Saturday, November 4 2006

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LAWYER CHARGED: Attorney Leon Gokool leaves the Port-of-Spain Magistrates' Court yesterday. ...

AN ATTORNEY who was once a prisons officer appeared before Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls in the dock of the Port-of-Spain Eighth Magistrates’ Court yesterday on a charge of attempting to pervert the course of public justice.

Leon Gokool, 46, an attorney practising in Trinidad and Tobago for eight years, was charged on Thursday by Inspector Cyril Harry with the common-law offence of doing “a series of acts which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice.” He was held on Wednesday for questioning as he was walking along Knox Street, Port-of-Spain.

The charges were made out in relation to the testimony of State witness Kellon John in the “Robo Cop” kidnaping case. John was the star witness in the case brought against Selwyn “Robo Cop” Alexis alongside Sheldon “Skelly” Lowell, Kevin “Sneeze” Simpson and Dereck John for the June 9, 2002 kidnapping of Sangre Grande jeweller Henry Francis.

It is alleged that between the period March 5 and March 16, 2006 Gokool had attempted to dissuade John from giving evidence in the case in accordance with statements John had previously made.

Four others have already been charged in relation to the alleged attempts to dissuade John including: Justice of the Peace Steven Young, Kenneth Martin, Kevin Nurse and Alexis.

Gokool had appeared before Magistrate Avason Quinlan on Thursday afternoon in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court. However, the matter was since transferred to the Chief Magistrate.

Yesterday morning Gokool smiled nervously as he sat in the dock wearing a black suit and white shirt.

He was represented before Mc Nicolls by a battery of attorneys including Gregory Delzin, Ravi Heffes-Doon, and Ian Ibrahim.

Delzin asked for the matter to be handled expeditiously and applied for the disclosure of certain documents. He also asked for the details of the charge, as he had not yet become aware of its exact nature.

Delzin also appealed for the court to deal with the matter expeditiously and made an undertaking to handle the matter with appropriate urgency as, “this is an officer of the court.”

In discussing bail Delzin pointed out that Gokool was an attorney of eight years’ standing as well as an ex-prisons officer and that as such, “I don’t think anyone considers him a flight risk.” He pointed out to Mc Nicolls that it was possible to order Gokool to surrender his passport.

Delzin disclosed that Gokool’s brother Joseph Gokool, of Pleasantville, San Fernando, was in the process of arranging the documentation necessary for bail but that he would have to travel down to Siparia to do this and that this was not possible to do before the weekend. He also expressed concern over having the matter go through the weekend.

He added that he had already been in contact with Gokool’s sister, who is an attorney at law in St Lucia, and disclosed that she was willing to put up bail by wire transfer if necessary.

Mc Nicolls ordered bail, in the sum of $100,000, to be accepted without documentation. He further ordered that the matter of documentation be dealt with on the adjourned date and adjourned the matter to November 10.