The last three witnesses for the Preliminary Inquiry into the shooting to death of Princes Street cattle farmer Shafeek Bacchus are expected to give evidence in court today.
Yesterday the Preliminary Inquiry continued before Magistrate Adrian Thompson with tight security at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
At the hearing, Bacchus’s sister-in-law, Christine Barrow gave her evidence-in-chief.
She testified about her involvement in the identification of her brother-in-law’s body.
Bacchus was reportedly murdered outside his home at Princes Street, Lodge, on January 5, 2004 at about 19:20 hrs when gunmen reportedly opened fire on him.
Following Bacchus’s death, his brother, George Bacchus (who is now deceased) reportedly fingered the Manager of Auby’s Wine Bar, Mark Thomas; proprietor of A&D Funeral Home, Ashton King; and former Police Officer, Sean Hinds as the persons who shot his brother.
However, Thomas collapsed when the charges were being read to him and was hospitalised; he later died in the hospital.
The Director of Public Prosecutions was forced to restart the case after Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen withdrew from the Inquiry.
Magistrate Holder-Allen vacated the case after self-confessed ‘death squad’ informant George Bacchus disclosed that she was at one time targeted for death.
The now dead ‘informant’ contended that the Chief Magistrate’s name was featured on a list that he had seen.
As the matter was about to adjourn yesterday, Defence Counsels Compton Richardson and Vic Puran raised concerns about the prosecution’s delay in producing the remaining witnesses.
At the last hearing, the prosecution had promised to summon at least four witnesses to court yesterday. However, only one turned up.
The Prosecutor, Miss Simone Morris told the court that she had summoned the witnesses, but was not sure why they didn’t turn up.