Teen mom chargedBy AZARD ALI Saturday, October 6 2012
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LAID CHARGE: Detective Acting Corporal Mahindra Ghadoo, who charged a 19-year-old woman for the unlawful death of her one-year-old son, leaves the San...
NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Reshmi Ramrattan was yesterday denied bail when she appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court charged for the unlawful killing of her one-year-old son Roshan Ramrattan.
Ramrattan was brought to court in handcuffs and stood before Acting Deputy Chief Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan to answer to the charge laid by Acting Corporal Mahindra Ghadoo of the Gasparillo Police Station.
The charge alleges that on Saturday September 29, Reshmi did cause the unlawful death of her son Roshan at their No. 22 School Road, Gasparillo home. Ghadoo was given instructions to lay a charge of manslaughter by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gapard.
An autopsy done at the Forensic Science Centre, St James concluded that baby Roshan died as a result of blunt force trauma. The autopsy also revealed that the child had been violently shaken.
Roshan was buried on Wednesday last — two days after he would have celebrated his second birthday. Rambachan informed Ramrattan that the charge was laid indictably, meaning she would not be called upon to enter a plea or “guilty” or “not-guilty” as the case would have to be determined before a High Court judge and jury, if he (the magistrate) determines there is sufficient grounds to order a trial.
Rambachan asked court police prosecutor Constable Ramdath Phillip what was the police’s position regarding bail. Phillip said that tracing, to see if the accused has any criminal record and/or cases pending in the courts, has not yet been done. He requested time, until Monday, to facilitate this exercise. Attorney Subhas Panday then stood up and announced that he will be counsel for Ramrattan.
The accused woman’s mother and other relatives were present in court yesterday.
The magistrate then informed Ramrattan that he would be remanding her into custody until October 8 (next Monday), when next the case would be heard and the issue of bail, determined.
A policewoman then handcuffed Ramrattan and escorted her out of the courthouse and back to the nearby San Fernando Police Station to await being transported to the Women’s Prison in Golden Grove, in Arouca.
