Jean Bacchus, the wife of the late Princes Street cattle farmer Shafeek Bacchus, took to the witness stand yesterday, as the preliminary inquiry into the death of her husband continued.
Magistrate Adrian Thompson presided over the matter with the usual tight security at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
At the hearing, Bacchus’ wife testified about the events before and after her husband was killed.
Bacchus was 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’ death, his brother, George Bacchus (who is now deceased) reportedly fingered the Manager of Auby’s Wine Bar, Mark Thomas, known as ‘Kerzorkee,’ 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 hospitalized. He later died at the Georgetown Public 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 withdrew from 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.
At the hearing yesterday, Prosecutor Simone Morris applied for an arrest warrant for one of the witnesses that was summoned to attend court.
However, Magistrate Thompson denied her application since the witness was not given 48-hour notice to appear in court. The witness was instead summoned the day before the case.