By ALEXANDER BRUZUAL Thursday, September 27 2012

EDUCATION Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh yesterday admitted that a man who was recorded in a video, ‘planassing’ (beating with the flat side of a cutlass) another man who was purchasing doubles — which was later aired on social video-sharing website YouTube — was in fact his son.

“Yes, he is my son,” Dr Gopeesingh said yesterday as he was questioned about the video by reporters at St Mary’s College in Port-of-Spain where he went to distribute laptops to Form One students.

Asked his response on Minister of National Security Jack Warner’s concern about violent videos being disseminated on social networking sites and its impact on children, Gopeesingh said he concurred with Warner.

“I know there have been questions raised about a family (member) of mine and I think it is inappropriate for me to comment on this issue while investigations are going on,” Gopeesingh noted. Pressed further to comment on his son’s behaviour, Gopeesingh again said he did not want to comment as he preferred to let the law take its course.

“I do not want to comment. Let the investigation take its course I do not want to interfere whatsoever in anything.”

On September 19, a closed circuit tv (CCTV) video uploaded on YouTube which showed 56-year-old Gregory Wight purchasing doubles from a street side vendor outside Brooklyn Bar in Woodbrook. Wight is seen telling a man something while pointing at the man’s vehicle. The man goes to his vehicle and returns with a cutlass which he uses to “planass” Wight who is standing at the side of the doubles vendor, eating a doubles. The man went back to his vehicle, put away the cutlass and returned to the vendor where he purchased some doubles before leaving.

Wight later filed a report at the Woodbrook police station saying at about 7.20 am on September 19, he was eating doubles when a black van parked near the vendor. Wight in his report to police, claimed that he asked the man to turn off the van’s engine as the fume from the muffler was creating a nuisance for persons eating doubles.

Wight reported that he was beaten with the cutlass on his left thigh and ordered to apologise. He was beaten on his right thigh and asked to apologise again. Wight later went to the West Shore Medical Hospital for treatment for bruises.

At yesterday’s weekly press briefing at Police Administration building, Port-of-Spain, Public Information Officer Sgt Wayne Mystar, confirmed that a report was made and police were treating the matter seriously.

“I want to assure the public that we will be treating this matter just like any other as it relates to an offence which has been committed. So once proper investigations have been conducted and the investigator has reasonable cause to believe that an offence has been committed, then action will be taken,” Mystar said.