By Andre Bagoo and Sean Douglas Friday, July 3 2009

Attorney General John Jeremie yesterday said two convicted killers on death row may soon face the hangman.

“We haven’t stopped it,” Jeremie told Newsday in relation to the implementation of the death penalty.

He noted that two convicted murderers will soon be before the Mercy Committee.

“There are two persons on death row now who fall within the Pratt and Morgan guidelines: Ronald Tiwarie and Ronald John. So those matters will shortly be coming before the Mercy Committee after we take account of whatever recommendations come under the Inter-American Convention.”

Tiwarie of Blue Basin Road, Diego Martin, was sentenced to death on August 4, 2004 by Justice Rajendra Narine in the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court for the murder of his sister-in-law Polly Ramnarine at the Blue Basin River on March 8, 2001. It was alleged that Tiwarie drowned Ramnarine. He later surrendered to officers at Port-of-Spain CID.

John was sentenced to death on February 8, 2006 for the murder of club proprietor Kenneth Boxie. Boxie was killed during a robbery at his Starlite Recreation Club in Palmyra Village, San Fernando on November 27, 2002. At the trial, Justice Mark Mohammed sentenced John to death.

John of Sea Lots, Port-of-Spain lost his appeal before the Privy Council in March this year.

At present, Tiwarie and John are within the five-year limit under which convicted murderers can be hanged after the date of their convictions and sentences to death, in accordance with the 1993 Pratt and Morgan v the Attorney General of Jamaica ruling of the Privy Council. The Privy Council had stated that a delay in executing the death penalty more than five years after sentencing would be cruel and inhuman treatment. Anthony Briggs, 25, was the last person to be executed in Trinidad. He was sent to the gallows on July 28, 1999 for the August 1992 murder of taxi driver Siewdath Ramkissoon.

The question of hangings returned to the spotlight on Wednesday during the funeral of Camille Daniel, 39, who was shot dead last week by car-jackers at West End Police Station. Pastor Peter Morris, of the Seventh-day Adventist Church strongly criticised the Government for the high murder rate and said hangings should resume.

Lower House Leader, Colm Imbert, yesterday endorsed the death penalty, while noting it is limited by the Privy Council. He was answering reporters’ questions at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.

Imbert said, “The implementation of the death penalty has proven to be extremely difficult, because of decisions made by the Privy Council, and as you know the question of the five-year time-frame to do everything that is necessary.”

He recalled few recent hangings. “I’m not aware that to date any government, other than when Dole Chadee and his gang were hanged, has been successful in terms of meeting the legal time-frame to carry out the death penalty.

“But certainly, as far as I know, the Government is committed to implementing the law, and if it can be done, it will be done, within the framework of the existing law.”