
Although no one represented the state yesterday it was given additional time by Justices Nandalall Kissoon and B.S Roy to file further affidavits in answer to those filed on behalf of four convicted murders who were to hang on February 7, and who were granted a temporary reprieve by the courts. On the first occasion, the state was given five days to file the affidavit, on the second occasion it was given 30 and on the third occasion, which was yesterday, another 20 days were granted by the two judges. Justice Kissoon is hearing the cases of Ravindra Deo, Lawrence Chan and Ganga Deolall, while Justice B.S. Roy is hearing the case of Oral Hendricks. The defence for Deo is being led by Rex McKay, SC, and attorney-at-law Fitz Peters, while Chan and Hendricks are represented by attorneys-at-law Nigel Hughes, Stephen Fraser and Gregory Delzin of Trinidad and Tobago. Deolall's defence was previously led by the latter three lawyers, but yesterday it was heard that he is now represented by Senior Counsel Doodnauth Singh. The lawyers yesterday said that they would withdraw their actions for Deolall as soon as Singh filed his. The lawyers yesterday objected to the state being granted additional time stating that the conservatory order, which is an order to maintain an issue as it is at the time of the application, should continue until the hearing or determination of the action. However, the judges gave the state some more time to file its affidavits. On February 6, in two separate hearings before Justice Roy, orders staying the four murderers' executions were granted. Justice Roy was assigned to hear the exparte applications after the lawyers for the condemned men were unable to contact Justice Kissoon who is assigned to deal with chamber matters, as he was out of town. The four murderers in their affidavits are claiming that they were not allowed a hearing before the Committee for the Exercise of the Prerogative of Mercy nor were they or their lawyers informed that their petitions were being heard. Deo was convicted for the kidnapping and murder of eight-year-old Vishnu Bhim, the only child for his parents. Hendricks was convicted for brutally killing the three children of his reputed wife. The court heard how he threw the two-year-old into a trench at the back of Klien, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara and watched him drown. He then threw in the four-year-old and watched him drown. However, when he threw in the seven-year-old, the child swam to the surface and Hendricks took a knife he had in his pocket, slit the boy's throat and then held his head under the mud to ensure he was dead. Chan shot and killed two men at Port Kaituma in 1993. Deolall was convicted for the brutal slaying of Yvette Lall whose mutilated body was found on the La Grange foreshore by a fisherman on October 19, 1993. The next date for the hearing is April 22.
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